New York MTA board approves five-year capital plan
Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor, Railway Track & Structures; and Engineering Editor, Railway AgeThe New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board has approved its 2015-19 Capital Program, the MTA reported on Oct. 30, 2015.
The $29 billion program—a revised figure roughly 10% lower than the $32 billion first proposed a year ago—still represents the largest investment ever in the subways, buses, railroads, bridges and tunnels, NYMTA said. It is the result of an agreement between MTA, New York City and New York State. The program is fully funded with $11.8 billion in MTA funds, an $8.3 billion commitment from the state, $6.4 billion in federal funds and a $2.5 billion commitment from New York City. It now must be approved by the New York State Capital Program Review Board.
The Capital Program includes $21.6 billion in core investments in MTA subways, buses and railroads; $4.5 billion for the East Side Access, Penn Access and Second Avenue Subway projects; and $2.9 billion for MTA Bridges and Tunnels. It will finance thousands of new subway cars, commuter/regional railcars and buses; invest $2.8 billion in subway station improvements; complete the installation of Positive Train Control on Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR); bring countdown clocks to the majority of subway stations; begin work on extending the Second Avenue Subway to East Harlem; build a new LIRR station in Elmhurst, Queens and construct four new Metro-North stations in underserved areas of the Bronx.
“Since our first Capital Program in 1982, we have invested more than $100 billion to rescue our mass transit network from near-collapse and make it an engine of growth for the entire region,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “[T]his revised program will reduce costs and deliver projects more efficiently without cutting any projects or the benefits they will bring to our customers.”
Full details on all project spending and efficiencies as well as revenue sources for the MTA’s 2015-19 Capital Program i is available on the MTA website at www.mta.info/capital.
