NJ Transit executive director stepping down after rocky period for agency

Steven Santoro will step down as executive director of NJ Transit in April, according to a statement released Thursday by the agency.

Santoro, who's worked at NJ Transit for 18 years, became executive director in October 2016.

During his tenure at the agency, it faced close scrutiny from state lawmakers after a commuter train crashed into Hoboken Terminal in September 2016, killing one person and injuring more than 100 others.

NJ Transit has suffered a drain of experienced managers and front-line employees to retirement and better-paying jobs elsewhere. It was subject to a safety compliance audit by the Federal Railroad Administration that concluded just before the Hoboken crash.

Last month, The Record and NorthJersey.com reported that amid the dysfunction at NJ Transit, 10 employees with ties to Gov. Chris Christie had received promotions and pay increases, some as high as the median annual income of New Jersey state workers.

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Santoro has testified numerous times before a state legislative oversight committee examining safety, funding and personnel problems at the agency. Lawmakers postponed another such hearing that was supposed to take place Friday because of Thursday's East Coast snowstorm. The hearing was rescheduled for Monday.

Gov.-elect Phil Murphy will choose Santoro's successor. When introducing his pick for transportation commissioner last month, Murphy called NJ Transit a "national disgrace."

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In a statement Friday, Transportation Commissioner Richard Hammer said Santoro guided the agency during "a critical time," which included emergency track repairs in New York Penn Station that diverted thousands of NJ Transit riders into Hoboken.

"We are deeply grateful for his stewardship and proud of the many strides we made as an agency during his tenure," Hammer said.

In a statement, Santoro said it had been "an honor" to lead the agency.

"Transit’s mission is vital to the state, and I am proud to have been a part of that, along with NJ Transit’s hardworking men and women," he said.

"I look forward to ensuring a smooth transition and positioning NJ Transit for future success," he added.

During Christie's eight years as governor, NJ Transit has had five executive directors. Jim Weinstein served the longest, from 2010 to 2014. Ronnie Hakim succeeded him, but then she left the agency in 2015 to work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Dennis Martin served as interim executive director until Santoro's appointment.

Former Amtrak operating chief William Crosbie accepted the post in April 2016, only to change his mind and turn it down.