New York MTA

Part 6 of 6: We Have a Plan B. Do We Need a Plan C?

At a legislative hearing on Aug. 16, 2018, Gateway Program Development Corp Interim Executive Director John D. Porcari said, “There is no Plan B.” He was wrong. At the same hearing, this writer (as Chair of the Lackawanna Coalition, a New Jersey-based advocacy organization) outlined the “Plan B” that some rider-advocates had formulated and submitted, in the event that the entire $30 billion-plus Gateway program as currently proposed fails to attract sufficient funding. Porcari stuck to his story that the existing North River Tunnels are deteriorating so quickly that they constitute a disaster waiting to happen but, under his proposal, they would not be repaired until 2030 or some time shortly thereafter.

Byford: Subway Action Plan and Save Safe Seconds getting results

Statistics released Feb. 22 by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) show that New York City Transit (NYCT) subway performance, bolstered by the Subway Action Plan and Save Safe Seconds Campaign, “continues its months-long trend of improvement, with the best on-time performance, and the fewest number of delays, that the system has seen in four years.” However, constrained funding will limit just how far these programs will carry improvements.

For MTA, Amtrak, an East Bronx tale

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority will build four new stations in the East Bronx for Metro-North commuter rail service on the Northeast Corridor, after Governor Andrew Cuomo brokered a deal between the agency and Amtrak. But the deal hinges on a plan to postpone a bridge replacement that was called “beyond a state-of-good-repair” nearly a decade ago.

New York MTA’s $35 million “no-brainer”

In 1626, Peter Minuit and Peter Schaghen of the Dutch West India Company purchased Manhattan Island from the Lenape Native Americans for 60 guilders’ (roughly $1,120 in 2018 U.S. dollars) worth of goods. Minuit conducted the transaction with Seyseys, Chief of the Canarsees, who accepted the merchandise in exchange for an island that was mostly controlled by the Weckquaesgeeks. Nearly 400 years later, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority—for a mere $35 million—is purchasing Grand Central Terminal and Metro-North Railroad’s Harlem Line and Hudson Line from Midtown Trackage Ventures LLC, a private holding company.

MTA names Warren safety chief

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has named Patrick T. Warren as Chief Safety Officer, overseeing all safety management policy implementation. He will work closely with MTA agencies as they “continue to improve work practices and invest in new technology and equipment,” MTA said.

NYCT’s Byford: Now is the time to think big

MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford on May 23 revealed “Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize NYCT,” an estimated $19 billion* program described as “a comprehensive plan to completely modernize every major aspect of the organization and its services, from subways to buses to accessibility to corporate culture.”

MTA proposes “value capture” to New York City

New York MTA Chairman Joe Lhota and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio—bitter political enemies since at least 2013, when Democrat De Blasio trounced Republican Lhota 73.2% to 24.3% in the mayoral election—have been battling publicly over the City’s share of funding for New York’s subway system, which is in need of major capital investment.

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