NEW YORK — Former Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Thomas Prendergast has been named as CEO and president of the Gateway Development Commission, the bi-state agency overseeing construction of the new rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan, as well as other Northeast Corridor projects.
Prendergast succeeds Kris Kolluri, the original commission CEO who is now leading NJ Transit.
Prendergast will lead an organization featuring a seven-member board, with three board members each from New York and New Jersey, and one from Amtrak: current Amtrak board chair Tony Coscia.
“Gateway is something the region knows for a long time needs to get done,” Prendergast told NorthJersey.com. “It’s an opportunity I could not pass up.”
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2025/01/17/new-ceo-gateway-project-build-hudson-river-rail-tunnel/77726049007/
Prendergast was CEO of the MTA from 2013 to 2017, after serving as president of the Long Island Rail Road and New York City Transit. He had previously been CEO of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority in the run-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The question is===Does he and the rest of the commission have enough time in each week to adequately oversee and correct problems? If they have other commitments, then will they really oversee the work?
Tom Prendergast is a great choice to lead this vital project. His record of accomplishment at NYCT and the MTA is unparalleled. He’s one of those exemplary transportation industry leaders who combines a deep understanding of operations and maintenance (particularly railroading) with an ability to manage compex mega-projects, all while dealing with a byzantine political environment.