MTA celebrates graduation day for new train operators

A total of 63 new Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway train operators graduated following their successful completion of training at the New York City Transit (NYCT) Learning Center in Brooklyn.     

These operators will help NYCT tackle crew shortages and bolster the frequency of subway service. This marked the end of months of intensive training for operators that began in the summer of 2021. The graduation took place as NYCT Subway ridership hovers between 50 and 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.   

“As the city continues to return to normal, we have prioritized bringing great people aboard by increasing class sizes and aggressively recruiting,” said NYCT Interim President Craig Cipriano. “New Yorkers need access to fast, safe and reliable subway service to get to work, school and family activities. I am really excited to welcome this new group to our team.”   

“Everyone knows the staffing challenges that the MTA has experienced, and we’ve accelerated training and filled larger classes so we can provide increased service for New Yorkers,” added Vice President and Chief Officer of Service Delivery Herb Lambert. “Our subway operators keep the city moving and are leading New York City on the way back.”  

The new employees join the hundreds of bus and train operators along with conductors who recently completed their training. To date, the MTA has hired 425 train operators and 341 conductors, including those who have already graduated or will do so in the months ahead — part of a deliberate effort by the MTA to rapidly grow the number of bus operators, subway train operators and conductors.  

A hiring freeze, necessitated by a fiscal crisis that developed during the pandemic, depleted the ranks of train operators with many veteran workers retiring or leaving their frontline posts.