King, a former deputy state transportation secretary who retired this spring after a 33-year career, was named TTA's interim general manager Thursday. He will take a lead role in developing transit plans for the region in the wake of TTA's failure to win federal funding for an $810 million commuter train service.

TTA gave King a 12-month contract and hoped he could report for work next week. He said he couldn't start until Oct. 9, the day after he winds up an annual, four-day golf outing with friends at Ocean Isle Beach.

"I wasn't about to forgo that, knowing I'm going to have to face the grind again," said King, 60, who lives in North Raleigh. He succeeds John D. Claflin, who resigned Sept. 1 as TTA's general manager.

The failure of TTA's rail proposal left the region without any long-range transit plans. TTA, local mayors and business leaders will decide what kind of transit projects the Triangle needs over the next 25 years and whether trains have any place in the region's future.

"We need to come up with a solution that is really the right thing for our community," said Carter Worthy of Raleigh, chairman of the TTA trustees.

King will be paid Claflin's old salary, $178,542.

King spent most of his career at the state Department of Transportation overseeing and expanding state efforts in rail, aviation, ferries and public transportation. He was criticized for having approved the use of a state ferry that ran up a $30,000 tab entertaining elected officials at the Beaufort tall ships festival, which took place in July after King's retirement.

Ed Willingham of Raleigh, a First Citizens Bank regional vice president, said King was a good pick.

"He certainly understands that transit in the region is something we need to look at in a broad context," said Willingham, who heads the Regional Transportation Alliance, a business advocacy group. "It would include the buses and other things they're currently doing, as well as other options."

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