MENU
SEARCHRob Free has served as LIRR’s acting president for the last six months.
As acting president, Rob Free promised to prioritize three things: safety for riders and employees, increased reliability, and higher customer satisfaction.
Photo: Marc A. Hermann/MTA
New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair/CEO Janno Lieber appointed Rob Free as the 42nd president of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).
Free served as LIRR’s acting president for the last six months. He began his career with the railroad as a station cleaner 31 years ago, rising through the ranks to become chief transportation officer and sr. VP, operations, before becoming president.
Free was instrumental in the rollout of LIRR service to Grand Central Madison, helping to oversee a 41% increase in service that accompanied the terminal’s opening, the largest service increase in LIRR history.
During his time in LIRR leadership, the MTA also completed the Main Line Third Track project that enabled a 41% service increase, opened the first new LIRR station in 50 years at (Elmont-UBS Arena), and completed an overhaul of the LIRR concourse at Penn Station while continuing to run robust train service all throughout construction.
As President, Free will oversee LIRR’s 24/7 service, 700 miles of tracks, and 126 stations — which includes three of the top five busiest commuter railroad stations in North America. Free says a top goal is to boost ridership and continue to adjust schedules to improve on-time performance even more.
“When I joined the LIRR as a 22-year-old station cleaner, I never imagined that one day I would be running this incredible organization,” said Free. “It’s been an amazing journey so far and I am excited to continue to build on our successes and make the riding experience even better for Long Islanders. Ridership continues to climb, with weekdays routinely carrying 230,000-plus riders, as is on-time performance which has been above 95% for three straight months.”
As acting president, Free promised to prioritize three things: safety for riders and employees, increased reliability, and higher customer satisfaction.
Over the past six months, Free has delivered in all three areas. MTAPD increased its presence on the rails bringing a greater sense of security to everyone on trains and in stations. LIRR enjoyed it’s best February in 12 years with 96.3% of trains arriving on-time, which is also the sixth-best month in LIRR history.
As a result of the rising ridership and improved on-time performance, customer satisfaction has increased. He’s also previously led initiatives that improved customer satisfaction such as replacing more than 12,000 seat cushions over the last two years and regularly personally surveys platform operations and checks bathrooms to ensure they are clean and in good working order.
The only new subway opening in the US this year, the D Line Extension represents one of Metro’s top transit priorities and a historic milestone for Los Angeles, with Sections 2 and 3 set to open in 2027.
Read More →
In Part 2 of a two-part conversation, AC Transit’s director of maintenance joins co-hosts Alex Roman and Mark Hollenbeck to discuss his maintenance team’s work with various types of vehicle, training, augmented reality, and more.
Read More →
The transit agency cites labor disruptions, demographic shifts, and evolving rider needs as it advances safety initiatives, paratransit changes, and major infrastructure projects across its network.
Read More →
John Hatman, COO of Master’s Transportation, breaks down the priorities, warning signs and common mistakes fleet managers should address now to stay ahead of summer demand.
Read More →
See how the TTC is testing a new wayfinding system at major subway stations while planning to introduce fare capping to make transit easier to navigate and more affordable for riders.
Read More →
The new center serves as the central hub for monitoring and managing PATCO train operations, communications, customer service coordination, incident response, and overall operational oversight across the transit system.
Read More →
Despite these pressures, VIA Rail is reporting that total revenues increased to $514.8 million as more travelers took advantage of the wide range of options available through the corporation’s new reservation system.
Read More →
Up until now, this feature was only available when using a SEPTA Key card.
Read More →
Created in partnership with Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners, the contractor for CTA’s historic $5.7 billion RLE project, the new $250,000 scholarship program will provide three students a year from 2026 to 2030 with $3,000 scholarships.
Read More →
Steve Goodreau of WSP explores the technology’s promise, limitations and where it may fit in the evolving transit landscape.
Read More →
