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Transit Officials Test L Line With General Manager In what New York City transit officials are calling a pilot program that in three years could lead to a sweeping overhaul of the management of 24 subway lines, the L has been assigned a line general manager and deputy general manager, who will be accountable for day-to-day operations along the 18-mile route between Rockaway Parkway and Eighth Avenue/East 14th Street in Manhattan. New York City transit officials last week announced the L's new bosses are general manager Greg Lombardi, a 28-year NYC transit authority veteran and deputy general manger Demetrius Chrichlow, who will oversee everything from announcements, track repair, timeliness and cleanliness for the route's stops. The No. 7 Flushing line in Queens is also part of the new strategy to improve service based on the TA's first commuter surveys conducted last September. The14th Street-Canarsie line received a passing grade of "C." Transit officials said the survey results would serve as benchmarks for the managers' decisions to improve service. New straphanger surveys will be conducted in about three months to assess improvements and determine the success of the managers. The new assignments are expected to distribute the decision-making process out to the field so managers can take a hands-on approach to subway operations and, hopefully, boost customer satisfaction. Results of the pilot program will serve as the basis for initiating the plan for the remainder of the city's subway system. "The reorganization of the subway system will improve both operations and customer service," said Elliot G. Sander, MTA Executive Director and CEO. "For the first time, there will be a recognizable face associated with individual subway lines, providing accountability at the local level." The Canarsie line has 24 stations along its 20-mile route between Eighth Avenue/14th Street in Manhattan, and Rockaway Parkway. Annual ridership for the L line is estimated at more than 30 million, due mostly to the population surge in Williamsburg over the last decade. The Canarsie line averages 235,000 riders daily, which, if it were an independent system, would rank it 10th among rapid transit systems, beating out San Francisco (MUNI), Portland, San Diego and Baltimore. "These managers will be given their own railroads and the responsibility for running them to the satisfaction of our customers," explained Steven Feil, a Senior Vice President for the Department of Subways, to whom the managers will report. "This team is being put out here to make a positive difference and I have every confidence that this is what will happen."
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