Giulietti named Metro-North president

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut will retire January 31, Joseph Giulietti has been named his successor.

Permut has been a senior Metro-North executive since he helped found the railroad in 1983 and has served as president for more than five years, overseeing the railroad’s expansion of service and ridership. Giulietti has served as executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority for more than 14 years and previously was a Metro-North executive for 15 years starting at the railroad’s inception.

“I am pleased to welcome Joe Giulietti back to Metro-North, where he will take the reins at a critical moment. Joe began his railroad career as a brakeman and assistant conductor on the Penn Central Railroad and has honed his operational and leadership skills through positions of increasing responsibility. I am confident Joe will quickly focus on enhancing Metro-North’s strong operational standards and safety practices, while continuing to develop the railroad’s future as a critical link in the region’s transportation system and economy,” MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast said.

“Howard Permut’s career spans the entire history of Metro-North, a time in which the railroad enhanced its service to double its ridership and carry more customers than any other railroad in the nation. I want to thank him for his service to the railroad and to the people of New York and Connecticut during his distinguished career,” Prendergast said.

Giulietti began his career in 1971 with Penn Central while attending Southern Connecticut State University. In 1978, he became a road foreman with Conrail, where he advanced to become assistant manager for operating rules. He joined the newly-formed Metro-North in 1983 as superintendent of transportation and later became engineer of track for the Harlem and Hudson lines, assistant director of transportation and schedule coordination and director of a project to reduce operational inefficiencies and increase productivity. Giulietti joined the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority in 1998 as deputy executive director and was named executive director two years later.

Permut began his MTA career in 1979 and was one of 10 people chosen to help form Metro-North from former Conrail commuter lines in 1983. He was named president in 2008. During his tenure Metro-North improved its financial efficiency, expanded and improved its infrastructure, modernized customer service and celebrated Grand Central Terminal’s centennial.