Andy Byford is in it for the long run. That was the transit chief's message after the bombshell revelation last Friday that he had submitted his resignation and then withdrew it.

"I'm here to stay and I mean that," Byford said.

Announcing an overhaul of Bronx bus routes, Byford acknowledged frustrations, but said that's ancient history now.

"I had some concerns that I expressed to my principles at the MTA, not the governor, at the MTA," Byford said. "Those concerns have been addressed, so as far as I'm concerned, that's behind us, that was last week. There's so much to do."

Byford did not detail those concerns, but he was upset over an MTA reorganization that left him with less control over the subway's rebuilding. And he reportedly chafed at micromanaging by Governor Cuomo, who oversees the transit agency.

Byford says he and Cuomo are now on “the same page.”

“Rightly, he pushes us along. He holds our feet to the fire. He wants us to improve things," Byford said.

Byford is credited with leading a turnaround in subway service since his hiring 21 months ago.

Last month, Cuomo appeared to go out of his way to praise Byford as a "get-it-done guy," remarks Byford said he appreciated.

"Every job has its frustrations and at the end of the day, that's why they pay you the big bucks, I suppose," Byford said. "You've got to tackle the challenges, you got to maintain a positive approach and certainly I'm very excited about now pushing on and getting the job finished," Byford said.

Byford made clear that job included challenges like the first borough-wide overhaul of Bronx bus routes in a century.

"Quite frankly, the existing Bronx network was not looked at since the old trolley days and the takeover of the private lines," said Craig Cipriano, the MTA's bus chief.

The changes include adding three routes: one between Mott Haven and West Harlem, on Willis Avenue and 125th Street, another between Co-op City and Bedford Park, and an express run from Wakefield in the north Bronx to Midtown Manhattan.

The MTA is boosting service on 11 routes across nine major corridors, like Webster Avenue, and some routes will be extended.

The plan includes a loss of 400 stops, so buses are not constantly stopping and starting. Stops now average every three blocks, or nearly 900 feet apart.

MTA officials have to sell the plan to the Bronx community before they put it in effect sometime in the middle of 2020.