Demetrius Crichlow, MTA’s New Subway Boss, Says He’s Here to Stay

As a child, Demetrius Crichlow noticed that his father’s palms were often stained black with grease after long days as a train car repairman in New York City’s transit system.

The image instilled a profound admiration for rail work in Mr. Crichlow, whose grandfather also worked for the system. He has gone on to have a 27-year career with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that has elevated him into its executive ranks.

His family history with the authority has contributed to his reverence for it. “We never had a want for anything because transit gave it to us,” Mr. Crichlow, 49, said.

Now, he is taking on a new role that will test him as none of his previous posts have. Last month, Mr. Crichlow was named the head of New York City Transit, the division of the M.T.A. that runs the subway and bus networks.

He steps into a position that is arguably second only to Janno Leiber, the M.T.A.’s chief executive, in wielding responsibility for the largest and busiest subway system on the continent. More accustomed to working in the background, Mr. Crichlow is entering the spotlight at a time when the M.T.A. is under even more intense scrutiny than usual.

In January, the agency will debut congestion pricing, a tolling program that will charge most drivers $9 to enter the most traffic-jammed streets of Manhattan. The plan, which aims to raise some $15 billion for crucial improvements to the aging mass transit system, has incensed many opponents. A barrage of lawsuits is trying to stop it, and President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed to kill it, creating great fiscal uncertainty for the M.T.A.