SEPTA General Manager Jeff Knueppel will retire at the end of this year after more than three decades with the $2 billion-a-year transit agency, writes Ryan Briggs for PlanPhilly.

Knueppel has informed his immediate staff that he was planning to leave at the end of his contract.

After he joined SEPTA in 1988 as an engineer, Knueppel climbed the ranks at the agency to become the assistant GM in the late 2000s. He was named deputy GM by his predecessor, Joe Casey, in 2012. He took over as general manager in September 2015.

His years at the helm have been marked by significant investments in positive train control, a safety feature that came into the spotlight after a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia. He has also stewarded much of the implementation of SEPTA Key.

Several sources from within the agency say that PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards is one of the main contenders to replace Knueppel. However, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said the SEPTA board is not yet close to selecting a final candidate.

“We don’t have a replacement yet,” Busch said, adding that “nothing has been decided.”

Read more about Jeff Knueppel at PlanPhilly here.

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