Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chair and CEO Janno Lieber has announced Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free will retire on Nov. 20, 2026. Free, a 34-year LIRR veteran who worked his way up from station cleaner, has served as President since 2023.
The MTA will conduct a nationwide search for Free’s successor.
“Under Rob Free, the Long Island Rail Road has delivered better service, for more riders than ever,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “He has positioned this agency to continue delivering fast, frequent, and reliable service for years to come. His extraordinary record of service is a model to everyone who wears the LIRR uniform.”
Free departs after a remarkable career at the Long Island Rail Road. A Port Jefferson native, he started his career cleaning Jamaica Station, led operations through the COVID-19 pandemic, and touched nearly every corner of the agency in between.
Since Free began leading the agency in 2023, on-time performance reached 96 percent, the highest level in over a decade, public safety in the system reached new heights, and weekday ridership soared to 102 percent of pre-COVID levels. Free also oversaw the first three years of service to Grand Central Madison, the country’s first major new station in more than a half century
-via Press Release