Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber appointed Jessie Lazarus on Monday to lead a newly created Rolling Stock Program that will manage a roughly $12 billion investment in new subway cars, buses and commuter rail equipment as part of the MTA’s 2025–2029 capital plan, officials said.
Lazarus, who currently serves as the MTA’s deputy chief of commercial ventures, will oversee the Rolling Stock Program and a team responsible for coordinating procurement strategies and lifetime costs for strategic assets, including subway cars, commuter rail trains and buses.
“With billions of dollars set aside for new subway cars, commuter trains and buses in the new capital plan, we need strong leadership driving the decision-making,” Lieber said in a statement. “Jessie’s no stranger to big projects and complex commercial negotiations, and I have total confidence in her ability to deliver the best deal for the MTA and our millions of daily riders.”
Lazarus said the new program will ensure the MTA’s multi-billion-dollar commitment produces “a smoother, greener, faster, more cost-efficient ride” for riders and supports long-term transit modernization.
Under the plan, the MTA expects to procure about 1,500 new subway cars, more than 500 commuter rail cars and roughly 2,200 buses to replace aging equipment — purchases that amount to nearly 20 percent of the agency’s $65.4 billion capital plan through 2029.
Lazarus joined the MTA in 2023 and played a key role in the agency’s transition from the MetroCard fare system to the OMNY tap-and-ride system, according to the MTA. Prior to her MTA service, she held leadership roles at CARMERA, a spatial artificial intelligence company acquired by Toyota, and served as New York City’s chief digital officer.
The Rolling Stock Program is intended to centralize fleet acquisition coordination across divisions that historically managed equipment procurement separately, with a focus on performance-based specifications to increase supplier competition and value over the equipment lifecycle.
The appointment and program launch come as the MTA moves to modernize its transit fleet, a priority for improving reliability and service for the system’s millions of daily riders.
