Senate Resolution No. 593

BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS

CONGRATULATING Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion
of her retirement as President of MTA Metro-North
Railroad after 22 years of distinguished service

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the
significant milestones in the distinguished careers of esteemed
residents of this noble Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
congratulate Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement as
President of MTA Metro-North Railroad; and

WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi graduated summa cum laude from Yale
University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1985; after
earning her law degree from the University of Virginia, she began her
career with MTA in 2003; and

WHEREAS, During her time with MTA, Catherine Rinaldi served in many
roles, including Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel at MTA
Headquarters, Vice President and General Counsel at Long Island Rail
Road, Chief of Staff and Counsel to the MTA Chairman, and Executive Vice
President of Metro-North; and

WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi assumed the role of the sixth President
of Metro-North Railroad on February 21, 2018, becoming the first woman
to hold this position; that same year, she was named Woman of the Year
by the Greater New York Chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar;
and

WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi has overseen a host of consumer-facing
initiatives during her time as President, including the delivery of
real-time service information at Grand Central Terminal and outlying
stations to a multimillion-dollar station upgrade at White Plains
Station, the railroad's third busiest station; under her leadership,
Metro-North's customer-facing safety program, TRACKS, won the 2018 APTA
Gold Award for Safety; and

WHEREAS, Catherine Rinaldi served as president through the duration
of the federal and state-declared emergency related to the COVID-19
pandemic; during this time, she led MTA Metro-North Railroad through
unprecedented uncertainty and change, including the development of
health and safety protocols during the pandemic and the implementation
of strategies to increase post-COVID ridership; and

WHEREAS, During her time as President, Catherine Rinaldi has led
efforts to prioritize customer service and improve system reliability
while continuing the intensive infrastructure work essential to
maintaining system safety, including the opening of a brand-new
maintenance and operations hub at Croton-on-Hudson and the installation
of positive train control across Metro-North Territory within the
federally required timeframe; and

WHEREAS, In addition to her role as President of MTA Metro-North
Railroad, Catherine Rinaldi served as interim president of the Long
Island Rail Road from February 2022 through October 2023, where she was
involved in readiness activities associated with the commencement of
LIRR service into Grand Central Madison; this combined role allowed her
to promote greater collaboration between the two railroads, encouraging
the railroads' operating departments to learn from each other and
identify best practices to solve common problems; and

WHEREAS, When she retires on March 31, Catherine Rinaldi will leave
an impressive legacy at Metro-North, overseeing the best on-time
performance in the railroad's history last year at ninety-eight percent,
the fifth consecutive year that the railroad's performance has exceeded
ninety-seven percent; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Catherine Rinaldi upon the occasion of her retirement, and
to wish her well in all her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Catherine Rinaldi.