Metro's board of directors named Richard Sarles the new general manager and CEO of the agency.
Sarles had been the interim general manager for 10 months. He was named to the new position at a board meeting on Thursday.
“The top priority is safety,” Sarles said on News4 Today.
He reiterated Metro’s on-going plan to upgrade the system with new escalators and safety upgrades.
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He signed a three-year contract that will pay him $350,000 a year.
Sarles has promised to continue focusing on safety and to restore the system to a "state of good repair."
He also said he will work to fill holes in Metro's work force, including a shortage of bus drivers and train operators.
Sarles, the former chief of New Jersey Transit, joined the agency in March at a salary of $25,000 a month.
He has also worked for Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
