Way Ahead – Moving Forward
Way Ahead – Moving Forward
A Message from Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi
When we launched our Way Ahead strategic plan in the fall of 2018, we were responding to evolving customer expectations and travel patterns while building on the positive progress we had made over the past several years. We were optimistic and had good reason to be.
Little did we know that less than two years later, we would be faced with the most significant public health, economic, and social crisis of our time. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Metro-North responded quickly by adopting the most aggressive cleaning and disinfection program in our history. We provided thousands of masks to our customers, and installed hand sanitizer dispensers at all of our stations.
The impact of the pandemic on Metro-North cannot be understated. Many of us fell ill with COVID-19, and tragically, we lost several colleagues to this terrible disease. We send out deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. Our ridership fell dramatically, initially by 95%.
But even at the height of the pandemic, our dedicated and hardworking employees continued to do all the work necessary to carry essential workers to and from their jobs — they are truly heroes moving heroes.
As the region begins to re-open, we have taken a hard look at what it will take for us to recover and for us to help the region recover. We have updated our strategies to respond to new challenges, and we are ready to adapt to whatever the “new normal” becomes.
The strategies we have updated for Way Ahead - Moving Forward will meet the changing needs of our railroad and region as we recover from the pandemic and adjust to structural shifts in people’s work and transportation patterns.
We are still guided by the principles of safety, integrity, and innovation, and these inform how we have approached this update to our plan to move us forward. We continue to focus on our three priorities: our customers, our people, and our infrastructure. In the pages that follow, we highlight how we plan to recover and set ourselves up for success in the future.
We have all been through a lot. To our employees, I express my deepest gratitude for all that you do and commend you for continuing to exemplify Metro-North’s values of respect, honesty and pride. And to our customers, we welcome you back and we thank you for riding with us! We remain committed to setting the standard for safety, reliability, and innovation in the delivery of excellent customer service.
We know brighter days are ahead, and we are excited to be Moving Forward with you!
Catherine Rinaldi
President, MTA Metro-North Railroad
MTA Metro-North Railroad – Who We Are
Our Mission – Why We Exist
To be a safe, reliable, and efficient railroad providing regional mobility and excellent service to our customers
Our Vision – Where We Are Headed
Our vision through Way Ahead is to set the standard for safety, reliability, and innovation in the delivery of excellent customer service
Our Values – What We Stand For
Respect: Treat everyone with dignity
Honesty: Speak and act truthfully
Pride: Own your work and do it well
Our Priorities
Our Customers
The reason Metro-North exists
Our People
Metro‑North’s greatest resource
Our Infrastructure
Including trains, stations, track, structures, bridges, communications, signals, power, shops, and yards
Our Principles
Safety
Which rests at the heart of all our actions and initiatives
Integrity
To maintain the public’s confidence in our decisions
Innovation
To encourage new ways of thinking and doing business
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Metro-North is Moving Forward!
We are responding to today’s challenges and charting the Way Ahead - Moving Forward for recovery and resiliency.
Metro-North remains committed to our vision of setting the standard for safety, reliability and innovation in the delivery of excellent customer service.
Give us your feedback at WayAhead@mnr.org
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