The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors has unanimously voted for the agency’s newest president and CEO. Kris Kolluri was previously nominated for the role by Gov. Phil Murphy. Current CEO Kevin Corbett resigned from the position on Monday.
Kolluri is the former CEO of the Gateway Development Commission. He's known for overseeing the construction of the new Hudson River Rail Tunnel project.
“Kris Kolluri has played a vital role in strengthening our region’s transit infrastructure, and I am confident in his ability to lead NJ Transit,” Murphy said.
"I know Kris just - he knows this system. He knows infrastructure inside and out and he knows the state in and out, inside our region,” said NJ Transit Board Member Evan Weiss.
Kolluri will assume the role starting on Jan. 16.
"Over the next year, I look forward to working with the governor and the board to continue putting NJ Transit on a pathway to carry out the improvements that customers expect and deserve,” Kolluri stated.
Transit riders called in during the public comment portion of the meeting citing their concerns. Among them were issues like real-time updates on arrival times through third-party apps like Google.
"I wish Kevin Corbett well in his new position but at the same time, I hope that Kris Kolluri's incoming administration will show more concern for those of us that depend on transit than this agency currently demonstrates,” one rider said.
Other riders say they'd like Kolluri to implement things like bus lanes and an easy way to report their concerns directly to NJ Transit officials without long wait times.