LIRR President Rob Free Resigns
Rob Free, who led the Long Island Rail Road since April 2024, will step down November 20 and retire December 1.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in People
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LIRR President Rob Free resigned as president of the Long Island Rail Road, effective November 20, 2026. He will formally retire on December 1, 2026, after a career that began at the railroad in 1992.
Why it matters
Free's departure comes after a period of reported gains in on-time performance, ridership and customer satisfaction, as well as a three-day strike by nearly 3,500 employees in May 2026 that stranded commuters. Leadership change at the railroad carries implications for New York commuters on Long Island.
Customer satisfaction rose 10% between spring 2024 and fall 2025 under Free, with payroll records showing $355,031 in pay last year. The extraction does not say whether those gains have held since the May 2026 strike.
The players
Rob Free
Rob Free is the outgoing 42nd president of the Long Island Rail Road, who joined the railroad in 1992 and led it from April 2024.
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road is the commuter railroad serving Long Island and New York City, operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The details
Free, 57, of Port Jefferson, joined the LIRR in 1992 and was named acting president in October 2023 before formally assuming the role in April 2024. Under his tenure the railroad set modern non-pandemic records for on-time performance and ridership, and he fired two workers involved in an employee ID card counterfeiting ring.
Timeline
February 2023: Messy rollout of the Grand Central Madison service plan.
October 2023: Free named acting LIRR president.
April 2024: Free officially assumed the LIRR president role.
May 2026: Nearly 3,500 LIRR employees struck for three days.
November 20, 2026: Free steps down as LIRR president; formal retirement December 1.
Leadership Arc
Free's exit closes a tenure that followed the messy February 2023 Grand Central Madison service rollout, during which the railroad posted the ridership and on-time records the extraction credits to his leadership. The transition arrives in the wake of the May 2026 strike, leaving the railroad's labor relations and performance record as the defining questions for his successor.
Commuters on the Long Island Rail Road will face a change at the top of the railroad as Free leaves in late November. The extraction does not indicate any immediate change to fares, schedules or service.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions at major commuter railroads can shape service reliability and labor relations long after a president departs, making the choice of Free's successor a key test for Long Island riders.
What happens next
Free steps down effective November 20, 2026 and formally retires December 1, 2026, after which the railroad will need a new president.
Further reading
For more on the leaders shaping New York's transit and business landscape, see People in New York business coverage.
Live Poll
Do you think Long Island Rail Road service has gotten better over the past two years?
