Phillip Eng, former president of Long Island Rail Road, named leader of MBTA

Gov. Maura Healey has tapped Phillip Eng, a transportation leader from New York, as the new general manager of the MBTA, the governor's office announced Monday.

An engineer, Eng most recently served as president of Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road and interim president of New York City Transit. Eng announced his retirement from the MTA in February.

“Phil Eng is the proven leader the MBTA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public’s trust,” Healey said in a statement.

“He understands that a functioning transportation system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has a track record of taking the reins of struggling public transit systems and dramatically improving service," she said. "He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.”

The beleaguered transit system faces a number of challenges, including conducting several inspections and repairs that will continue to slow down its lines for several more weeks.

Brian Kane, executive eirector of the MBTA Advisory Board, said bringing Eng into the job signaled a "great news day" for the MBTA. He said Eng's experience makes him a good fit as the T tried to resolves problems with Red and Orange Line car delivery, bus electrification, and modernizing the commuter rail into a regional rail service.

"He has a reputation there of really being a project delivery person — a program delivery person — which is something the T desperately needs right now." he said. "Someone who can come in, hopefully, ground the agency in results and its core mission, and really deliver three or four core projects on the infrastructure side that are desperately needed to make the T operate better."

Eng's appointment comes nearly three months after former General Manager Steve Poftak departed the agency and was replaced by the interim General Manager Jeff Gonneville .

Eng currently lives in New York, but he will relocate to Massachusetts to begin his new role on April 10.

Correction: An earlier version of this story contained a typo in the governor's name. The post has been updated. We regret the error.