Allison Jones, The Canadian Press

TORONTO — The head of provincial transit agency Metrolinx is resigning after seven years on the job, having become the target of frequent criticism for the failure to open the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT.

Phil Verster has accepted a new position and will be moving on as soon as Dec. 16, Premier Doug Ford announced Monday.

"I want to thank Phil for his many years of service to Ontario," Ford wrote in a statement.

“Phil led and supported explosive growth in transit construction, including the largest expansion of public transit in North America. The transportation landscape in Ontario will be permanently better because of his contributions."

The agency — and Verster specifically — have come under frequent fire for the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown project, which was supposed to open in 2020. There is still no projected opening date for the rail line that has been under construction since 2011.

Verster has blamed the contractor for delays, but critics have long been calling for Verster himself to be fired for failing to deliver the transit line.

Green Party deputy leader Aislinn Clancy said Verster's departure is an "important first step" toward accountability.

"His decade of delays has impacted millions of residents and businesses, whose tax dollars have been paying his million-dollar salary while LRT stations on Eglinton sit empty," she wrote.

Verster made $838,097 last year plus about $13,400 in taxable benefits, according to public sector salary disclosure.

Ford has tapped Michael Lindsay, the president and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, to be the interim president and CEO of Metrolinx.

Lindsay's top priority will be opening the Eglinton Crosstown as soon as it is safe to do so, Ford wrote.

Lindsay has most recently been in the public eye as one of the faces of the government's decision to abruptly close the Ontario Science Centre over concerns with its roof.

(C) The Canadian Press