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Andrew Grossman
Jul 22, 2011 10:47 am ET Daniella Zalcman for The Wall Street Journal
Outgoing transit chief Jay Walder speaks at Grand Central Terminal.

For someone with aspirations of being a master builder of public works, New York City in 2011 doesn’t have a lot to offer.

Apart from a few quotes in a press release, outgoing Metropolitan Transportation Authority chief Jay Walder has yet to speak publicly about his reasons for leaving his hometown for a job on the other side of the globe, though his new base salary–triple what he has earned in New York–may explain a lot.

What’s more, a comparison of the financial and operational health of the two cities’ transit systems shows that Walder may have an easier road ahead in Asia.
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