MTA and Bridge Tolls #1111

High Paying PA Flacks Come Up With BS Answers for Leak

Port Authority says nearby construction caused Oculus leak (NYP) The roof is fine, the Port Authority insisted Saturday — instead pinning the blame on nearby construction which left corridors on the edges of the Oculus vulnerable to flooding.  Much of the rainwater barreled through 3 World Trade Center, a still unfinished Larry Silverstein-owned tower south of the Oculus, the Port Authority said.  The water flowed into an underground passageway connecting the tower to the oval-shaped hall and streamed from the mezzanine-level corridors onto the bottom floor of the Oculus.  “Somehow water is getting into open areas of World Trade Center 3, leaking into Tower 3,” said Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman.

DELAYS Does the MTA Need to Use More of Its $$$ on Maintenance and Less On Grand Projects?

MTA and Bridge Tolls

MTA Fares Go Up Again

The price of a monthly MetroCard will jump to $121 from $116.50 on Sunday in New York City after a fare increase was approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January, the Journal reports. * Tolls to Rise at City Bridges and Tunnels This Sunday (DNAINFO) * Un-fare:Straphanger are paying more, and deserve better service (NYDN Ed) 

As Subway Riders Suffer the Gov Cuts $65 Million From Its Budget

A line tucked in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget calls for a $65 million cut to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at a time when commuters are fuming over frequent delays, spotty service, overcrowding and fare hikes, the Daily News reports. * After a long period of improvement, the New York City subway system’s reliability has dropped significantly, with delays more than doubling over the last five years, the Times reports.  * Members of the MTA board have not reported their incomes and financial information, or have not updated them, despite a requirement to submit annual public disclosure reports each spring to the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics, the New York Post reports.  * A national pro-Republican political action committee is preparing to ramp-up efforts to oppose Cuomo – not in expectation of his likely run for a third term next year, but with an eye to his potentially seeking the presidency in 2020, the Times Union reports.

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Subway Ridership Down Blame Construction Uber?

Subway Ridership Declines in New York. Is Uber to Blame? (NYT) * After a period of soaring subway demand in New York City, ridership dropped last year for the first time since 2009, and transit officials say the rise of Uber may be partly to blame, along with rising subway delays and weekend maintenance work, the Times writes.

No Fare Hike to $3.00?

MTA won’t be raising the subway fare after all  (NYP) Under mounting public and political pressure, MTA board members voted Wednesday to keep the base fare at $2.75 instead of a proposed hike to $3, sources said Wednesday.* M.T.A. Votes to Raise Fares and Tolls: What You Need to Know (NYT) The base fare on subways and buses is staying the same, but New Yorkers can expect higher costs for weekly and monthly passes, tolls and commuter railroads.* A relatively fair increase shielding vulnerable riders(NYDN Ed)

MTA and Bridge Tolls

Cuomo Brings His War With de Blasio Underground with State Police NY Eve Who Cares but the Media Doing Flack Work for the Gov? Nobody Knows Buffalo Billion

Second Avenue subway takes first ride just before NewYear's Eve ball drop in Times Square (NYDN) * Diggingthe future from Second Ave. and beyond  (NYDN Ed)

MTA Boss to Retire

MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast plans to retire early2017 (NYDN)  Potential replacements has surfaced, including Pat Foye, who is currently Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive director to the Port Authority * After Victory Lap for Second Avenue Subway, M.T.A. Chief Will Retire (NYT) * After MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast confirmed he will retire, Cuomo said he will look at a replacement that has both transit and real estate expertise, which he said is needed due to the redevelopment of Penn Station, Politico New York writes.

Most Expensive 3 Stops Ever

NYC's brand new subway is the most expensive in the world— that's a problem (Vox) The tragedy of the Second Avenue Subway.

As Second Avenue Subway Opens, a Train Delay Ends in (Happy) Tears  (NYT) Thousands of riders flooded into polished stations on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to witness a piece of history nearly a century in the making.

In a major moment for New York’s transit system, the Second Avenue Subway opened in Manhattan on Sunday, with thousands of riders flooding into its stations to witness a piece of history nearly a century in the making, The New York Times writes.

Cuomo’s Second Avenue subway security is another jab at de Blasio (NYP)  The Cuomo-de Blasio feud is heading underground for New Year’s.  In what NYPD cops are seeing as a blatant dig at Mayor de Blasio, Gov. Cuomo is putting his own teams of MTA and State Police front and center at Saturday night’s grand-opening party for the new Second Avenue Subway.  Sidelined will be the city’s own cops, who actually have to police the subway day-to-day.  Cops from the 19th Precinct on East 67th Street also have been relegated to above-ground duties, helping attendees park their cars.  “They’re turning over the keys to the MTA Police for this event, then they’ll unglamorously toss us the keys the next morning,” groused one police source.  Cuomo is bringing scores of state-paid cops down the shiny new escalators with him for the “formal attire suggested” celebration, at which invited guests will take the inaugural ride on the new East Side tracks. * Second Ave. subway launch party takes a hit as the Mets,MoMA decline invitation (NYDN) The invitation for the underground countdown to 2017 and the launch of the Second Ave. subway featured iconic New York names like MoMA and the Mets.  Those organizations lent their names for the invitation to the Second Ave. subway’s New Year’s Eve celebration, even though they had no role in the event. And of the roughly 600 guests the governor’s staff is expecting, no bold-face names from those institutions will be partying with dignitaries who will be on the inaugural ride through the Upper East Side at 10:30 p.m.* Alan Chartock’s The Capitol Connection: It ain’t easybeing Cuomo

2nd Avenue Subway Was Not Build for the Hundreds of Businesses That Closed During Its Construction, But for the Developers

Second Avenue Subway’s Arrival Brings Fear That Rents Will Soar (NYT)

Cuomo Special Session Pay Raise Deal Blew Up, He Faces Anger From Both Parties In 2017

Albany Budget, Ethics, Pay Raise, Three Men in the Room,Pork, Campaign $$$ 

How Team de Blasio (Berlin Rosen) Tried to Blame Homelessness and the NYCHA Mess On Cuomo      

War: de Blasio vs Cuomo      

More About Cuomo

MTA and Bridge Tolls

MTA wants to raise subway fares to $3 a swipe (NYP)

Cuomo Got Us the 3 Stop 2nd Avenue Subway, The TWU Got Their Raises the Poor Riders Got the Bill 

MTA Can't AffordNew Transit Workers Contract, Budget Watchdog Says (DNAINFO) As transit workers cheer a tentative contract agreement that would give them higher wage increases than the MTA wanted, a budget watchdog group warns the contract could mean higher fare increases for riders.  The MTA raises fares by 4 percent every other year, for an average of 2 percent a year, in line with cost-of-living increases.  The transit authority wanted to increase workers' wages by that same cost-of-living increment, but the workers' union, TWU Local 100, argued that such an increase only allowed workers to live paycheck-to-paycheck, not to save money



It is No Longer About What is Good for the Riders Its All About Buying Labor Piece for Reelection 

Deal for more MTA fare hikes helps Cuomo avoid trouble (NYP Ed) The MTA’s new contract with the Transport Workers Union means 28 months of labor peace — but at what cost? TWU Local 100’s 38,000 city bus and subway workers scored 2.5 percent wage hikes — and new dental benefits — without making any concessions.  Plus a “me-too” clause that lets the TWU reopen this contract if Long Island Rail Road workers win a bigger raise. That’s ludicrous. MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast calls the deal affordable. But The nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission warns that “the settlement is more generous than the MTA’s financial plan provides and may require higher fare increases than planned.” Blame Gov. Cuomo, Prendergast’s ultimate boss. The deal avoids trouble for him before his re-election campaign ends in 2018. Added fare hikes down the line? Cuomo can likely escape blame — while leaving riders to pay the bill..

MTA and Bridge Tolls

New Yorkers Care About Delays the Media Cares About Spinning for the Pols 
Delays on 15 Subway Lines as Cuomo Celebrates FreeWi-Fi

All N.Y.C. subway stations now have cell phone service andWi-Fi connectivity. Please share your experience with us: (NYT) * You won’t catch de Blasio on the Second Avenue subway for his morning commute (NYP) de Blasio said Monday that he won’t be commuting on the new Second Avenue subway because it’s not as convenient as his SUV in getting to his regular workouts in Brooklyn.  Asked about his latest commute by subway, de Blasio said his morning trip from Gracie Mansion to Brooklyn and then to City Hall is logistically too complicated for mass transit.

MTA and Bridge Tolls

Does the Daily News Think New Yorkers Care About 3 New Subway Stops for $4 Billion or Another Increase in Fares? 

Same Day Daily News Flacks for the Gov NYP Follow the Subway Rat 

Gov. Cuomo promises Second Ave. subway will meet deadline, open on New Year's Day (NYDN)

Rodent on escalator perfectly sums up rush-hour rat race (NYP)

A Brief History Of The Long-Awaited Second Avenue Subway(Gothamist)

Long Wait for 4th Stop 

It ultimately doesn’t matter whether the Second Avenue subway opens on time next month; what matters is that politicians don’t have a plan to build the rest of the line past the first three stations, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas writes in the Post.

Voters are just fine with Gov. Andrew Cuomo fighting President-elect Donald Trump’s administration from Albany, but they don’t want him running for president in 2020, a new poll shows, the Times Union reports.  * Cuomo’s public schedule had him in Buffalo at some point on Tuesday, and while his office is declining to say why the governor made the trip, sources say Cuomo is attending a fundraiser for his re-election campaign, The Buffalo News writes. * * The MTA is reassessing how it will develop the final 13 stations of the project amid criticism that its construction costs exceeded those of comparable undertakings around the world and that the first phase took decades too long, The Wall Street Journal writes.  * With a sparkling toast, the new trains along Second Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan will carry an invitation-only group into the new year, including the engineers, city bureaucrats and elected officials who worked on the subway, The New York Times writes.  * The Journal features a Q&A with MTA Chairman and CEO Tom Prendergast where he explains balancing the cost of the new Second Avenue subway stations with size and aesthetics, saying “we don’t want customers to feel like they’re in a glorified basement.”

De Blasio: MTA shouldn’t hike fares because ‘people are hurting’ (NYP)

Remember When Gov's Mayor's and Other NY Elected Officials Were Held Responsible for Keeping Subway Fares Low Welcome $3 Dollar Fare

Advocates for New York’s Working Poor Push for Discounted Transit Fares  (NYT) At a time when the city can seem unbearably expensive and the price of a subway ride is set to increase again, attention has turned to a cost that many struggle to afford: a MetroCard. * The MTA is proposing new subway fare hikes (NYP)* What’s fare is fair: Making transitaffordable for the poorest New Yorkers (NYDN) Fully abiding by a 2008 bailout compact — which we consider written in stone — MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast is seeking biennial fare and toll hikes pegged to inflation, which is under 4%  Good going, Tom. Now, keep up your end of the bargain and see to it that service improves for all straphangers.  Still, any increase is a tough pill for New Yorkers to swallow, with incomes flat and costs of living rising. The $116.50, 30-day unlimited MetroCards (likely rising soon to $121) and $2.75 base fare take an especially large chunk out of small family budgets, already crowded out by rent, groceries, heating and water bills and the like. The subway and bus system’s best fare deal is an unlimited pass. But it’s a hefty sum that the poor, living paycheck to paycheck, simply cannot afford. They more often than not have to dig deep and settle for a single-ride ticket, with no bus/subway transfer, at $3 a pop.* MonthlyMetroCards will jump up to $121 from $116.50 next year under MTA's fare hikeplans: (DNAINFO) WHAT ABOUT THE CITY'S SHRINKING MIDDLE CLASS  What’s fare isfair: Making transit affordable for the poorest New Yorkers (NYDN) the city should, as proposed by the anti-poverty non-profit Community Service Society and the Riders Alliance, step up and subsidize a half-fare MetroCard for people at or below the federal poverty line: $11,880 for a single adult or $24,300 for a family of four.

MTA and Bridge Tolls

NYT Reduced Subway Fair for the Poor
What About the Middle Class Geting Push Out of the City By the Developers?

Reduce Subway Fares for Poor New Yorkers (NYT) Transit costs have risen steeply, even as the earnings of low-income workers have stagnated.

$10 Billion Waste for Two Train Stations Could Have Gone to Extending Services to Millions or Keeping Fares Down

A MONUMENT TO WASTE: The Port Authority's $4 billion WTC boondoggle (NYDN Ed) Now, the transit hub is set to open, but there will be no official celebration. The governors of New York and New Jersey would sooner have pictures taken with Bernie Madoff than have any association with the worst public boondoggle in long memory. With feckless support from six New York and New Jersey governors, the Port Authority commissioned architect Santiago Calatrava to design a monumental station and then brought his scheme to fruition 10 years late at a cost of $4.4 billion — almost triple the amount originally estimated. To put $4.4 billion into scandalous scale, it cost only $2.4 billion to dig a 1.5-mile tunnel to extend the No. 7 train from Times Square to 34th St. and 11th Ave., as well as a large train terminal there. In 2008, then-PA Executive Director Tony Shorris drafted a plan to rein in costs. Soon, though, he was ousted. It was to open in 2006 and be completed in 2009. hus the Port Authority spent $4.4 billion on, literally, a white elephant that serves fewer than 50,000 passengers a day — at a time when the agency doesn’t have money to build a new bus terminal in Midtown.

There’s no wonder the station has been orphaned by virtually all officials — except one. Steve Plate, the PA executive who oversaw construction for Sartor, is still on the job. On preview tours of the station, he extols the glories of his monument to waste. Will no one fire him?* The $4 billion spent on this new PATH station could havebought 2 Grand Central stations  * Cuomo said Penn Station looks like “seven levels of hell” while discussing the future of the Long Island Rail Road, which runs into the heavily trafficked station, the Post reports:  * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the MTA will add 2,042 new high-tech buses with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports by 2020, and that the $1.3 billion in new buses will replace almost 40 percent of the current fleet, The Wall Street Journal reports: * With big transit questions pending, Cuomo hails a ‘very attractive’ bus (PoliticoNY)

The MTA Over Spends and Does A Poor Job Consistently 

Enough with theMTA’s multibillion-dollar bungling (NYP ED) The MTA deserves credit for its effective operation of the world’s largest, most complex mass-transit system. The same can’t always be said for the MTA’s record in contracting for major projects. Take East Side Access, which brings the Long Island Railroad into Grand Central Station. It’s years behind schedule and now, at about $11 billion, is projected to cost more than double its original budget of $4.3 billion. As The Post observed in its March 17 editorial, there’s already flooding and mold at the Hudson Yards No. 7 line station, part of a $2-plus billion new subway extension that opened less than a year ago. It’s more evidence that the MTA process for bidding and building transportation projects simply isn’t working. Contributing factors include a huge bureaucracy that can’t get out of its own way and the inflexible terms of union contracts, state procurement laws and federal-funding requirements.* Several MTA board members said they were frustrated they were not notified about leaks at the new Hudson Yards subway station, and one member suggested that the leaks harmed the agency’s reputation, The New York Times reports:  * Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership forNew York City, writes in the Post that “there’s no excuse” for not trying out the governor’s proposal for having a new Design and Construction Corporation expedite big transit projects: * Leaks at Hudson Yards Station Frustrate M.T.A. Board  (NYT) Members of the board were annoyed that they were not notified earlier about the problems at the $2.4 billion station on the Far West Side of Manhattan.* Data shows New York City subway trains ran 2 percent fewer miles lastyear than in 2009, but the system carried 12 percent more riders, which explains why the subway cars are more crowded, the Journal reports

MTA Trains Like Flex Buses
MTA to test open-gangway trains to give passengers more room (NYP)The MTA on Monday released renderings of open-gangway trains where the cars are all connected in one long hallway and straphangers have more room to spread out. The agency will...*MTA gives glimpse of The Subway of Tomorrow (NYDN)*  Second Ave.Sagas: A first glimpse at the MTA’s plans for an open gangway prototype - 

New MTA Budget Cuts Backs 2nd Avenue Subway Bring in El Chapo

De Blasio silent while the MTA screws over Harlem (NYP) The MTA released its revised five-year capital plan Wednesday — and the city got hosed. Especially Harlem. After months of sniping with Gov. Cuomo over how much the city should kick in to fix the MTA’s huge budget hole, Mayor de Blasio last week agreed to pony up $2.5 billion, way up from his offer of $657 million when the agency first came begging. But only now does the public learn the fine print on how the MTA is doing “its” share to close that hole. And the fine print is rotten. The MTA is slashing $1 billion from the planned $1.5 billion for the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway. That’s the phase that’s supposed to take the new line from 96th Street to 125th Street in Harlem. By contrast, the East Side Access scheme to bring the LIRR into Grand Central is still getting its full $2.57 billion.  * Calls for a new revenue source to fund the MTA only address half of the equation, ignoring growing costs of operating the transportation system, an approach that is like trying to outrun a train, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas writes:  * Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez said pushing back the next phase of the 2nd Avenue subway construction “screamed of inequality,” and U.S. Reps. Charles Rangel and Carolyn Maloney expressed concern, too, the Timesreports: * The Post writes that New York City, and particularly Harlem, got “hosed” in the MTA’s capital plan, and de Blasio was silent after getting a “consolation prize” in the form of a study about extending the Utica Avenue line:* A $1 billion cut in funding by the MTA for the Second Avenue subway will force New Yorkers to wait even longer for the long-delayed project’s completion.* Mayor de Blasio Joins in Criticism of 2nd Avenue Subway Cuts (NYT) State lawmakers and transit advocates continued to urge the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to restore $1 billion in funding for the East Harlem leg of the Second Avenue subway.

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de Blasio Blinks On Subway Battle War With Cuomo War Continues 

The bitter public feud between Cuomo and de Blasio may have receded with the agreement on a new funding for the MTA capital plan, but the war between their aides continues unabated, the Post’s Fred Dicker reports:  * In recent weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (the amateur mechanic) and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio (the determined driver) have discovered a newfound zeal for mass transit, dueling over which man would emerge a more vociferous champion of the people’s mode of transport. Their recently announced deal to fund the MTA’s capital plan is unlikely to end their long-running feud. * New York City will receive 1,000 new subway cars and 1,400 buses as a result of a $26.1 billion infusion of capital into the MTA over the next five years, which is good news for some upstate businesses.* De Blasio, Cuomo Far Apart at Columbus Day Parade Despite Recent Transit Agreement (NY1) * Republican Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan said he opposes the idea of borrowing to pay for the state's $8.3 billion commitment to fund the MTA's five-year capital plan, the Daily News writes: * Flanagan also said his conference will push to fund an “all-encompassing” capital plan that covers infrastructure needs across the entire state, Gannett Albany reports: *  NYC Council Finance Committee Chairwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland offered cautious optimism about the recently struck deal to fund the MTA’s $26.1 billion capital plan, but also promised oversight of it during remarks to the Citizens Budget Commission this morning.*  The Daily News writes that the MTA should bring backpolitical ads in the transit system after noting it has outsourced “consequential constitutional decisions” to a contractor who lacked logic in deciding which ads to reject:* MTA orders removal banks minimum wage hike subway posters (NYDN) * Cuomo Doesn’t Rule Out Borrowing For MTA Capital Plan (YNN) * The Times Unionwrites that threats from upstate legislators to block funding plans for the state’s portion of the MTA’s capital plan are misguided, as New York City contributes far more to the state’s tax levy than it receives in benefits:* The credit rating agency Moody’s described the New York City and state agreement to fund the MTA capital plan a “credit positive,” but said it had concerns about uncertainties over where the funding will come from, State of Politics reports: * The MTA’s ban on political advertising is a violation of free speech and has backfired on the agency, so the MTA should give up on restricting content and instead let all sides pay to get their messages out,the Post writes:

Tuesday Update The Cuomo administration is considering borrowing at least some of the governor’s $8.3 billion state commitment to the MTA, although Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said the money will come from the general budget fund, sourcestell the Daily News: * A $29 billion infusion into New York City's transportation network will go mostly to long-overdue repairs and upgrades, experts said, leaving the nation's largest city lagging behind modern systems around the world, TheAssociated Press reports:  * Now that Cuomo and de Blasio have agreed to a deal to repair and improve the nation's largest transit system, they need to continue working together to modernize New York City’s subway system and make it work for millions of New Yorkers, The New York Times writes:  * The agreement on a $29 billion five-year MTA capital plan is cause for modest celebration on Long Island, with promises of a state of good repair for Long Island Rail Road users and a 2022 finish of the LIRR's East Side Access project, Newsday writes: *  New York State may borrow money to help fund $8.3B pledge for MTA capital project (NYDN)* Editorial: How not to spend the MTA's capital money (NYDN Ed) * Editorial: The MTA capital plan, finally (NYDN Ed) * New York City will receive 1,000 new subway cars and 1,400 buses as a result of a $26.1 billion infusion of capital into the MTA over the next five years, which is good news for some upstate businesses.* A Deal to Fix the Subways in New York (NYT) Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio finally agree on how to fund the M.T.A.* Given Cuomo’s record of raiding the MTA, de Blasio was right to press for a no diversion pledge and the governor was right to agree to it, the Straphangers Campaign’s Gene Russianoff and Riders Alliance’s John Raskin write in the Daily News:

Staffers for Cuomo and de Blasio described what one called a “fatally poisoned atmosphere” between their Karen Hinton, de Blasio’s press secretary and wife of Howard Glaser, the governor’s now-estranged former operations director.* Gov. Andrew Cuomo lauded the agreement between New York City and the state to fund the four-year MTA capital projects budget following a lengthy back and forth between his office and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s, Stateof Politics reports:  * Cuomo and de Blasio didn't march together in the Columbus Day parade, but seperately both said their agreement to fund the nearly $30 billion, five-year capital program is a good thing, Politico New York writes: * Cuomo On The ‘Unprecedented’ MTA Deal(YNN) * De Blasio & Cuomo kept their distance at Columbus DayParade despite recent agreement. (NY1) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo and de Blasio didn’t march together in the parade. “You know, I normally march, uh, alone,” the governor explained. * With separate news conferences at the same Manhattan event -the Columbus Day Parade – Gov. Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday promoted a deal struck over the weekend on funding for MTA infrastructure projects. * The Cuomo administration is considering borrowing to cover at least some of the $8.3 billion state commitment the governor has made to the cash-strapped authority, as well as to provide money to upstate roads and bridges.

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'

We Are Shocked There is A Deal to Keep the Senate in GOP Hands

John Flanagan, Governor Cuomo With "Peace Pact" To Keep State Senate Republican: Fred Dicker:Senate Majority L... 

Cuomo Ask the Mayor for $3 Million de Blasio gave $2.5 

Million the Media Reports A Deal?

Monday Update
Who Will Pay$ 

New York State eyes ways to fund $8.3B for MTA without new taxes — but will this help improve service? (NYDN) Cuomo and Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan say the two won't support new taxes to pay for it. "New Yorkers are taxed enough," Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) told the Daily News. "We need to find a way to do things without increasing taxes and I'm confident we can do that." Cuomo has said he believes he can find the money in the existing state budget.* The big question remains just how the state plans to pay for its $8.3 billion five-year commitment to the MTA. Cuomo and Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan say the two won’t support new taxes to pay for it, and the governor believes he can find the money somewhere within the existing state budget.
***Cuomo and De Blasio have announced a deal to fund the MTA'scapital spending program  (WNBC) NYC contribution was originally $678 million. Upped to $2.5 billion with promise the funds won't be raided. * De Blasio agrees to give the MTA $2.5B (NYP) * Mayor de Blasio agrees to kick in $2.5 billion to the MTA’s capital plan, while Gov. Cuomo pledges $8.3 billion in state funds (NYDN) * Cuomo And De Blasio Have Finally Agreed To Fund MTA's Capital Program Gothamist‎ * Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio Reach Agreement on $26 Billion MTA Capital Program WNYC * City, State Reach Agreement on Funding for MTA's Capital Program‎ (NY1)

 New York City and State Reach Agreement on M.T.A. Capital Plan (NYT) Ending months of contentious debate, state and city officials on Saturday announced a deal on how the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-year, $29 billion capital budget would be financed.*DEAL! Mayor de Blasio agrees to kick in $2.5 billion to the MTA’s capital plan, while Gov. Cuomo pledges $8.3 billion in state funds (NYDN)


How Can the Mayor Not Fund the MTA Capital Budget Allow Fare to Go Up and Run in 2017 for Reelection? 
Cuomo Boxed In de Blasio

De Blasio says Cuomo must stop taking money from MTA (NYDN)* Cuomo: MTA Budget Being Shortchanged by City, Not State (NY1)*Cuomo Says Deal Over M.T.A. Capital Plan Is Not Near (NYT) * Labor Allies Blast ‘Irresponsible’ TWU AdsAttacking Bill de Blasio (NYO) * Cuomo to de Blasio: Follow Bloomberg on MTA (Politico) * ‘Pitiful’: Bill de Blasio Blasts Transit Workers Union Over Attack Ad (NYO) * Subway Fares to Increase if De Blasio, Cuomo Don't Pony Up to MTA: DiNapoli (DNAINFO)  * MTA chair: Give us $3.2B or we’ll cut next phase of Second Avenue Subway (NYP) * MTA Blames G Train Derailment On Lack Of Funds From CityHall (Gothamist) * De Blasio'sreply: "The M.T.A. is the state's domain."  (Capital) * MTA To De Blasio: Forget Congestion Pricing, Just Pull TheMoney Out Of Thin Air: When MTA Chairman Thomas… *De Blasio, other city execs make plea for fed transit funds (NYDN)

Cuomo de Blasio War What About the Riders

MTA Cuomo vs de Blasio

Cuomo to de Blasio: Follow Bloomberg on MTA(NYO) *Cuomo Knocks de Blasio — Again — Over MTA Funding (Updated) (YNN) * Cuomo also continued to pound on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, denying that the mayor wanted to compromise and saying that the city should “put their money where their mouth is,” the Daily News reports:  * Ouch: Cuomo about de Blasio: You are no Mike Bloomberg. (Newday) * City Council members to MTA: Back off already on demand for billions in city funds (NYDN) Transportation Chairman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) and Finance Chairwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-Queens) said in a Tuesday letter to the agency that its campaign to boost city funding has “no basis in historical fact.” * Mayor de Blasio says city funds MTA enough (NYDN) * Another union prods Bill de Blasio to boost MTA funding (NYDN) Days after the subway workers' union blasted Mayor de Blasio in new ads for not doing enough to bankroll the MTA, another labor group is pressuring City Hall to give more. This time it’s District Council 9 New York of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, which reps MTA workers in bridges and tunnels.* Mayor de Blasio shoots back at Cuomo on MTA funding, sayscity, residents pay enough to keep subways running  (NYDN) * People familiar with the de Blasio administration’s negotiations said it is offering to pay more than $2 billion for the MTA’s five-year capital plan after previously offering $657 million, The Wall StreetJournal reports: * Cuomo Administration Knocks ‘Stall Tactics’ By Mayor On MTA (YNN)

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Saturday Cuomo Says Both Sides (City State) Far Apart On MTA Funding

Cuomo indicated that New York City and the state remain far apart on funding for the MTA’s capital plan, even as New York City officials have discussed increasing their contribution, the Times reports: 

Subway Service and Fare Meltdown and de Blasio Blinks A Little Million

EXCLUSIVE: City officials eye $1B more for MTA repairs but de Blasio, Cuomo remain at odds over who's responsible for funding (NYDN)*This is NOT what you wanted to wake up to (AMNY) Higher fares, worse service if MTA doesn't get state, city financial boost: Report State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said the MTA's 2015-19 capital plan, which funds big projects like the Second Avenue Subway, has a $9.8 billion funding gap despite a strong economy and record ridership.* Flanagan says Cuomo’s MTA stance not unreasonable, advocates not so sure (PoliticoNY)*Cuomo: MTA Budget Being Shortchanged by City, Not State (NY1)*Cuomo Says Deal Over M.T.A. Capital Plan Is Not Near (NYT) The city and state remain far apart on how to divide the cost of a $29 billion proposal to maintain and improve the authority’s vast system.* Labor Allies Blast ‘Irresponsible’ TWU AdsAttacking Bill de Blasio (NYO)* Punching back at a series of newspaper ads from the TWU blasting de Blasio, liberal allies of the mayor accused the union of doing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s dirty work in his ongoing feud with City Hall.*Latest TWU Ad Blasts Mayor for 'Farebeating'City's Working Families (NY1)*When a southbound G train hit a piece of wall and jumped the track last month, it becamethe latest event in an ongoing battle between Cuomo and de Blasio over the upkeep of New York City’s subways and who pays for what

Latest transit unionad shows Bill de Blasio hopping the turnstile (NYDN) The ad from Transport Workers Union Local 100 — its third in a month — that appears in the Daily News on Monday tells de Blasio to “Stop farebeating New York City’s working families.” The “farebeating” refers to calls from the TWU — as well as from Gov. Cuomo and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — for de Blasio to put in $3.2 billion for transit repair needs. The city has pledged $657 million.* With Cuomo pressuring de Blasio to allocate more than $3 billion for the transit system’s overdue capital plan, Transport Workers Union Local 100 is buying ads blasting the mayor, but the union’s complaint lacks credibility because of its track record and motives, Crain’s writes:  *  Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Thomas Prendergast's blaming of de Blasio for failing to properly fund the city’s subway system may come back to haunt him, as two riders injured last month are suing the city, the Daily News writes: * Train derailment victims use MTA-NYC funding feud in lawsuit against city (NYDN)*Two subway riders injured in last month’s G train derailment have filed notices to sue for damages, alleging they were victims of a feud between the city and the MTA over the funding of repairs to the system.  Anonymous labor leaders came to the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio, defending him against attack ads run by the Transport Workers Union Local 100, who they say are doing Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s dirty work, the Observerreports:*Cuomo to de Blasio: Follow Bloomberg on MTA (Politico)

More On the MTA and Bridge Tolls

Cuomo vs de Blasio War? MTA To de Blasio: Show Us the Money or We Will Cut Services

‘Pitiful’: Bill de Blasio Blasts Transit Workers Union Over Attack Ad (NYO) * De Blasio bashes 'pitiful' ad by Transport Workers Union (NYDN) * Cuomo creates panel to 'overhaul Common Core' (NYDN) * De Blasio called a new TWU TV ad campaign blaming him for the underfunding of New York City’s state-controlled mass transit system “absolutely misleading” and a “pitiful attempt to disguise where the real responsibility for the MTA lies.”-- TWU's response: "What's pitiful is the mayor walking away from his responsibility to contribute to the state of good repair that keeps New York City's working families safe that ride the subway and bus system," said TWU Local 100 president John Samuelsen. "That's what's pitiful." 

State Comptroller: Removing Trash Cans From Subway Stations Doesn’t Make Them Cleaner (NYO)* State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released an audit finding that the MTA’s decision to remove trash cans from subway stations does not necessarily make them cleaner or less rodent infested, the Observer reports:  * Audit criticizes MTA experiment to remove subway trash cans (WSJ) * DiNapoli: MTA riders could take hit  * TWU Blasts Mayor Over Funding Again in Full-Page Ad (NY1) * A report from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office shows the Metropolitan Transportation Authority faces a $9.8 billion shortfall in its capital program that could lead to future fare and toll increases, Stateof Politics writes:*Get ready to pay a lot more for your Metrocard, official warns (NYP) * If the MTA doesn’t get billions more from state and city governments, travelers will likely pay through higher fares and cuts in service, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli warned. * TWU Blasts Mayor Over Funding Again in Full-Page Ad (NY1) * Subway Fares to Increase if De Blasio, Cuomo Don't Pony Up to MTA: DiNapoli (DNAINFO) State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli called on the city and state to contribute more to funding the MTA. * DiNapoli provides fodder for both sides in MTA funding fight (PoliticoNY)* The MTA is weighing several potential cuts in case it does not come up with money for its $30 billion capital spending plan, including the next phase of the long-stalled Second Avenue Subway, The Wall Street Journalreports:   * An ongoing battle over MTA funding is slowing down the pace for capital projects as the authority seeks more contributions from the city. * The dispute over city and state contributions, as well as the capital projects shortfall, could start impacting riders in MTA service areas.

More on the MTA

Friday MTA readies drastic budget cuts if funding falls through(NYP)
Tuesday Update: No Money No Second Ave Subway Phase II

MTA chair: Give us $3.2B or we’ll cut next phase of Second Avenue Subway (NYP) *  MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast suggested that if the de Blasio administration failed to provide more financial support, he might apply cuts to just New York City, rather than to services across the entire metropolitan region, Politico New York reports: * The Daily Newstakes a “childish” tone, writing that Cuomo, de Blasio, and MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast need to quickly solve their issues over whose responsibility it is to fund the MTA:

Shocking: NYT Sides With de Blasio Again

Cuomo should put up the money to help fill the $15 billion shortfall in the MTA’s $32 billion capital plan and, with additional contributions from the city, upgrade the entire subway system, theTimes writes:  * Transit workersunion ad slams de Blasio over MTA repair funding (NYDN)  MTA boss puts de Blasio in hot seat at 7 station ribbon-cutting (NYP) New York City’s first new subway station in more than 25 years was unveiled to the public Sunday — but the grand opening ceremony was derailed when MTA head Thomas Prendergast called out Mayor de Blasio for not kicking in his fair share toward the agency’s capital plan. “Mayor de Blasio, we appreciate your support of this project but we need your help,” Prendergast said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony before leading reporters down into the cavernous new $2.4 billion 7 train station at 34th Street-Hudson Yards–funded almost entirely by the city. Escalator broken at new 7 train station after just one day (NYP)* Ridership at new Hudson Yards station much lower than expected (NYP) Only about 7,000 riders a day are swiping in at the new Hudson Yards subway station, far short of the MTA’s predictions. The agency had hoped for about 32,000 entries...* The offer by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and NJ Gov. Chris Christie to pay for half of a new Hudson River tunnel project was an important breakthrough but not especially generous by historical standards, transportation insiders say, Crain’s reports * The MTA is scrambling to put together a package of drastic proposed cuts by the end of next month to deal with a potential $2.5 billion shortfall in its five-year capital plan, the New York Post reports: 

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s June declaration of war was something pundits and sources close to the Cuomo administration “say the governor desperately needed,” because he “comes alive when he is going for the kill.”* City’s new subway station shows what real mayoral vision means (NYP) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo, not de Blasio, is the one chiefly responsible for making the $27 billion MTA capital plan a reality — and he is the main reason it is more than nine months overdue, the Daily News writes:  * * Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s unique and creative funding strategy to build the first new subway station in decades showed what real mayoral vision means, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinaswrites in the Post: * Christie, Cuomo: We’ll find funding for half of Gateway rail tunnel cost (PoliticoNY) * Cuomo and Christie Say States Can Pay Half of Hudson Rail Tunnel Project (NYT) In a letter to President Obama, the governors urged the federal government to pledge grants to cover the rest of the $20 billion work.* In response to a proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to pay half of the cost of new rail tunnels under the Hudson River, the U.S. transportation secretary said he would work with the two states, the Times writes:  * Now that Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have committed to put $10 billion toward digging a new Hudson rail tunnel, the federal government must step up and make this a top national priority, the Daily News writes: * Construction of an urgently needed rail tunnel under the Hudson River became more likelyafter NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo endorsed a plan for the two states and the Port Authority to cover half of the project’s expected $20 billion cost – as long as the federal government covers the other half. Delay Brand new subway station already plagued by delays (NYP) * It only took three days for the new Hudson Yards subway station’s honeymoon to end, as signal problems at the new, multibillion-dollar station snagged trains during Wednesday’s morning rush, the Post reports: * It is long past time Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie began serious discussions about a new tunnel under the Hudson River, and their next step should be to begin gritty negotiations on how to pay for the project, the Times writes:  * The No. 7 subway line got the highest ranking for the frequency of its scheduled service and car cleanliness in the transportation advocacy group the Straphangers Campaign’s annual report, The Wall StreetJournal reports: Friday Bill’s bill comesdue for the MTA (NYDN Ed) As for de Blasio, he needs to prepare to substantially up the city’s contribution to the MTA without imposing new taxes. Cuomo is charged with funding the MTA’s $26.8 billion, 10-year plan for keeping mass transit in working condition, plus pay for mega-projects like the Second Ave. subway. But, after counting federal aid, the governor is more than $11 billion short. To break that nut, Cuomo has promised to draw $8.3 billion from still-unidentified sources and is dunning de Blasio for $3 billion — five times the $600 million the mayor had offered up. The mayor says he may agree to go higher if he is assured that the state’s commitment is real and is not set up in a way that could drive up fares. He also wants a voice in how the MTA spends the money. * 'COME FORWARD WITH A VISION': Mayor de Blasio wants Gov. Cuomo to show how state will use MTA repair funds to help New Yorkers before 'blindly' handing them over (NYDN) * Bill’s bill comes due for the MTA (NYDN Ed) As for de Blasio, he needs to prepare to substantially up the city’s contribution to the MTA without imposing new taxes. Cuomo is charged with funding the MTA’s $26.8 billion, 10-year plan for keeping mass transit in working condition, plus pay for mega-projects like the Second Ave. subway. But, after counting federal aid, the governor is more than $11 billion short. To break that nut, Cuomo has promised to draw $8.3 billion from still-unidentified sources and is dunning de Blasio for $3 billion — five times the $600 million the mayor had offered up. The mayor says he may agree to go higher if he is assured that the state’s commitment is real and is not set up in a way that could drive up fares. He also wants a voice in how the MTA spends the money.* De Blasio hinted that he might contribute billions for the MTA if it reduces fares, but said he would not do it “blindly” and that Cuomo must lay out a vision for the agency and guarantee funds will be used for improvements, the Daily News writes: 

MTA Takes On the City's Lack of Funding

MTA New Battle In Cuomo vs de Blasio War

MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast drew attention to New York City’s reluctance to pay for more of the agency’s capital infrastructure plan after a subway train derailed in Brooklyn Thursday night, the Times reports:  * Subway Station to Open This Weekend, Bringing 7 Line to Far West Side (NYT)

New York City’s first new subway station in a quarter-century, at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, is scheduled to open to the public on Sunday. * MTA Blames G Train Derailment On Lack Of Funds From CityHall (Gothamist) * New 7 line subway station will be temperature-controlled (NYP) *  Editorial: No. 7 train to the future (NYDN Ed) Sunday  Unlike last year’s labor union parade, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marched separately at this Saturday’s event and also spoke from different platforms, Newsday reports:  *  The Daily News writes that officials should seriouslyconsider Doctoroff’s proposal to use future tax revenues in the Hudson Yardsarea to open a second subway station, as was previously planned and then scrapped:

More on the MTA 

War: de Blasio vs Cuomo

More on de Blasio

More on Cuomo

MTA Delays and No $$$

The MTA has no idea how to fix your late subway (NYP) * An audit by the state comptroller’s office.found the on-time performance of New York City’s subways declined in 2014, fueled by overcrowding and delays related to unplanned work, The Wall Street Journal reports: * Audit Finds Subway Delays on the Rise: Report (WNBC) * 4-GET IT! Subways are late 25 percent of time with No. 4 train being worst (NYDN) *   Some of the subway system's older trains will remain inservice longer than expected: 

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Like Magic the State Finds Billions in Its Budget -Puts the MTA Capital Plan Back on Track

State to fork over $8B to the MTA (NYP) The MTA said Thursday it had figured out how to trim more than $2 billion from its capital budget, and the state responded by agreeing to give the agency more than $8 billion to nearly close its spending gap. The MTA, which has been struggling to find ways to fill a $14.8 billion budget shortfall in its proposed five-year capital plan, unveiled a multipronged approach that includes streamlined design-and-build processes, public-private partnerships, and a shortening of its procurement process.* Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would pay billions of dollars to close the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s budget gap, but that New York City should contribute up to $3 billion, The New York Times reports:  * Cuomo Offers $8.3B, Largely Resolving MTA's CapitalProgram Crisis * Cuomo cuts the M.T.A. ‘fat,’ asks more from city (Capital) * De Blasio'sreply: "The M.T.A. is the state's domain."  (Capital) * Cuomo Offers $8.3B, Largely Resolving MTA's CapitalProgram Crisis * #MTA Sets Opening Date for 7 Train Extension: (NY1)

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Cuomo Ups Pressure On de Blasio to Help Fund the MTA

Thursday Cuomo: NYC should splurge on MTA (NYP) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the financial resources the state and New York City will devote to closing the $11 billion deficit in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan will earn support from upstate lawmakers. * The governors of New York and New Jersey signaled that a deal to build new rail tunnels under the Hudson River would require billions of dollars from the federal government, which has called the plan one of the most important transportation projects in the country. * SEVENTH HELL! Added congestion on chronically crowded No. 7 train a worry should it link to LaGuardia Airport (NYDN)

Wednesday MTA chief demands $3.2B in letter to de Blasio (NYP)* Chief of Transportation Authority Must Wage a Political Battle for Funding (NYT) Thomas F. Prendergrast will be right in the middle of a fight over how to finance a capital plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and how much New York City should contribute.* The head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority sent Mayor Bill de Blasio a strongly worded letter urging him to finally give the $3.2 billion needed to close the agency’s capital budget deficit, the Postreports: * The New York Times profiles Metropolitan TransportationAuthority Chairman Tom Prendergast and outlines the challenges he faces in securing funding for his wide-ranging plan to define the region’s infrastructure for decades: * The head of the MTA sent de Blasio a strongly worded letter urging him to finally cough up the $3.2 billion needed to close the agency’s capital budget deficit.* Cuomo says he's going to make money for the MTA capital plan a "top priority." Says he has discussed it with de Blasio. * Cuomo Commits to MTA Capital Plan, Says de Blasio’s “a friend” (YNN) * MTA To De Blasio: Forget Congestion Pricing, Just Pull TheMoney Out Of Thin Air: When MTA Chairman Thomas… * Cuomo: M.T.A. plan can't wait for bridge tolls  (Capital) * Cuomo and Christie Call on U.S. to Share Cost of Hudson Rail Tunnel Project (NYT)

The governors of New York and New Jersey, addressing a push to expand rail capacity under the Hudson River, put the onus on the federal government and Amtrak.

Does de Blasio Think the GOP Senate and House are Going to Give More Transit Funds to An MTA that Pays Station Announcers $200K A Year?

De Blasio, other city execs make plea for fed transit funds (NYDN) * LIRR station announcers are making $200K a year (NYP) * The Daily News edit board says it’s up to Cuomo to fully fund the city’s transportation needs.* New York City officials suggest they are open to increasing some funding for the MTA, with the proviso they have more control over how it is spent. * It is Cuomo’s responsibility to lead the way on maintaining the transportation systems—subways, buses, commuter rail lines and bridges and tunnels—that keep the New York City region in motion, the DailyNews writes: 

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Tammany Hall Bill Like Boss Tweed Fights Progress Because of Payoffs From Owners of Outdated Services

Subways Were Delayed Because Boss Tweed Was Paid Off By Horse Bus Owners 

Taxi Bosses Gave $550,000 to de Blasio's 2013 campaign

Bill de Blasio’s Uber obsession is a black mark on ‘progressivism’ (NYP ed) Mayor de Blasio just can’t quit attacking progress — no matter how lame his arguments get. Consider his latest slams at Uber, the app-based car service that (finally) offers New Yorkers an alternative to yellow cabs. Last week, de Blasio blasted the company for not charging the 50-cent MTA tax for cab rides — as if any business anywhere collects a tax it doesn’t have to. Anyway, Uber noted it “generates far more​ tax revenue” than taxis — thanks to sales tax averaging about $2 a ride. But the details don’t matter. The real point of de Blasio’s gripe was to renew his efforts to choke off competition to the yellow-cab industry — which, uh, gave $550,000 to his 2013 campaign.

Cuomo Send $$$ Not A Loan for Hudson Tunnels 

Cuomo Protects Presidential Candidate Christie From Obama Trap

Cuomo Rejects Federal Offer to Lend Money for New Hudson River Tunnels (NYT) A loan to build the tunnels, estimated to cost billions, was “not viable,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said, urging the government to get money from the Obama administration or Congress.  In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the offer of a loan to build train tunnels under the Hudson River was not viable, and asked for funding from Congress directly, *Two weeks after President Obama’s transportation secretary sent a letter to Governors Chris Christie and Cuomo asking them to meet about building a new cross-Hudson rail tunnel to replace the one now falling apart, Cuomo told reporters: “There’s no reason to meet now

MTA

NYC Infidel ‏@NYC_Infidel  

@BenKallos @NYCCouncil @ManhattanCofC If El Chapo was building the Second Avenue subway it would have been done by now!

.@NYGovCuomo 'not in a position' to assess @MTA overtime  (Capital)

* According to payroll data released by the Empire Center, one in four, or 21,352, Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees made $100,000 or more in 2014, which is more than double the six-figure earners in 2013, the Post reports * A healthy MTA is vital to the city’s future and Cuomo must take charge and curtail the agency’s rising payroll costs and decreasing service quality, especially given the $15 billion shortfall in the MTA’s capital * The MTA must be fully funded and a permanent solution for its long-term survival must be implemented because there is no more important transportation infrastructure in the country, writes Newsday

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Lobbyists Get Print Coverage for Taxi and Uber Problems . . .  No Media Attention for 6 Million Subway Riders 

 GeneralContractors Association of New York’s Denise Richardson writes in GothamGazette:  State legislators failed the nearly six million daily subway riders when they did not take steps to fund the MTA capital program, which could lead to delays to much-needed expansion projects,

MTA

State Senate Confirms Former Cuomo Aide to Serve on M.T.A. Board (NYT)  Lawrence S. Schwartz was chosen over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s three recommendations. * MASS TRANSIT MISERY: New York's ever-growing population will make your ride even worse: experts (NYDN) * This Week’s Village Voice Cover Stories Look at the MTA’s Woes (1, 2, 3) * Doubts raised on Second Avenue subway. Can you believe it?  (CrainsNY) East Side politicians flagged five concerns that could cause the much-delayed transit project to miss its latest opening date.*  Albanyleaves de Blasio's MTA board picks in limbo. (via @transportnation)

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MTA Saturday Updates

New bill would double free transfers on MetroCards (NYP) * Subway tube connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn till close 40 weekends for repairs, diverting A and C lines (NYDN) * An App Offers Up-to-Date Schedules for Bus and Train Lines (NYT)  Wanderu is set up to find travel options that get you as close as possible to a specific place. Results can be sorted by time and price. * Is This The End Of "Stand Clear Of The ClosingDoors, Please"? (Gothamist)  * Transportation chair to juggle two, possibly conflicting, hats (Capital)  De Blasio nominates Ydanis Rodriguez * State lawmakers approved a bill that would allow New York City commuters two free transfers when switching from a subway to a bus or vice versa within a two-hour period, the Post reports:  * "You can do a lot in 96 years, except build a subway along Second Avenue."Amazing timeline by @seenigel ! (DNAINFO) * * Delays on the New York City subway system hit a four-year high in April and weekend riders endured 33 percent more delays than last year, according to MTA statistics, the Daily News reports: * Riding the F train in Brooklyn is a tormenting commute (NYDN) * NYC’s exploding real estate market has been a boon for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The authority has received $732.4 million this year from mortgage and property-sale taxes, which is 40 percent more than the MTA budgeted for, according to a report presented to the agency’s board. * MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast was confirmed by the state Senate for a new term at the helm of the agency he has led for the last two years. During his confirmation hearing, Prendergast made the case for why the authority needs more money from the state for its five-year capital plan – an issue the Legislature doesn’t plan to take up. * The state Senate confirmed Tom Prendergast for a new term as chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as he lobbied for more money for the agency’s five-year capital plan, The New York Times writes:  * M.T.A. chair still ‘guardedly confident’ about Albany (Capital) * The Senate Finance Committee approved the appointment of Larry Schwartz, the former secretary to Cuomo, to the MTA Board. Senators interviewed Schwartz via a video conference because he was unable to make the trip to Albany.

No Funding for the MTA Capital Budget Debt As Subways Suffer for More Delays

De Blasio nominates fresh faces for MTA board as Cuomo’s choices incense transit advocates (NYDN) *The MTA board could get three fresh faces from the de Blasio administration. And Cuomo’s two picks for the board — former top aide Larry Schwartz and Peter Ward, the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council — incensed transit advocates who wanted a reappointment of Allen Cappelli, a Staten Island attorney. * Cappelli had been awaiting news of the future of his seat on the board when a Staten Island Advance reporter informed him of the governor’s decision to replace him. “I haven’t heard from the governor’s office but if that is the case, it’s the governor’s prerogative,” he said. * Cappelli was a close ally of the governor’s father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, and worked in his administration.* De Blasio nominated nonprofit leader David Jones, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and advocate Veronica Vanterpool to the MTA board, while critics blasted Cuomo for dropping Allen Cappelli, the Daily Newsreports:  *

De Blasio has nominated to the MTA board the man responsible for providing NYC Council oversight of that same board: Transportation committee chairman Ydanis Rodriguez. This strikes some as a problematic conflict of interest.* New bill would double free transfers on MetroCards (NYP) * Subway tube connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn till close 40 weekends for repairs, diverting A and C lines (NYDN) * An App Offers Up-to-Date Schedules for Bus and Train Lines (NYT)  Wanderu is set up to find travel options that get you as close as possible to a specific place. Results can be sorted by time and price.* GOING OFF THE RAILS: Subway delays, crime and crowding spike as maintenance work slows down weekend trains (NYDN) * * A report shows that New York City's exploding real estate market has been a boon for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which received $732.4 million this year from mortgage and property-sale taxes, Crain’s writes: * Plan to bring LIRR to Grand Central hits $14B budget snag (NYP) * MTA vows to continue on-going battle against subway rats (NYP)

Sal Albanese ‏@SalAlbaneseNYC  

it's a mistake 2 appt @ydanis who chairs Council Transportation comm 2 MTA bd. He will have a fiduciary conflict NYC budget shortchanges MTA

More on the MTA

.

It Will Take A Subway Accident to Fund the Subways

New York's leadersdawdle as the subways crumble (NYDN Ed) With subway delays creeping ever upward and packed trains creeping ever slower, New Yorkers are getting a grim preview of where things are headed if Albany keeps starving the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for cash: Destination, commuter hell. The MTA says it needs to invest $32 billion over the next five years to shore up decaying infrastructure, modernize aging equipment and accommodate record-high ridership. It has just $18 billion in capital funding available — leaving a whopping $14 billion gap. And what are Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature doing to address this crisis for the mass transit system that’s critical to the region’s economy? Nothing — apart from punting the hard but unavoidable choices to an indefinite future.  Without more money, the MTA can’t afford basic things like replacing signal systems that date back to the 1930s — let alone major expansions and upgrades. Without more money, trains will get even more crowded and steamy stations will get even more dingy and nightmare breakdowns will get even more commonplace. City pols who lack the vision and courage to back that sensible plan — from Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio on down — have a duty to offer a viable alternative, and now.* MTA wants to spend $32B to repair aging system (NYDN) *  The Federal Transit Administration projected the Second Ave. subway could open in early 2017, mere months after the MTA’s December 2016 goal and much sooner than the February 2018 date originally estimated by federal officials, the Daily News reports: * MTA Chair Tom Prendergast is predicting "deep trouble" if state lawmakers can’t find a way to fully fund the authority’s capital plan, but a budget watchdog reports that the MTA often lags in state-of-good-repair spending anyway, Crain’s writes:  * MTA Chair Tom Prendergast is predicting "deep trouble" if state lawmakers can’t find a way to fully fund the authority’s capital plan, but a budget watchdog reports that the MTA often lags in state-of-good-repair spending anyway, Crain’s writes: * Transit advocates push for new MTA subway cars — by having a funeral (NYDN)

More About the MTA

MTA Which Has A Unfunded Debt 15 Billion Comes Up With A Way to Speed Up the Trains

 The MTA plans to hire about 70 people to direct riders onto trains in problematic train stations as it takes steps to ensure subways move quickly out of stations and improve performance, The Wall Street Journalreports:v* MTA to speed up time 6, 7 and F trains spend at each station to reduce overcrowding delays (NYDN) * MTA uses video game to tackle subway delays * MTA finally finds a way to speed up the subways(NYP) * MTA board members say throwing out trash cans in stationsnot a "wise idea": * Getting Train Times on Track (WSJ) The MTA begins an initiative to cut delays and improve service on the crowded 6, 7 and F subway lines. * The first phase of the long-planned, $4.45 billion Second Avenue subway project, aimed at alleviating congestion on the Lexington Avenue line, is 82 percent complete and on track to open by December 2016, the Journalwrites: *Sick straphangers are to blame for subway delays: sources (NYP)* The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is relying onprivate dollars to develop a $14.5 million retail concourse in a corridor leading to the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway station, the Journal reports: * New Yorkers are paying the MTA an extra $130 (NYP) New Yorkers are hit with an “invisible fare” of $130 a month in taxes, fees and subsidies for the MTA, the city comptroller charged Monday. This ranges from sales and payroll taxes to 50-cent fees on yellow cabs — as well as the money the NYPD spends policing the subway, according to the new analysis. “This invisible fare is equivalent to every New York City household paying 130 bucks a month,” said Comptroller Scott Stringer. “That’s more than the cost of the monthly MetroCard before we even stand on a subway platform or pay a bridge toll.” The 30-day MetroCard costs $116.50.* MTA collects $4.8B from city taxpayers, on top of fares and tolls, says Controller Scott Stringer (NYDN) * The A train, New York City’s longest subway line, was crippled in a part of Queens following what the Metropolitan Transportation Authority called a “massive theft” of copper cables, The Wall Street Journalreports: * Theft (NYT) Service was suspended between the Rockaway Boulevard and Broad Channel stations Wednesday morning, after at least 500 feet of cable was stolen from the A train tracks near Howard Beach. * State leaders have said addressing the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority's push to fill a $14 billion hole in its $32 billion capital plan is not a priority for the end of session, the Daily Newswrites:  * MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast made a rare visit to the NYC Council today to “sound the alarm” about the need to fully fund the agency’s $32 billion, five-year capital plan. *  

MTA chief sounds 'alarm' on half-funded capital plan(CrainsNY)Think your subway is too crowded? Without $14 billion to finish the capital plan, it could get a lot worse, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said Monday. * MTA Officials Make Budget Case at City Hearing (NY1) * The chairman of the MTA delivered an impassioned plea to NYC Council members for additional help funding the agency’s $14 billion capital plan shortfall, but he faced pushback from lawmakers who said he was “moving the goal post.”

More About the MTA

NYT Ignores Albany's FU an Wants to Fuck the Outer Boro Residences With Tolls Over East River Bidges

New York’s Subway Madness(NYT) Anyone who has squeezed into a subway car recently in New York City knows in a very up-close and uncomfortable way that the city’s mass transit system is overloaded. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed this week that ridership has indeed soared. The system handled 1.75 billion rides last year — a number not seen since the late 1940s, when many fewer people drove.

That compares with just over a billion rides in 1980 and 1.3 billion in 2000. Yet parts of this network are more than a century old, and a $32 billion plan to restore, repair and generally upgrade the system over five years is short more than $15 billion. This problem falls squarely on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who will have to find new revenues to expand and modernize a system that is vital to the city’s economy. When the city’s economy suffers, so does the entire state. * The Daily News writes that elected officials should “get on board” with The Move NY proposal for tolling free East River bridges, reducing fare on intra-city bridges and raising funds for the MTA: * Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and other borough politicians announced they are opposed to the Move NY plan to toll free East River bridges and reduce fares on intra-city bridges, the Daily News report

More on Tolls 

Today Subway Spins Led to Future Delays

How Bill de Blasio’s guaranteeing future subway delays (NYP) In his budget, the mayor made a big deal about increasing the city’s annual contribution to the state-run MTA to $629 million over the next five years, from a planned $500 million. This money will pay for new subway cars and buses as well as some track work. But it won’t even pay for most of that work — which will cost $4.2 billion. It sure won’t help the MTA build something new, London-style. The MTA does want to start work on the next few stations of the Second Avenue Subway — but it doesn’t have a dime for the $1.5 billion it will cost over the next five years. The mayor’s new contribution doesn’t help here, since the MTA was already expecting it.* The MTA cleaned 3 percent of subway tracks within its self-imposed deadline and largely failed to meet station painting and cleansing goals, according to New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, the Journal reports

More on the MTA

As their Elected Representatives in Albany and City Hall Ignore Transit Funding 

More Fare Hikes for the Dummies 

M.T.A. Official Warns Board That Fare and Toll Increases May Be Needed (NYT) The authority’s chief financial officer said 15 percent fare and toll increases may be necessary, without a much larger contribution from the state. * * Cuomo did say he would nominate MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast for a full, six-year term and that he’s done a “phenomenal job”, the New York Daily News reports:  *  MTA Chief Finance Officer Robert Foran said the authority may need to raise fares and tolls 15 percent if the state does not provide funding to address its five-year capital plan, The New York Timesreports: * The authority’s commissioners voted 7-2 to advance a ban on political ads in buses, trains and stations, which means the MTA board could vote on the proposal Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reports: * A top official at the MTA warned board members that they may need to raise fares and tolls by 15 percent if state lawmakers do not provide funding for the agency’s five-year capital plan. * MetroCard fares not going up 15 percent any time soon (NYP) * The MTA might hike fares again: (NY Mag) * The MTA board is expected to pass a resolution banning all political advertising on subways and buses, which comes after a judge ruled the authority had to run a pro-Israel group’s ads, The Associated Press reports:   *EXPRESS TRAIN TO DI$ASTER: Despite revenue channels, MTA is riding the rails of financial ruin with huge chunk of $14.6B budget going to staffing needs and $2.8B set aside for loan interest payments  Here Comes A Law Suit The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to ban political advertising on New York City subways and buses in an effort to avoid legal challenges, The New York Times reports:  * M.T.A. Board Votes to Ban Political Ads on Subways and Buses (NYT) The new policy, which took effect on Wednesday, prohibits advertisements for political parties, ballot referendums and any ad that is “political in nature.” * M.T.A. Chief Rejects Higher Fares for Capital Plan (NYT) *  At Cortlandt Street Subway Station, Art Woven From Words (NYT) The station, destroyed on Sept. 11 and scheduled to reopen in 2018, will include texts from historical documents on the walls, similar to a crossword puzzle. MTA Contract Abuse  Lack of oversight leaves MTA contracts ripe for abuse: audit (NYP) An Inspector General’s audit has found that MTA contractors could easily fudge their use of women and minority-owned subcontracting companies because agency higher-ups weren’t bothering to check up on them. The audit came after over 30 settlements and guilty pleas in recent years from major firms who allegedly lied about hiring disadvantaged businesses to work with them. Despite the abuse, managers in more than 70 percent of 17 NYC Transit and Metro-North construction contracts never even inspected the projects they were overseeing. The value of those individual contracts went up to as much as $112 million.

More on the MTA

Nobody Cares About the MTA Budget Gap 
MTA Shields Pols From Train Wreck Blame Bad Services Higher Fares  . . .  Bad Behavior Delays

Passenger Wilding Delays 

Police presence increased in subways to tackle rowdy passengers(NYP) Tracking the idiots (NYP Ed) Make no mistake: The rise in underground unruliness is a problem for the MTA, adding to the woes that increase train delays. But turning the trend around is a job for the NYPD. As The Post’s Rebecca Harshbarger reported Thursday, passenger misbehavior is up, and every straphanger is paying for it. Harshbarger found some 2,300 train delays attributed to unruly customers in January — an 80 percent jump over last January. Year over year, the numbers rose 43 percent in December; 53 percent in November.*Whistleblower alleges pay scam at Second Avenue Subway project (NYP)* Police investigating video of small subway track explosion (NYP) *MTA needs $$ but "wasting billions uponbillions" on "high-profile projects gets us no closer to that crucialgoal" (NYDN)

Ross Barkan ‏@RossBarkan  

.@BilldeBlasio won't commit to putting more $ in city budget for MTA, even though he demands more federal funding for mass transit

More on Past Fare and Toll Hikes

How NYC is Losing the Middle Class                                                                          NYC Economic Problems      

Life Will Be Found On Another Planet Before the Second Ave Subway is Finished

De Blasio and Schumer Take the Subway. Many Fellow Riders Shrug. (NYT) Commuters on the R train were largely underwhelmed by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Senator Charles E. Schumer, who rode the train to bring attention to federal transportation funding. *  De Blasio talks about transit funding, selectively (Capital)  Mayor: ‘We need investment if they expect to have a society that works’* Mayor to Washington: City Needs More Transportation Funding (NY1) *   De Blasio and Schumer enjoy bizarre subway banter (NYP)

Schumer and de Blasio Bond . . . 

 “I loved Underdog so much,” the mayor told Sen. Chuck Schumer during a subway ride from Brooklyn to City Hall promoting more federal transportation funding. It’s not clear how the series — which ran from 1964-67 and was in syndication until 1973 — came up in their conversation. The bizarre banter between the two powerful elected officials wasn’t enough to grab the attention of one woman who was engrossed in The Post’s Page Six inches from Hizzone. The straphanger didn’t glance up at the mayor — even when he and Schumer started speaking with Boston accents, again for reasons unknown. “Wicked fahhh,” de Blasio said. “Green Monstahhhh,” Schumer responded — referring to the enormous left-field wall at Fenway Park. * De Blasio still hasn’t read billion-dollar transit revenue plan (NYP) * SUBWAY SHUFFLE: Schumer, de Blasio ride R train to push for mass transit funding (NYDN) * De Blasio is pushing Congress for transportation funds, but he admitted he has not read the Move NY Fair Plan, which calls for tolls on the four East River bridge crossings and lowering tolls elsewhere,the Post reports: * U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said there is an urgent need for more federal railroad bridge inspectors, due to the combination of old infrastructure and stepped-up oil shipments, the Times Union writes:  * The mayor has made the federal funding of transportation a cause in recent weeks, butisn’t entirely clear on what he plans to do about the $15 billion gap in the MTA’s $32 billion, five-year capital plan. * Advocates put out the comprehensive Move NY Fair Plan in mid-February, calling for tolls on the four East River bridge crossings in exchange for lowering ­existing tolls elsewhere. The mayor hasn’t yet read it.

More on the MTA Mess

Always Working and Commuting   

On today's cover: NYC is the city that never sleeps. Becausewe are working and commuting (AMNY)

Take A Hike

Despite woeful service, MTA fare hikes take effect to cover raises (NYP) * UNFARE! MTA fare hike begins Sunday as commuters bemoan the hit to their pocketbooks (NYDN) * Will NYC’s urban atrocity of a subway system ever get better? (NYP) Today, for the fifth time in eight years, the MTA has hiked subway and bus fares: A monthly pass is now $116.50, up from $112, and single rides are up a quarter to $2.75. Meanwhile, the subways are worse than ever. Over the past month especially, not a day goes by without serious delays, cancellations and overcrowded subway cars and platforms. It has become impossible to predict the length and route of one’s commute. This Monday and Tuesday, the L train — already stretched to the max by its never-ending population explosion — stopped running during the morning rush.* UNFARE! MTA fare hikes set for Sunday (NYDN) * Editorial: MTA hikes fares, even as service sinks (NYDN Ed) * No specific plan to close the $15 billion MTA budget gap (NYDN)* As Cuomo and legislators delve into budget negotiations, nobody seems to be discussing specific plans to close the $15 billion gap in the MTA’s capital program, the Daily News’ Pete Donohue reports: * The Daily News writes that Cuomo and the Legislature must come through with long-term budgetary assistance for the MTA to save riders from an “endless, costly hell”:* The Staten Island Advance opines: “Even if it has all worked out well so far, the toll discount Staten Islanders depend upon shouldn’t be built on repeated one-shot allocations from Albany.”* The Post’s Steve Cuozzo writes that extending the No. 7 train will add “the city’s most important new mile of tracks in 100 years” and that de Blasio and Cuomo should find the money to prevent project delays: * The 11% solution on MTA MetroCard fares (NYDN) * * The Citizens Budget Commission calculates that there is a $19 billion hole in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan, far more than the $15 billion figure maintained by the MTA, Capital New Yorkreports:

New 7 Train Station 

The No. 7 train extension, originally slated for completion in December 2013, may encounter further construction setbacks, MTA officials said, Capital New York writes:  * New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined other U.S. mayors in Boston to demand an increase in federal transportation funding for bridges, road and mass transit, The Wall StreetJournal reports: * Over the last 12 months, only 74 percent of subway trains arrived at their terminals at the end of the line on time. That’s down from nearly 81 percent for the prior 12-month period,according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority data. Total delays, meanwhile, soared 36 percent to nearly 43,000 per month. * Subway riders who have been waiting for a new No. 7 line station on the Far West Side of Manhattan for years will have to wait at least a little longer. The opening of the station, once planned for the end of 2013, is now likely to be pushed back until July.* Mayor de Cheapio: Stiffing poor of transit funds (NYP) With the opening of the No. 7 line extension just months away, Mayor de Blasio’s refusal to spend an extra dime of city funds to bolster the MTA’s capital budget...

NYT Does Not Cover the Fare Increase

More Delays for No. 7 Subway Line Extension (NYT) A new station on the Far West Side of Manhattan is now not expected to open until July, transportation officials said. * New 7 line subway won’t be ready until at least summer (NYP)

.

Fares Go Up This Weekend MTA Fare Hike Breaks the Poor Pushes the Middle Class Out   

MTA Fare Hike Takes Effect This Weekend (NY1)

Commuters brace themselves for MetroCard fare hikes (NYP)  A monthly MetroCard price will go up from $112 to $116.50, a single trip will rise from $2.50 to $2.75, and the weekly card goes up a buck to $31.Cash tolls on the Verrazano will go from $15 to $16. Staten Island residents who use E-ZPass for 3 more trips a month will see a 24-cent increase to $6.24 a trip. For crossings like the Throgs Neck Bridge and Queens Midtown Tunnel, cash tolls will go from $7.50 to $8. The MTA’s financial woes include a $15 billion deficit in its capital plan, which funds big projects like the Second Avenue Subway and bringing the LIRR to Grand Central. * The MTA, which faces a $15 billion deficit in its capital plan, will implement fare hikes for the subway, bus, railway and tolls this Sunday, which will bring in an additional $210 million this year, the Postreports * NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said on CapTon last night that she is “open” to the Move NY congestion pricing plan, but did not take a declarative position. * While in Boston for a US Conference of Mayors meeting on federal transportation funding, de Blasio, an unabashed liberal, shied away from discussing The Boston Globe’s editorial calling on Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president in 2016.

Election is Over Here Comes the Fare and Toll Hikes Pushing Middle Class Out of the City

Report: NYC's Middle Class Shrinking Like Kids In A Rick Moranis ... * Poll: 47 Percent Of New Yorkers Are Worse Off Financially Than They Were 4 Years Ago(WCBS) * The new jobs New York City is expecting to gain are mostly low-paying and in the service industry.  *Escape from New York A new poll last week showed that more than one of every four New Yorkers is headed for the exits. Detroit lost a quarter of its population between 2000 and 2011; absolutely, it could happen here. (NYP) *  Wall Street Wielding the Ax The trading slump on Wall Street has battered profits and is about to cost some people their jobs.(WSJ) *  NY lost 1.6 million people to other states from 2000 – 2010 (Gannett Albany) *  Study Finds More New Yorkers Leaving State(NYT) * Census Shows New York Exodus(WSJ) * New York's Economic Melt Down, No Clown Affair * Welfare Rolls in New York City Begin to Rise, Belatedly - NYTimes.com * City nixes 3,000 Section 8 vouchers  * City faces middle-class exodus - Crain's New YorkBusiness  *City ZIPs zapped by taxes * NY ranks 49 in business tax climate * In 2008 20% of the city's taxes come from the financial community. Today it is down to 15% according to the comptroller.* Escape from NY II Pensioners fleeing city -  31 percent of NY's pensions, went to addresses outside New York state. (NYP) *New York's high taxes are driving residents to other states(NYP) *State and local taxes highest in New York, lowest in Alaska - Yahoo * Joe Lhota, wartime M.T.A. chairman(Capital)* Port Authority Bridge, Tunnel Tolls Increase * Drivers Grumble Over Increased Tolls For Port Authority Bridges, Tunnels (NY1) *Queens unemployment rate rose in October 8.2%, NYC 9.3% * New York added 17,000 jobs in low-wage industries in 2014 after the state’s minimum wage rose to $8 an hour, according to an analysis by the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Daily News Keeps Coming Up With Scams to Push Their Readers Out of the City 

As the Middle Class and Mom and Pop Stores Close Throughout NYC the Daily News Wants to Put Tolls on the East River Bridges

Editorial: How to cut some tolls (NYDN Ed) Time to cross that bridge, New York. Time to toll the four long-free East River crossings. In its place rises a soundly considered scheme, known as Move NY, to bring sanity to New York City’s cockamamie bridge and tunnel cash-collections — and raise billions in desperately needed road, bus and subway funding. Kick the tires, Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders, and then rise to the challenge of keeping this ever-more-clogged and crumbling city moving.* Gov. Cuomo does not think there is enough support for a congestion pricing plan with the public.* Slap ’em with summonses: The right way to enforce theVision Zero failure-to-yield law against bus drivers and others (NYDN) The far more effective and fairer way to change driver behavior would be for the NYPD to ramp up failure-to-yield summonses before anyone has been hit. Cops now issue an average of roughly 50 a day. Five hundred, with a concentrated public education campaign, might do the trick.

How NYC is Losing the Middle Class

NYC's Economic Problems

Daily News Crap 

“I’m exploring it. I’ve sat with the organization, I was very supportive of congestion pricing so any option that provides something similar, I’m open to exploring it and seeing what kind of support it can get,” the speaker said.Crowds and Long Delays Fray Subway System and Riders’ Nerves(NYT)  With fares set to rise, riders across New York City are complaining of having to pay more when service is worse. * Port Authority Agrees on the Need to Replace Its Bus Terminal, but Little Else(NYT)

Replacing the 65-year-old terminal in Manhattan could cost at least $10 billion, and the project wouldn’t be finished before 2027. The short-term solution was to create a subcommittee to study the problem. Port Authority commissioners agreed that the agency’s bus terminal in Manhattan should be replaced, but they disagreed on five options for doing so, including three expected to cost $10 billion * Officials reject $9B Port Authority Bus Terminal revamp (NYDN) * Widespread problems across the subway system in recent weeks have left weary commuters waiting on crowded platforms, stranded inside stalled cars and scrambling to find alternate routes. With a fare increase set to go into effect on Sunday, riders across New York City are complaining of having to pay more when service is worse.* A spirited discussion broke out at the Port Authority board’s monthly public meeting during a presentation of five options for replacing the 65-year-old NYC bus terminal in Manhattan, three of which were projected to cost at least $10 billion and none of which could be completed before 2027. High Tax NY New York State taxes wealthy residents more than any other place in the nation, with those earning $150,000 or more paying about 12.4 percent in taxes, according to a survey by WalletHub, the Post reports:

The MTA Was Created to Protect Elected Officials From Blame and It is Working in That Area Only 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Thomas Prendergast said he is considering redeploying token booth clerks, which comes a decade after 600 such employees were moved out of booths, the Daily Newsreports:

45% Increase Subway and No Equipment Replacement Budget   

Subway delays up staggering 45 percent in 2014 (NYP) Straphangers saw an average of 43,339 delays per month last year on weekdays, compared with 29,774 in 2013, according to a report from a recent MTA committee meeting. Weekend delays shot up from an average of 6,917 in 2013 to 9,468 in 2014. Overall on-time performance also took a dive, with trains arriving on schedule 74 percent of the time last year — an 8 percent slide from the year before.Individually, the 6 line had the largest drop in dependability last year, falling 18.6 percent, arriving on-time just 54 percent of the time. The 2, 4 and 5 lines also performed poorly. Spin Alert The MTA said delays were also caused by work on Hurricane Sandy repairs and on other capital projects, as well as increased safety inspections.

Elected Officials Ignore MTA Debt Train Wreck - No Leadership  

NYT Waits Until After the Election to Say That Cuomo Will Take the Blame of the MTA Funding Crisis

M.T.A. Chief Tries to Ease Alarm on Budget Gap, but Warns of Risks to Projects(NYT)

Thomas F. Prendergast said major construction plans and renovations for the system could be in jeopardy if a $15 billion hole is not addressed.

A Bumpy Ride for the M.T.A. (NYT Ed) New York City’s transit authority is facing real financial trouble. If its network deteriorates, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will most likely be to blame. The MTA simply “has a funding crisis,” he says. And it is a crisis that is not getting enough attention from Congress or — less understandably — from New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo. Every five years, the M.T.A. puts forth a plan for spending on such major items as tracks, signals, buses and subway cars. The latest budget, in October, called for an estimated $32 billion in capital outlays from 2015 to 2019. The M.T.A. said that it could find $17 billion on its own — including over $6 billion expected from the federal government, bonds, taxes and fares — but that it needed help for the remaining $15 billion. The state and city would seem obvious sources for much of this support. Mr. Cuomo, however, rejected the M.T.A. plan as “bloated” soon after it was submitted, even as some mass transit advocates regarded it as barely adequate. The governor’s latest budget gives the M.T.A. about $1.15 billion for these big projects over five years. * MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast sought to assure New Yorkers the agency would secure necessary funding, but warned that future capital plans were at risk if officials don’t reach a budget agreement, the Times reports: * M.T.A. Chief Tries to Ease Alarm on Budget Gap, but Warns of Risks to Projects(NYT) Thomas F. Prendergast said major construction plans and renovations for the system could be in jeopardy if a $15 billion hole is not addressed.* MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast said the next phase of the Second Ave. subway will be cut short if money isn’t found to fill the authority’s $15 billion capital plan funding gap,the Daily News reports:

Group Appears, Not Elected Officials to Close MTA 34 Billion Debt 

Cuomo doubts viability of congestion pricing: Last time, he says, "it went nowhere," and nothing has "changed that political dynamic."

Push made to add toll that charges drivers on East River bridges and cuts congestion (NYDN) Advocates are launching a public relations push Tuesday to support the ‘Move NY’ plan, which would put $8 tolls — or $5.54 with E-ZPass — on the four East River bridges, and charge drivers the same amount to cross 60th St. in Manhattan. The plan aims to reduce congestion and raise cash for mass transit. NYTimes: Group Seeks New Tolls in Manhattan to Pay for Region’s Transportation Needs * Daily News: Push made to add toll that charges drivers on East River bridges and cuts congestion * A group of transit advocates will release a proposal today to overhaul New York City’s bridge toll system and to raise money for the region’s transportation needs. The proposal calls for for new tolls on four East River bridges in Manhattan and lowering the costs of several crossings in the other boroughs. It would also create a toll for vehicles crossing 60th Street in Manhattan so that all drivers would have to pay to enter the core of the city.  * A transit advocacy group unveiled a proposal for tolls on four East River bridges and to travel south of 60th Street in Manhattan, but reduces tolls on bridges where they are already collected, The New York Times reports:     * In the latest bid for congestion pricing, a transit advocacy group unveiled a proposal to remake the way tolls are set across NYC. Now comes the hard part — persuading lawmakers and drivers to embrace an idea that was defeated in Albany nearly seven years ago.* Cuomo said he understands the practicality of a congestion pricing plan that would alter tolls in New York City, but he doesn’t think the political dynamic that doomed it in 2012 has changed, Capital New York reports

More on the MTA and Budget Gap

The Public Does Not Blame Elected officials for Fare Toll Increases 

NYT says Cuomo should “help create a five-year capital plan that gives the M.T.A. some confidence about how to expand and maintain itself while he also finds the matching funds that upstate legislators will inevitably demand for bridges and roads in their constituencies.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio has offered only $40 million a year as the city’s contribution, far lower than the usual $100 million. These responses seem miserly when measured against the needs of a system that is already stuffed with passengers and expects at least one million more in the next 10 years. The requirements go beyond new cars; the M.T.A. proposes to replace more than 80 miles of track and a subway signaling system that is more than a half-century old and needs a $3 billion upgrade. In the end, it is Mr. Cuomo who will have the most to say about whether this vital network thrives or deteriorates. * STAND CLEAR OF THE TRASH! Subway stations looking dirtier than ever after MTA removes garbage cans in pilot program(NYDN) * New data revealed subway riders are being squashed together on increasingly crowded trains and a lack of basic manners getting in and out of cars is contributing to a spike in delays, the Post writes: * There's been a 113 percent increase in delays caused byovercrowding on city subways(NYP)

Cuomo and de Blasio must provide more fiscal support for the struggling MTA because without a strong five-year capital plan, the MTA will have to fall back on fare increases

He should help create a five-year capital plan that gives the M.T.A. some confidence about how to expand and maintain itself while he also finds the matching funds that upstate legislators will inevitably demand for bridges and roads in their constituencies. A short-term fix of a year or two is little more than a Band-Aid. Former Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch, who helped rescue the system decades ago, has been telling transit officials for years that the state needs to increase the state gas tax to help provide a reliable stream of financing for mass transportation. A citizen coalition known as Move NY has recommended tolls on vehicles crossing four East River bridges that are now free and on drivers traveling across 60th Street in Manhattan — a form of congestion pricing. But that’s a longer-range approach. Without a strong five-year capital plan, the M.T.A. will have to fall back on fare increases. And those increases would have Mr. Cuomo’s name on them. * Fulton St. folly: MTA wasted $1.4 billion (NYP)Ten years and $1.4 billion down the drain — and they still couldn’t spring for a simple station map. The MTA’s gold-plated Fulton Center comically fails at its core mission...

Nicole Malliotakis ‏@NMalliotakis  

@MTA Capital Program Deserves More Public Debate @CityAndStateNY ht

Subway Sinking In 34 Billion Debt and No Leadership to Fix 

Subway costs leave MTA $34.1 billion in debt(NYP) The MTA has more debt than 55 countries, according to a new Straphangers Campaign analysis. The cash-strapped agency has $34.1 billion in debt it borrowed for capital spending to repair the subway system, starting in the 1980s. Worse, it may have to borrow another $15 billion for its next capital plan. “Heavy reliance on borrowing to fix transit is crushing riders like a packed subway car at rush hour,” said Gene Russianoff of the rider-advocacy group. Countries that have less debt than the MTA include Syria, with $30.1 billion, Cuba, with $28.9 billion, and Costa Rica, with $27.4 billion. * The MTA has more debt than 55 countries, according to a new Straphangers Campaign analysis. The cash-strapped agency has $34.1 billion in debt it borrowed for capital spending to repair the subway system, starting in the 1980s. And it may have to borrow another $15 billion for its next capital plan.

More on the MTA Debt

Elections Over So Fare Takes A Hike . . . . Fares Up

MTA board approves fare and toll hikes(NYP) The base fare will be raised from $2.50 to $2.75 on March 22, but bonuses for loading money on the cards will also be increased from 5 to 11 percent. The weekly MetroCard will go up from $30 to $31, and the monthly card will be increased from $112 to $116.50. Express bus fare will go up from $6 to $6.50. Commuter rail tickets will go up about 4 percent on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, depending on the line. Tolls will also increase about 4 percent on nine MTA bridges and tunnels, including the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Queens Midtown Tunnel, and RFK Bridge. The Verrazano will go from $15 to $16 on the cash toll rate, and from $10.66 to $11.08 for E-ZPass.* 'UNBELIEVABLE': Straphangers upset with latest MTA fare hike, which will increase base fare from $2.50 to $2.75 in March(NYDN)*M.T.A. Is Raising Fares and Tolls; One Subway or Bus Ride Will Cost $2.75(NYT)   MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast approved a 25-cent raise of the base subway fare to $2.75, a monthly card hike to $116.50 from $112 and a weekly card increase of one dollar to $31, along with a 25-cent EZ Pass increase for drivers, PIX11 reports: * A study from New York City’s Independent Budget Office found that the city's contribution to the MTA's capital budget has barely moved in the past 15 years, averaging about $100 million a year since 2000, the Daily News reports:

The MetroCard will be phased out in 2022, not in 2016 or 2017 as initially forecasted, while paying for New York City subways or buses with smart phones or bank cards could come by 2020, the Postwrites: MTA delays new payment system, extending life of MetroCards(NYP)  Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials support hiking of the MetroCard’s base fare from $2.50 to $2.75 and increasing the bonuses on pay-per-ride cards in March, rather than keeping the same fare and ditching the bonuses, the Post reports: 

MTA Unfunded Capital Plan

 Port Authority won’t cancel overnight PATH service(NYP) * Late-night PATH service between New Jersey and Manhattan will not be cut soon, as the proposal has not been presented to the Port Authority board and would require detailed study if it were, The New York Times reports:  * The MTA board on Thursday is expected to hit riders with a fare hike that will go into effect this March. Board members must approve one of two options MTA officials presented in order to raise revenue from fares and tolls 4 percent over two years. Riders will see fares go up 4 percent again in 2017.

 Wretched Souls Who Rely on Late-Night PATH Train Don’t Haveto Find a New Wayto Commute Just Yet (NY Mag)* No Imminent Plans to Cut PATH Service, Port Authority Says(NYT)The chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told legislators that rail service would not be cut in the near term, and if cuts were made, they would follow a public review. *  Wretched Souls Who Rely on Late-Night PATH Train Don’t Haveto Find a New Wayto Commute Just Yet 
* The cost of building a transit link to LaGuardia Airport could be nearly twice the $450 million the governor estimated, MTA chief Tom Prendergast told lawmakers in Albany.* The M.T.A.’s recently announced subway, bus, and bridge fare hikes will help the agency close the $15.2 billion gap in its capital funding plan, according to Moody’s Credit Outlook.

Nicole Gelinas ‏@nicolegelinas  

So is this a pay-a-little-in-a-flush-year unfunded, un-prioritized MTAcapital budget w/new train thrown in?  

More About the MTA

MTA

Why the MTA is disabling alarms at subway exits (NBC)

MTA 

New data shows that about 25% of all @MTA subway trains are late, up 6% from lastyear.  (NYDN)* New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority may use overtime revenue for transit workers to help direct riders on and off packed subways that serve as many as six million passengers a day, Bloomberg reports: * Crowded subway platforms dangerously close to tipping point(NYP)* The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that the first phase of the Second Avenue subway is 76 percent complete, with the line’s 86th Street station completed this week, Crain’s reports: 

More About the MTA

The Election is Over So We Will Soon Learn How High the Tolls and MTA Fare 

For New Tappan Zee, Questions Persist Over How High the Tolls Will Climb(WSJ) The discount afforded by one of the New York City area’s great travel bargains — crossing the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge — is likely to shrink, but no one can say by how much.

More About the MTA Fare Hike

MTA

A commission examining the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s looming challenges called for the authority to take a series of steps to handle growing ridership, The Wall Street Journal writes: 

More on the MTA

MTA  As True News Reported Subway and Bus Fares Going Up After the Election 

Why Are Pols Not Being Question On the Fare Hike During Their Campaigns?

Wednesday 

Gene Russianoff of @Straphangers Campaign: if we don't fund the @MTA's $32 billion capital program, "it's back to the big ugly."

Deadly subway murder suspect arrested(NYP)

Tuesday Update 
From 50 cents to $16: MTA unveils V-N bridge toll, bus and subway fare hike proposals * Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials are considering yet another hike on the Verrazano Bridge that would make it one of the highest fees, a $16 cash toll, for a crossing in the country, the New York Postwrites: * Subway riders nervous after man was pushed to his death(NYP)* The prospect of higher fares and tolls promises a debate over fairness to the poor, frequent subway riders and drivers of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, TheWall Street Journal reports:  * BACKPEDALING: MTA board member eases off ridiculous backpack ban proposal as agency prepares to jack up prices again(NYDN)* Proposed Fare Increases Unveiled for Subway, Bus, Commuter Rail(WSJ)

Pushing Middle Class and the Poor Out

Friday

Agency Says Loan Approval for New Tappan Zee Bridge Was Improper(NYT) The State Authorities Budget Office said in a report that officials did not follow proper procedures before approving the use of federal clean-water funds for the bridge’s construction.

Thursday Update 

Watch your wallet! MTA board raises no objections to 4% fare and toll hike(NYDN)

Funding Battle Looms for New York’s Subway, Buses, Bridges(WSJ)

• Bronx Man Charged in Fatal Subway Push(WSJ)

Wednesday Update

Subway murder suspect had struck underground before(NYP)* Get a load of this (NYDN) MTA Knucklehead Charles Moerdler should zip it. Understand that you are banging into the people around you. Take a knapsack off when standing on a crowded train. Put it between your feet. And for goodness sake, don’t swing it around. Don’t be obnoxious.  But a ban from on-high, when millions of people have no choice but to carry books, gym clothes, laptops, nursing scrubs, diapers and who knows what else from point A to point B?  Only a New York Knucklehead could entertain the thought.* MTA board member ties to backtrack on backpack ban(NYDN) * SUSPECT NABBED: Man with lengthy rap sheet arrested for allegedly shoving 61-year-old in front of Bronx train, killing him — and cops think he’s done it before(NYDN)

Monday Update 

M.T.A. Expected to Raise Fares and Tolls(NYT)*

Board members are expected to discuss a 4 percent increase across the system’s trains, buses, tunnels and bridges at a meeting this week. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority may raise New York City subway and bus fare to $2.75 and incrase prices for weekly and monthly passes, part of its effort to boost revenue by 4 percent next year, the Journal writes: * MTA considering twofare hike plans  * Two months after the commission Cuomo charged with “reinventing” the MTA held its final meeting, its members say they do not know why their final report hasn not been released yet, Capital New York reports: 

Just Wait Till Pension Contract and Capital Budget Costs Come Due

DiNapoli also released a report showing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s short-term financial outlook has been buoyed by the economy, but simply borrowing money to close the unprecedented $15 billion funding gap in its proposed five-year capital program could be costly for riders, WNYC reports:  * MTA borrowing could mean major fare hikes(NYP) Straphangers could be hit with hefty fare increases if the MTA chooses to borrow billions of dollars to help pay for its transit improvement plan, a new report warns. 

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office found that every $1 billion the MTA borrows to help fill the massive $15.2 billion funding gap in its latest capital plan is equivalent to a 1 percent rate hike for riders. That means if the MTA were to rely solely on borrowing money from the government, it would have to raise fares and tolls more than 15 percent — bringing the price of a single subway or bus ride up to approximately $2.90. Fares are already set to rise by 4 percent every two years beginning in 2015.* The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan is filled with misplaced priorities, not focusing enough on needed repairs and renovations and not explaining where its funding will come from, the Citizens Budget Commission writes in a new report: 

At least 4 people pushed in front of subways in less than two years(NYP) * More people are riding the subway during off hours(NYP) * Man fatally struck by subway ‘was pushed’(NYP) *   Poll: What MTA Fare Hike Proposal Do You Prefer?(WSJ) New York City is weighing whether to raise subway and bus fares a quarter, to $2.75, or leave the base fare unchanged at $2.50 a ride but trim the multiple-ride discount. What proposal do you prefer?* A monthly MetroCard will cost $116.50 with 2015's fare hike (EverythingNY)

More on the MTA

They Spent $1.4 Billion Dollars On A New Station and the Escalators Don't Work 

Fare Still Going Up

The MTA’s Fulton follies (NYDN Ed) Brand-new escalators head nowhere at $1.4 billion behemoth

They spent $1.4 billion and devoted 12 years to building the Fulton Center subway station in lower Manhattan — and they can’t get the damn escalators to work. This does not surprise you, surely. Last Sunday, muckety-mucks aplenty gathered to celebrate the brilliance of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and public officials, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, in pouring all that money into an over-designed entryway reminiscent of suburban shopping malls.

Want to Bet Subway Fares Going Up 

Why Are Pols Not Being Question On the Fare Hike During Their Campaigns?

DiNapoli also released a report showing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s short-term financial outlook has been buoyed by the economy, but simply borrowing money to close the unprecedented $15 billion funding gap in its proposed five-year capital program could be costly for riders, WNYC reports: 

MTA borrowing could mean major fare hikes(NYP) Straphangers could be hit with hefty fare increases if the MTA chooses to borrow billions of dollars to help pay for its transit improvement plan, a new report warns. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office found that every $1 billion the MTA borrows to help fill the massive $15.2 billion funding gap in its latest capital plan is equivalent to a 1 percent rate hike for riders. That means if the MTA were to rely solely on borrowing money from the government, it would have to raise fares and tolls more than 15 percent — bringing the price of a single subway or bus ride up to approximately $2.90. Fares are already set to rise by 4 percent every two years beginning in 2015.* The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan is filled with misplaced priorities, not focusing enough on needed repairs and renovations and not explaining where its funding will come from, the Citizens Budget Commission writes in a new report: 

M.T.A. Told It Must Focus on Repairs, Not Growth(NYT)

In a report, the Citizens Budget Commission says the authority should improve the conditions of its existing transit systems, before moving ahead with the Second Avenue subway and other expansion projects.* Pileup at the MTA(NYP Ed) This month a state review panel — in an unusual move — vetoed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $32 billion capital budget because the agency has no idea how to pay for nearly half the cost.

More on the MTA Running Out of $$$ 

The LIRR Extenion That Was Supposed to Be Finished in 1993 is Still Getting Funding

Can Anyone Say Over Budget?

Maloney helps get $203 million for Grand Central expansion(NYP)

In 1974, the finishing date for East Side Access was set to 1993.Now the the new terminal is expected to be operational by between 2019 and September 2023. BS

Subway cars will get surveillance cameras in 2015

 

* A report from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found that only 51 of New York City’s 468 subway stations are free of defects and just one in four had most or all of their station components in good repair, The Wall Street Journal writes:http://goo.gl/mNwZpa

Park Slope subway station one of NYC's worst: report http://nyp.st/1uhh0lb

* The MTA has been randomly mailing out tens of thousands of free MetroCards to handicapped riders to save money on Access-a-Ride trips, but no oversight has led to rampant abuse, the Post writes: http://goo.gl/5qXdRQ

* As part of its upcoming capital plan, the MTA will buy 940 new subway cars for its lettered lines and install cameras in them between 2015 and 2019, the Post reports: http://goo.gl/skCWya

            

           Most Subway Stations Are Flawed: Report

* The Empire Center’s E.J. McMahon proposes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo should use the $2.23 billion windfall from the BNP Paribas deal to divert over $1 billion each to the MTA and Department of Transportation capital plans: http://goo.gl/eX6zWO

* A new report shows that the MTA’s post-9/11 security program has been pushed back until late 2017 because of Superstorm Sandy, which caused salt water damage to security cameras and fiber optic cable, the Post writes: http://goo.gl/q2GYcq

* Cuomo should reject election year pressure from Long Island Rail Road workers threatening a strike and instead stand up to their demands—and could benefit politically if he does, Nicole Gelinas writes in the Post: http://goo.gl/q3vTFs
* Since taking over at the MTA, Tom Prendergast has had a bumpy ride, and his second year as chairman doesn’t look like it will be easier due to the contract dispute with the Long Island Rail Road, Crain’s writes: http://goo.gl/Be7Fnq

Minding the Transit Gap , via @nytimes Excellent editorial http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/04/opinion/minding-the-transit-gap.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad …

* A state review board rejected the MTA’s nearly $32 billion capital plan, which includes a huge funding gap of nearly half its price tag, an agency spokesman confirmed, the New York Post reports: http://goo.gl/6PslfH

* The New York City budget allocated almost $2.8 million to outfit more than 100 bus stops with devices that will show riders when the next bus will arrive, but riders with cell phones already have access to that information, Crain’s New York reports: http://goo.gl/t43cP7

Breaking Gov. Cuomo expected to announce deal to avert LIRR strike 

 Six days before a possible Long Island Rail Road strike, negotiations appeared to collapse, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority acknowledged “a gulf” with its unions, and labor leaders said they would proceed with plans for a walkout, The New York Times reports: 
* Mayor Bill de Blasio is not sure if he will cut his Italian holiday short if Long Island Rail Road workers make good on their threat to strike, and is “confident” in the contingency plan for dealing with the strike, the Daily News reports: Unions negotiating with the MTA say talks aimed at avoiding a walkout at the nation’s largest commuter railroad have collapsed, and a strike is now likely this weekend. If there is a strike, getting from Long Island into Manhattan by car will be nearly impossible. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio wouldn’t say if a strike would delay his Italy trip, which is scheduled to start Monday.

Stephen Colbert to Mayor de Blasio: If LIRR strike happens ‘can we just go crash at Gracie Mansion?’(NYDN)

* LIRR, MTA negotiations collapse(NYP)* Labor’s LIRR strike miscalculation(NYP Ed) * Discussions With L.I.R.R. Appear to Have Collapsed (NYT) Tuesday Update Mayor de Blasio to head to Italy for vacation despite looming Long Island Rail Road strike(NYDN)* NO PLANS TO CUT ITALY SHORT -- Capital’s Sally Goldenberg: “Mayor de Blasio would not commit to cutting short his Italian vacation and returning to New York City if Long Island Rail Road workers strike while he is overseas. ‘In the event there is a strike, the contingency plans are very, very strong,’ he told reporters following an education announcement Monday afternoon, four days before he is set to leave on a nine-day excursion with his wife, two children and three staffers to explore his Italian heritage. The potential LIRR strike would begin on July 20 if the union and Metropolitan Transportation Authority do not reach an agreement. De Blasio plans to leave New York City on July 18 and return on July 27.”-- Don’t worry, because it’s summer: "We benefit from the fact that it's July," de Blasio said, adding that people will likely work from home if the LIRR workers strike. "I imagine if that event comes to pass a lot of people will work from home who live in Long Island." * Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the looming Long Island Rail Road strike could be “a real pain … but not a disaster,” and would not reveal yet if he’s planning to intervene, the Daily News reports:  * Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio over the airwaves for keeping his plans to visit Italy with his family despite the Long Island Rail Road strike being just days away, the Observer reports:* Giuliani: De Blasio should postpone vacation in event of LIRR strike(NYP)Wednesday Update  De Blasio Takes a Vacation, and a Calculated Risk(NYT) Mayor Bill de Blasio is gambling that residents will be sympathetic to his need for time off and that no major crisis will occur during his absence.Thursday De Blasio ribbed by Colbert over looming LIRR strike(NYP)* The Long Island Rail Road strike would boost business for hotels and restaurants in New York City, but the lack of foot traffic would hurt businesses in Penn Station, the Journal reports:

.

NYT Says Cuomo Should Stop LIRR Strike

Governor Cuomo’s Railroad(NYT Ed)

The governor should be ready to step in and end the union-M.T.A. fight before riders face a shutdown.

MTA to increase G train service(NYP)

Finally, something for G train riders to smile about. The MTA announced that starting Monday, it will be increasing weekday service on the heavily trafficked subway line by 25 percent...

2. MTA chief can't catch a brake

It's been a bumpy ride for Thomas Prendergast, head of the world's largest transit system: three derailments, two labor negotiations, a power failure, employee and commuter fatalities, megaproject delays, a budget battle and persistent aftereffects from Superstorm Sandy. And Mr. Prendergast's second year as chairman and chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority doesn't look any easier. [Crain’s New York Business]

Plus: The MTA has added service to the G line during morning and afternoon rush hours. [NY1]

 

 

RIDING THE SIX-FIGURE TRAIN: More than 14% of MTA employees earned at least $100K in 2013: report

Trouble With Diagonal Elevator Held Up No. 7 Subway Expansion(NYT)

The subway line’s new terminus in Manhattan was supposed to open in 2013, but a special elevator built in Italy failed its factory test.

In Expansion of No. 7 Line, One Problem: An Elevator(NYT)

The subway line’s new terminus in Manhattan was supposed to open in 2013, but a special elevator built in Italy failed its factory test.

One Step Forward, One Back for M.T.A. on Union Contracts(NYT)

* MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said he was disheartened that a federal mediation board shot down the MTA’s current Long Island Rail Road contract offer, which was modeled after the contract reached with the Transport Workers Union, Newsday writes: http://goo.gl/nVHw3S

* A federal mediation panel again sided with Long Island Rail Road workers unions in their negotiations with the MTA for a new contract, marking the second time in six months an Obama-appointed board has done so, Newsday writes: http://goo.gl/GLnvVk

* Vincent DeMarino, a top MTA security chief, quit last week amid an investigation into alleged nepotism and cronyism, while Deputy Chief Ralph Misiti also is reportedly being investigated by the Inspector General for similar alleged acts of favoritism, the New York Post writes: http://goo.gl/XQRjNp 

M.T.A. Riders May Still Be Swiping in 2020(NYT)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority may be required to extend the MetroCard’s expected life beyond 2020, according to a presentation made on Monday to members of the authority’s board.

* Despite hopes of phasing out MetroCards as early as 2012, the MTA may need to extend the use of MetroCards beyond 2020, though officials are looking to begin phasing in a new payment system by late 2016 or early 2017, the Times reports: http://goo.gl/rBSFYn

MTA outlines Second Avenue subway progress

Metro-North audits 5,000 engineers for speeding(NYP)

M.T.A. Expanding Weekend Service on the L Line to Handle Growing Crowds(NYT)
The de Blasio administration indicated it will slow the growth of New York City’s green taxi fleet, which has been opposed by the yellow-taxi industry, whose leaders were among de Blasio’s biggest mayoral campaign contributors

Metro-North Takes Measures on Safety(NYT)

* Sources say former Long Island Rail Road president Helena Williams’ advocacy for Long Island as a critic of a plan to link the Metro-North Railroad to Penn Station contributed to her losing her job, Newsday reports: http://goo.gl/tAM0St

• $0.05 (1904 – 1948)
• $0.10 (1948 – July 1, 1953)
  • Bus fare: $0.07 from 1948 til 1950 and $0.10 from 1950 til 1953
• $0.15 (July 2, 1953 – 1966)
  • Bus fare: $0.13 from 1954 til 1955 and $0.15 from 1956 til 1966; 5th Avenue Bus line fare raised to 15 cents on January 1, 1954
• $0.20 (1966 – January 3, 1970)
• $0.30 (January 4, 1970 – December 31, 1971)
• $0.35 (January 1, 1972 – August 31, 1975) (MSBA/Long Island Bus from 1973)
• $0.50 (September 1, 1975 – June 27, 1980)
• $0.60 (June 28, 1980 – July 2, 1981)
• $0.75 (July 3, 1981 – January 1, 1984)
• $0.90 (January 2, 1984 – December 31, 1985)
• $1.00 (January 1, 1986 – December 31, 1989)
• $1.15 (January 1, 1990 – December 31, 1991)
• $1.25 (January 1, 1992 – November 11, 1995)
• $1.50 (November 12, 1995 – May 3, 2003)
• $2.00 (May 4, 2003 – June 27, 2009)
• $2.25 (June 28, 2009 – December 29, 2010)
• $2.25 base fare (December 30, 2010 – March 2, 2013)
  • $2.50 SingleRide MetroCard ticket fare
• $2.50 base fare (March 3, 2013 – present)
  • $2.75 SingleRide MetroCard ticket fare
• 
  

MTA subway, bus fares and tolls going up again in 2015 and 2017: official

Chief Financial Officer Robert Foran said rising pension, healthcare, debt payments and other costs necessitate hitting up mass transit riders and drivers using MTA bridges and tunnels for another $424 million in 2015, and $520 million in 2017.

“Study: Cell Service On The New York Subway Still Sucks,”

“Over three days in early May, [Global Wireless Solutions] engineers ran mobile benchmarking tests on trains throughout the city, and found that only two stretches of track provided data network access with more than a 50% success rate: the 7 train between Grand Central and Times Square (74%) and the E train from 50th Street to Lexington Ave/53rd Street (52%). …[The rest of the list:] [3.] 6 train … 35% success rate [4.] B, D trains … 23% success rates [5.] 1 train … 20% success rate [6.] A, C trains … 16% success rates [7.] L train … 15% success rate [8.] 2, 3 trains … 14% success rates [9.] J, Z trains … 12% success rates [10.] (Tied) E train … 11% success rate; N, Q, R trains … 11% success rates [11.] F Train … 8% success rate” http://goo.gl/5LhlMq

The MTA may be going your way, but it can't go on living in the past, according to Gov. Cuomo. The governor on Wednesday directed MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast to assemble a "Transportation Reinvention Commission" to examine the agency ahead of the development of a capital plan, I report. "Let's face it, the MTA needs every bit of help it can get – especially the time and attention of the Governor and State legislature, who holds the MTA's fiscal future in their hands," said the watchdog Straphangers Campaign.

Lessons from a transit savior(Capital)
Richard Ravitch knows that it takes money to make the trains run on time

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Higher MYA Fares Coming  . . .     
No Fare Hike Connected to New Contract? BS
"Cuomo’s election-year triumph will be very expensive for  riders and for city taxpayers, too" . . . 

* Budget experts say the MTA’s plan to pay for its new labor deal will shift its future costs and could lead to battles over fare increases and taxpayer subsidies down the road, the Journal writes: * amNewYork writes that the agreement between the MTA and TWU Local 100 is hardly ideal, but it does offer a decent tradeoff between the needs of workers and riders:* MTA raises funded by raiding retirees(NYP Ed) * Labor Pact Would Shift MTA Funds(WSJ)


New Labor Contract Will Cost M.T.A. $525 Million(NYT) The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it would pay for raises by redirecting some money from pension and health care funds.* Documents show that the MTA estimates $411 million in added costs for the new tentative deal struck between the agency and TWU Local 100, the Journal reports:

More on the MTA



Gov. Cuomo: Where are you going, MTA? Updated(NYDN)

The governor on Wednesday directed MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast to assemble a "Transportation Reinvention Commission" to examine the agency ahead of the development of a capital plan.


Subway Accident   . . .  
Cut Backs In Rail Fixes Caused Derailment

Update Rail that caused NYC subway derailment was brand new(NYP) * MTA Releases Info on Rail Section Involved in Queens Derailment(NY1) * Break Found in Queens Subway Track; Normal Service for the Morning Rush(NYT)


'THIS CANNOT BE TOLERATED': Track in F train derailment was in 'critical rail break' zone and slated to be replaced in 2015(NYDN)



* The New York City subway system is becoming more delay-prone, according to a Straphangers Campaign analysis of MTA delay alerts, which shows the number of delay-generating incidents jumping 35 percent between 2011 and 2013, Capital New York reports: http://goo.gl/71DejU

Report suggests subway service is 'deteriorating' http://capi.tl/1fMkRlx  

MTA fires LIRR President Helena Williams(NYP)
* The MTA announced that it will remove Long Island Rail Road President Helena Williams and replace her with Patrick Nowakowski, a veteran of the Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia transit systems, The New York Times writes: http://goo.gl/qTNI7j

* Metro-North and Long Island railroads plan to speed up the implementation of an advanced rail safety system by spending $11.3 million to adapt 1,310 train cars for it within three years, The Journal News reports: http://goo.gl/IJlyKM 

$6 Million Union Slush Fund 
The deal made between the MTA and TWU Local 100 includes a provision that would require the MTA to pay $2 million a year over three years into a fund used by the union, The Wall Street Journal reports *  Cuomo’s MTA contract triumph also a costly one(NYP) The average transit worker can expect to earn above $75,000 with this $6,000 or so raise — and will only have to pay $400 more in annual health-care costs in return. 
More on the MTA * Cuomo Announces Deal Between MTA and Transport Workers Union(NY1)
Cuomo cuts an M.T.A. labor deal with 'no fare increases'(Capital) * Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a contract agreement between the MTA and the transit workers union that would provide retroactive raises in exchange for increased contributions to healthcare costs, Crain’s reports: * Fares hold as MTA workers get raises under new contract(NYP) * Transit Union Wins MTA Wage Boosts(WSJ) * Cuomo’s MTA contract triumph also a costly one(NYP Ed) * The MTA estimates the price tag of a tentative contract agreement with its largest union, the TWU, at $411 million.


* A federal mediation panel will meet with the MTA and Long Island Rail Road unions for a second time since November to try to reach a new labor deal that would stave off a possible strike this summer, Newsday reports: http://goo.gl/l6NEey

MTA denying Access-A-Ride to some riders claiming disabilities(NYP)
 
* * The MTA awarded two East Side Access contracts—valued at roughly $628 million—for companies to line new tunnels with concrete walls and install communications systems in Grand Central Terminal, Newsday reports: http://goo.gl/JWRiFd

* Top Cuomo aide Howard Glaser sent a letter to the MTA calling for the agency to review its advertisement standards following complaints from riders about new subway ads for breast augmentation, the Daily News reports: http://goo.gl/qxPtKf

* The engineer of the Metro-North train that derailed in the Bronx in December has sleep apnea, according to documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Post reports: http://goo.gl/Kmj7r4

Train Engineer in Fatal Derailment Is Said to Have Sleep Apnea(NYT)

The Metro-North engineer at the controls during a derailment in the Bronx had an undiagnosed sleep disorder, a person with knowledge of the National Transportation Safety Board’s announcement said.

NYT Don't Cut MTA Budget Gov
The New York Times writes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to take $40 million worth of MTA funds to pay down state debt comes at a time when commuters can least afford to have the struggling agency’s money cut *Shortchanging New York City’s Commuters(NYT) * New York Today: The MetroCard’s Future(NYT) a swipeless city transportation system envisioned* Connecting to the Nations RR Not Scofflaw governors(NYDN Ed) At its founding in the early 1920s by acts of Congress and the New York and New Jersey legislatures, the Port Authority was assigned the mission of linking Brooklyn and Queens to the railroads of the American heartland via a cross-harbor tunnel. That tunnel, still vital today, was long ago dropped. And, down through the decades, the PA drifted into all manner of projects as the toll-collecting plaything of the governors of the two states.
More on the MTA



* A lawyer for passengers injured in December’s Metro-North derailment says the railroad initially agreed to pay for medical care for injured passengers but later stopped paying bills, the Post reports: http://goo.gl/7H6Nwe

MTA Reports Subway Ridership at Highest Since 1949

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MTA

* In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas writes that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is overstepping his authority by directing the MTA to give Staten Island residents toll relief, and scolds the agency for failing to act independently:
Threats, porn, distracted driving: LIRR’s staff off the rails(NYP) Sexting while taking tickets on the Long Island Rail Road, threatening to “knock out” a fellow worker and using a video-game player while driving a train were just a few of the infractions committed by nearly 900 of the railroad’s workers in the last five years.* Feds Begin Process of Installing Cameras on Trains After Push From Schumer(NY1) * The Federal Railroad Administration will require cameras on trains to detect risky behavior that could lead to a crash like the one that killed four people in December on the Metro-North line, the Daily News reports: 
For Drivers on Some City Bus Routes, Requesting the $2.50 Fare Can Be Dangerous(NYT) Unlike subway drivers who are shielded from passengers’ emotions by a thick metal door, many bus drivers are fully exposed to the moods of the fickle, and sometimes violent, New York City commuter.




* A federal review of the Metro-North Railroad found it is part of a “deficient safety culture” that values on-time performance at the expense of riders and workers, The New York Times reports: http://goo.gl/6Q5Uqm

* Outgoing Metro-North President Howard Permut says the December derailment in the Bronx will affect him for the rest of his life, but he has pride in the growth and operations of the railroad, the Journal News writes: http://lohud.us/1dcAbmw

Riders becoming less wasteful with MetroCards(NYP)

MTA Metro-North Records show that federal inspectors found more than 7,100 defects and deficiencies in the Metro-North Railroad over the last decade, but regulators launched a full investigation only after two major accidents last year, the Associated Press reports:   * Sleep Disorder and Schedule Change Cited as Possible Factors in Train Derailment (NYT)

Subway Breasts MTA officials agreed to reconsider their advertising standards after a top aide to Cuomo objected to a cleavage-baring ad for breast enhancement.

* The MTA plans to announce a set of new safety efforts, including the creation of a safety committee and a senior management position that will report directly to the MTA chairman, the Journal News reports: http://lohud.us/1fgNaRW

____________________________________________                                                                                 

MTA

Delayed Train? Skeptical Boss? M.T.A. Will Give Passengers a Late Note(NYT) Since June 2010, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has given more than 250,000 Subway Delay Verification notes to passengers to excuse their tardiness.

* Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce a five-year extension of the East River ferry service, though fares for weekend service will increase from $4 to $6 and winter weekend service will decrease as well, Crain’s Insider reports * Utah senator slashers commuter tax break for NYers(NYP) Straphangers will now only be able to shield $130 of their income every month from taxes to subsidize their train and bus fares — a steep plunge from the $245 they can currently keep tax-free.  After the Senate failed Thursday to pass a larger package of tax benefits that include tax relief for commuters, Schumer tried to extend it alone through a move that can have a bill quickly passed if all Senators agree to it. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch quickly objected and kicked it down to next year so that the financial committee could address all of the tax benefits together. * Mass transit users who pay more than $130 per month will lose part of their commuter tax deduction Jan. 1 because federal lawmakers haven’t renewed the current deduction. That could affect some 700,000 New York commuters, the Journal News writes: * What’s Missing From The No. 7 Line Extension(NYO) * The Daily News writes that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should ask for another review of its dispute with Long Island Railroad workers looking for a raise, which, if granted, would drive up costs across the MTA’s system:* Where’s the money train? (NYDN) Congress fails to act and transit commuters get smacked * Mass-Transit Commuters Face a Hit(WSJ)

 __________________________________________________________

MetroCard Going the Way of the Subway Token, Soon-ish http://nym.ag/1cZoUqD
Dead Run Train 
Cuomo wants the Metro-North Railroad to expand to New York City’s Penn Station following recommendations made in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

Support for Metro-North Line In Bronx and to Penn Station(NYT)

The MTA has hired the executive director of a south Florida commuter group as the new president of Metro-North Railroad.

A federal safety agency says the technology known as positive train control would probably have prevented the Dec. 1 train derailment that killed four people in NY

U.S. Orders Sweeping Safety Review of Metro-North(NYT)The extraordinarily rare inquiry was ordered not only because of a fatal train derailment in the Bronx on Dec. 1, but also a series of other accidents this year. Two weeks after a Metro-North train derailed in the Bronx, the Federal Railroad Administration will begin a rare review of the operations and “safety culture” of the Metro-North Railroad on Monday that will last for 60 days. http://nyti.ms/18G5HVV *Feds launch massive probe into Metro-North derailment

Upgrade likely could have prevented (NYP)lment: NTSB(NYP)

Signals Upgraded for Curve in Track Where Metro-North Crash Occurred(NYT) Operators nearing the area, just north of Spuyten Duyvil station, will be warned of a reduced speed limit, and the train will brake automatically. Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it had upgraded its signal network to warn operators as they approach the sharply curved section of tracks in the Bronx where a Metro-North train derailed last weekend* A federal safety agency says the technology known as positive train control would probably have prevented the Dec. 1 train derailment that killed four people in New York.Metro-North engineer jumps the rails — and gets job back(NYP) After an engineer’s alleged dozing caused a derailment last Sunday that killed four people, a Post investigation found that dangerous train drivers get little more than a slap on the wrist by the agency.

Metro-North Installs Automatic Braking System Near Derailment Site (WSJ)

 _____________________________________
MTA Fare Hikes Slashed

MTA slashing 2015, 2017 fare hikes(NYP)
,Cuomo has vetoed a bill that would require the MTA to account more fully for the impacts of the service cuts it has undertaken since the start of the recession. *





MTA to Brake on Fares(WSJ) * Cuomo vetoed bills that would order the MTA to hold more hearings before raising fares and place public transportation funds in a “lock box” that couldn’t be tapped for other functions, calling the measures unnecessary and restrictive, Newsday writes: http://bit.ly/1gQOv81


Oct. 27, 1904 | New York City Subway System Opens(NYT) 


MTA Fares Washington Cuts

Get on the money train(NYDN Ed)

Take the subway, commuter rail or bus to work? We thought so. Dislike wasting money? You don’t say!
This one’s for you. Hanging in the balance in Washington is a measure that could soon cost thousands of mass transit commuters across New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut a $500 annual tax hike (and the same for other transit riders nationwide). A lot of grocery money will come out of a lot of pocketbooks and wallets starting in just over a month — unless Congress and the President get off their collective duff.  * In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas crunches the numbers on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2014 budget, noting that the MTA’s fire hikes “magically” appear after Cuomo’s 2014 re-election campaign: http://bit.ly/1bTOvhR
On Oct. 24, 5,985,311 subway rides were taken in New York City – the most in recorded history, according to an internal memo prepared by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week.

* The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to use eminent domain to take over the ground floor of an Upper East Side condo building in order to build a Second Ave. subway entrance, the Daily News reports: http://nydn.us/1e3htPg

2/2/2013

Subway ‘shut’ threat(NYP)  It may soon take more than a MetroCard to get into some overcrowded subway stations. The MTA has told community leaders in Midtown Manhattan that it could one day be forced to follow London’s policy of shutting subway entrances for short periods to ensure safety if it can’t secure funding to improve passenger flow at the most congested stations.



1/29/2013

MTA

MTA eyes alarm system to prevent track deaths(NYP)* M.T.A. Cites $1 Billion Cost to Install Gates on Subway Platforms(NYT)* Track Deaths Rare One person was struck by a train for every 11.8 million riders who passed through turnstiles and into the New York City subway system last year, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis*
Alarm bells on platforms?(NYDN)* To Prevent More Deaths, MTA Considers Laser Sensors(Huff Post) * Alleged subway pusher's attorney says she's unstable (NYP)

MTA delays replacement of MetroCard(NYDN)

1/12/2013

With Transit Chairmanship, a Familiar Face Slips Back Onstage(NYT)Fernando Ferrer’s unexpected re-emergence as acting chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority prompted curiosity about second acts in New York public life.

1/4/2013

Every Time the MTA Raises the Fare They Flood the Media With Good Things They Are Doing
M.T.A. to Begin Restoring and Expanding Some Bus Services(NYT) * MTA Is Set to Revive 17 Bus Lines(WSJ) * MTA restoring bus routes cut in 2010(WSJ)



.
.NYC's War on the Middle Class and Poor
Fair and Toll Hikes is Just One Way NY Punished the Poor and Pushes the Middle Class, Business and Jobs Out of the City

Fare and Toll Hikes
No Debate on Effects  

Toll-hike hell for NJ-NY drivers(NYP) Driving from New Jersey to New York is about to get even more expensive, thanks to the cash-sucking Port Authority. 74,000 more New Yorkers fell into poverty last year. *Report: NYC's Middle Class Shrinking Like Kids In A Rick Moranis ...
 

Poll: 47 Percent Of New Yorkers Are Worse Off Financially Than They Were 4 Years Ago(WCBS) * The new jobs New York City is expecting to gain are mostly low-paying and in the service industry.  *Escape from New York A new poll last week showed that more than one of every four New Yorkers is headed for the exits. Detroit lost a quarter of its population between 2000 and 2011; absolutely, it could happen here. (NYP) *  Wall Street Wielding the Ax The trading slump on Wall Street has battered profits and is about to cost some people their jobs.(WSJ) *  NY lost 1.6 million people to other states from 2000 – 2010 (Gannett Albany) *  Study Finds More New Yorkers Leaving State(NYT) * Census Shows New York Exodus(WSJ) * New York's Economic Melt Down, No Clown Affair * Welfare Rolls in New York City Begin to Rise, Belatedly - NYTimes.com * City nixes 3,000 Section 8 vouchers  * City faces middle-class exodus - Crain's New York Business  *City ZIPs zapped by taxes * NY ranks 49 in business tax climate * In 2008 20% of the city's taxes come from the financial community. Today it is down to 15% according to the comptroller.*  Escape from NY II Pensioners fleeing city -  31 percent of NY's pensions, went to addresses outside New York state. (NYP) *New York's high taxes are driving residents to other states(NYP) * State and local taxes highest in New York, lowest in Alaska - Yahoo * Joe Lhota, wartime M.T.A. chairman(Capital)* Port Authority Bridge, Tunnel Tolls Increase * Drivers Grumble Over Increased Tolls For Port Authority Bridges, Tunnels (NY1) * Queens unemployment rate rose in October 8.2%, NYC 9.3%
Recent Taxi Incresase Also New York Taxis to Start Charging Increased Rates - NYTimes.com(Sept)





True News Fortune Teller

Whoopi Goldberg is Not the Only Fortune Telling Who Really Sees the Future.  True News has an excellent ability to predict what will be printed in the papers and blogs


On October 15th True News Says MTA Increase Pounds the Poor and Middle Class

Nobody Cares About Transit Fare, Con Edison Increase Effect On NYC Growing Poor and Middle Class

The CBC could care less how the 74,000 more New Yorkers fell into poverty last year come up with the money to pay for the 21% increase in transit increase they are calling for. The City Council limits their attempts to help the poor to programs like minimum wage and sick pay which are good to keep the troops in line but in realty help few poor and non of the city growing unemployed now close to 10%.

True News Wags the NYP On MTA Fares Changes

Today the NYP Takes Credit for MTA Chair Saving the Discount Fares Because Nicole Gelinas Wrote An Article on October 16th (a day after True News) on How a Fare Increase Would Hurt the Poor
Lhota: “[If] the base fare doesn’t go up, it will have a huge impact on the people who take the monthly pass and use discounted fares. I think we should focus on the middle class.” Sounds like the man’s been reading The Post. After the plans were released last week, Manhattan Institute fellow Nicole Gelinas encouraged the MTA in these pages to pursue a plan giving straphangers the best bang for their buck

.

Other Stores In Newspapers and Blogs True News Has Predicted
True News Wags the Media Tail 


The Post decries the rising cost of transportation workers’ pension and health care programs and blames it as the reason behind a pending fare hike

Paying for TWU pensions(NYP Ed) The NYP says that growing pension costs combine those costs with debt-service spending — responsibility for which traces back to the Pataki years — and the inevitability of fare hikes becomes apparent.
 

 

 

NY Media Leading From Behind

Read the Important News First In True News And Watch the Tweety's Follow Our Lead - Wag the Dogs

1. Yesterday True News Hit Subway Hike

We Need An New Edition of Jacob Riis 1890 Book How the Other Half Lives

Nobody Cares About Transit Fare, Con Edison Increase Effect On NYC Growing Poor



The CBC could care less how the 74,000 more New Yorkers fell into poverty last year come up with the money to pay for the 21% increase in transit increase they are calling for. The City Council limits their attempts to help the poor to programs like minimum wage and sick pay which are good to keep the troops in line but in realty help few poor and non of the city growing unemployed now close to 10%.* More Evidence rich live different reality. Pay lower property tax rate than East NY homeowner. Great @liz_a_harris:

Today's NY Post & DN Hit MTA Subway Boss For Hurting the Middle Class
Tip for transit bosss: Don’t throw city’s middle class under the bus(NYP)
The MTA can keep its decision simple, though, by following a handy maxim: Don’t worry about protecting the $2.25 fare. Instead, protect New York’s middle class.* Keep MetroCard Bonus, Transit Chief Says(NYT) MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, who presented four fare hike proposals on Monday, said he would recommend to the authority’s board to keep the MetroCard discount at least partially intact * MTA Details Fare Increases(WSJ) * MTA Details Upcoming Fare Hike Proposals(NY1) * The News urges the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to only hike the base fare for MetroCards by a quarter and adjust discounts to equalize fares among a broad spectrum of passengers:(NYDN)


MTA Fares Washington Cuts

Get on the money train(NYDN Ed)

Take the subway, commuter rail or bus to work? We thought so. Dislike wasting money? You don’t say!
This one’s for you. Hanging in the balance in Washington is a measure that could soon cost thousands of mass transit commuters across New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut a $500 annual tax hike (and the same for other transit riders nationwide). A lot of grocery money will come out of a lot of pocketbooks and wallets starting in just over a month — unless Congress and the President get off their collective duff.  * In the Post, the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas crunches the numbers on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2014 budget, noting that the MTA’s fire hikes “magically” appear after Cuomo’s 2014 re-election campaign: http://bit.ly/1bTOvhR

We Need An New Edition of Jacob Riis 1890 Book How the Other Half Lives

Nobody Cares About Transit Fare, Con Edison Increase Effect On NYC Growing Poor and Middle Class



The CBC could care less how the 74,000 more New Yorkers fell into poverty last year come up with the money to pay for the 21% increase in transit increase they are calling for. The City Council limits their attempts to help the poor to programs like minimum wage and sick pay which are good to keep the troops in line but in realty help few poor and non of the city growing unemployed now close to 10%.

MTA Chairman: Fare Hike Is Certain(NBC)

MTA Nepotism                                                MTA-exec dad's subway safety lies(NYP) The assistant head of the MTA's signals division, Patrick Sohan, was suspended after getting his unqualified son a job working on subway signals by submitting phony credentials,

 

 

NYP Says Cuomo Next Trick Will to Find An New MTA Chairman Who Can Win Affordable Transit-Union Contracts

  The Times urges Cuomo ("who, incidentally, commutes from Westchester to Albany by car or plane") to take charge of the MTA by finding the best possible person to replace Chairman Jay Walder and supporting new revenue from the city, the state, car drivers and businesse

Gov. Cuomo’s Subway System In New York, millions of commuters a day depend on a governor who calls himself a “car guy.” (NYT Ed) * MTA isn't 'rail' helpful at neediest times(NYDN)  * "sources say PA Director Ward rarely gets to communicate directly with the governor" - Does not Owe Cuomo A Thing (Capital NY) * Cuomo's Econ Councils: Less than a third of members donated to governor's campaign, totaling $183,530. [Ken Lovett / Daily News] *Transit: Silver predicts MTA funding will be part of budget talks next year. [Noah Kazis / Streetsblog]

Albany Favorite Blame Target for Cutbacks MTA Walder Last Straw Was Gov Bush Off

Governor Said to Have Irked Exiting Transit Chief Friends of Jay H. Walder say money troubles and other factors also played a role in his exit from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.Mr. Walder was meeting the governor's staff at the Capitol when Mr. Cuomo walked in. The governor greeted Mr. Walder, then promptly turned his attention to his director of state operations, Howard Glaser, with whom he spoke for several moments before departing, said two people familiar with the meeting. Mr. Cuomo and the man in charge of the biggest mass transit system in the nation did not meet in person again, suggesting a lack of interest by Mr. Cuomo that irked and discouraged Mr. Walder, several officials said. *  MTA Budget Cuts Means Old Subway Cars Staying In Service(WCBS) *  MTA service shut downs could have avoided $10.5M in costs, audit finds(NYP) * Audit Faults M.T.A. on Subway Service Changes(NYT)

Nevermind MTA & Bloomberg On December 3, 2009MTA Boss Says No Fare Hike In 2010 -- Daily Inte Bloomberg before the election on BLOOMBERG: FREE CROSSTOWN BUS SERVICE FOR ALL - NYPOST.com & Bloomberg after the election Bloomberg: Expect Bigger Fare Hikes, More Service Cuts - Gothamist *** You'll pay for their raise Fare raise to pay for MTA higher salaries (NYP Ed) * Bloated MTA spends more but gets less * Salaries and staff at the MTA's capital construction division have ballooned over the past five years.

Subways Fare $4.00 by 2010 While Bloomberg TV Commerical Takes Credit for MTA programs the entire agency is in melt down because of the economic crisis and not long term funding plans NEW TV AD: BETTER TRANSIT NOW *** NYC mayor calls MTA "bloated," proposes changes ‎Aug 3, 2009 *** MTA deal takes all of us for a ride The MTA is billions of dollars short of the funds needed to modernize the system and keep it in good repair. Its latest five-year that is unfunded (CrainNY) Hey Bloomberg who will pay for the MTA? Politicians blast MTA over plans to hike student bus fares *** MTA may fight panel's hefty pay hikes for transit workers *** Fay: Hey MTA - Take your toll and shove it! *** Daly: Clunker dollars should fuel free rides on subway August 15, 2009

Will the MTA Destroy NYC?

Will the MTA Destroy NYC?

During the 60's, 70's and early 80's the symbol of decay driving business and people out of the city was the subway. The delay, broken trains, dirty stations, homeless not to mention the graffiti sent a message that the city downfall was our of control. Now after two decades of an complete makeover that worked, signs are pointing to a return to the subways bad old days. New Yorkers know that the subway are the life blood of the city. They also know like any good doctor that once those veins become deceased the body will soon die. New Yorker have been watching a state government which would drain even the most hopefu, fail to save the MTA from Doomsday Cuts. Now after the state bailout that raised taxi fees and taxes to freelance workers the state last week poured oil on the fire when it grabbed $143 million from the transit agency to fill its own massive budget gaps.

The broken promises did not end with the elected officials Two weeks ago the new MTA chairman Jay Walder told us there would be no fare hike in 2010. Now with the crap Albany put in place just 7 months ago, increasing everything from rental cars to cab fees and adding a payroll tax to save the MTA from doomsday service cuts, we are told they did not raise enough cash. The MTA needs a bailout from its bailout and the MTA looks to slash many bus routes, cut W, Z subway lines. We have not even talk about the fact that the 25 billion capital budget the MTA needs to keep the subway in good condition is unfunded. On May 4th after the failed bailout plan was announced GOV: LET'S DEAL WITH MTA CAPITAL BUDGET LATER * Molinaro on the M.T.A.: 'We're Screwed' , 2nd Avenue Subway Sickness? Will the subways decline again and trigger another mass exodus of the city? This time we not only have to deal with service cuts. We have to deal with a state government and MTA that the public no longer believes is telling the truth Maybe the MTA should hire lucky Leo to raise revenue? Man Makes $45K Yearly on Discarded Betting Slips Clueless Subway Goo Goos Don't Help How in the world can good government group leader and media star Gene Russianoff say the best thing to happen to the MTA was the bailout when we now know the bailout has failed, the 25 billion capital budget is unfunded and the raise in fees and taxes are driving business and the middle class out? Best and Worst in NYC Transit in 2009 , Dilan to MTA: Keep me in the loop, or else , Nicole Gelinas suggests service cuts that hit key state lawmakers' districts.

Nighttime riders in big sit fit 'Space hogs' $lapped on empty subways. Maybe the mayor can loan the foot rests on his private airplane to this tax payer hard worker so he does hit for a third ticket. The NYP attacks Quinn who want to make up the budget shortfall by tapping into the MTA capital budget. It defends the city's billion dollar extension of the number 7 line by saying cuts in building new stops will do the same kind of damage as

maintenance cuts during the 70's lead to poor service. If the MTA melt down continues you can bet the number 7 train and 2nd Avenue extension (mostly know for killing businesses along 2nd ave) will be on the chopping block or subject to cuts in funding which will delay

Bloomberg Improves his MTA Economic Forecasting Abilities Since the campaign billionaire seem to have sharpened his MTA budget forecasting skills, he now see the structural multi years problem with that agency. During the campaign he thought there was enought money to pay fo free crosstown bus service, even with the rejection of his revenue generating but not to popular in the outer boroughs congesting pricing plan. Mayor Proposes Free Crosstown Buses - NYTimes.com Now the campaign is over the Mayor got his economic grove back. On his weekly radio show Bloomberg said "People are screaming about what they do now; wait until they see what happens in March," Bloomberg told WOR's John Gambling, reiterating that this all probably could have been avoided if Albany had seen fit to go along with his congestion pricing plan. We suggested it two years ago," the mayor said. "And I don’t know the MTA would have had all its problems solved, but it would have a lot of money and could have used most of that to get more bus lines, make the subways run faster, make the subways safer." Will the MTA Destroy NYC?

Could the Coming Subway Budget Crash Have Been Stopped?

Broke MTA making money any way it can? A Brooklyn waiter returning home in an empty subway car at 2:30 in the morning was hit for the second time with a $50 fine by cops who said they were told to write tickets. Nighttime riders in big sit fit 'Space hogs' $lapped on empty subways. Maybe the mayor can loan the foot rests on his private airplane to this tax payer hard worker so he does hit for a third ticket. The NYP attacks Quinn who want to make up the budget shortfall by tapping into the MTA capital budget. It defends the city's billion dollar extension of the number 7 line by saying cuts in building new stops will do the same kind of damage as

maintenance cuts during the 70's lead to poor service. If the MTA melt down continues you can bet the number 7 train and 2nd Avenue extension (mostly know for killing businesses along 2nd ave) will be on the chopping block or subject to cuts in funding which will delay there completion. Don't Mug the Subways (NYP Ed)


New MTA Tax Closes Small Businesses
How does the new MTA tax help small businesses? We have over 10% unemployment and massive budget deficits in the MTA, city and state budgets so lawmakers are coming out with ways to raise dollars to pay the bills. The problem with these new taxes is that put small business our of business not to mention that the hurt the change of attracting new business to move here or start up here. And why did Albany have different due dates for the MTA tax it just add more work for everyone MTA payroll tax due date bad timing for Democrats



MTA Spin Cameras After this weekends murders that were not caught on video because of broken cameras the highly paid MTA press office are busy pushing a story about 900 new subway cameras on the way. With a failure rate of 50% for the cameras already installed maybe the MTA would gain a little creditable if they said 450 new cameras on the way? 900 new subway surveillance cameras on the way * Lack of Video Slows Hunt for a Killer in the Subway * About half of New York subway security cameras don't work * Investigators in double subway murder hampered by lack of cameras * No video after subway stabbing highlights MTA issue * MTA Vows To Fix Subway Surveillance Cameras *** Insecurity Cams? About Half in the City Don't Work *** The Phantom Token Booth: MTA Cuts Station Agents * The MTA rejected the WFP's anti-service cuts ads that feature cheeky acronyms like WTF and OMFG to criticize Bloomberg


Subway Destruction
M.T.A. Plans More Rounds of Layoffs by July 4 * MTA plans to pinkslip 750 employees *Train Stopped Safely by ‘Dead-Man Feature’ *Non-stop pest control comes to Grand Central

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

MTA Spins New Programs to Get the Public and Media Mind Off of Serious Service Cuts

MTA Spins New Programs to Get the Public and Media's Mind Off of Serious Service Cuts

MTA spin doctors are working overtime to pump out positive stories before the June 27th bus and subway cuts. The media looking for stories because their own budget crisis has cut the number of writers; has printed every MTA positive spin press release or event. While staying away from stories that ask New Yorkers the effect of the cuts which takes some reporting.

The MTA June 27th Cuts
Able-Ride Users See Services Cut, Now Must Find Alternatives * MTA Workers Protest Service Cuts outside Of MTA * Hundreds of Angry Riders Protest MTA Bus Cut

The MTA Postive Spin Machine
Upstanding room only New buses rely on honor system (NYP) * Fare-beaters face $100 tickets from extra inspectors * MTA, NYPA roll out solar panels at Coney Island station to help reduce fossil (DN) * Smart Cards Coming to City's Subways and Buses WNYC * Bus-Only Lanes Coming to Manhattan's East Side

 Faked Inspections

Transit Officials Unsure Of Scale Of Subway Signal Inspection Fraud (NY1)* As many as 90 percent of subway workers may have faked signal inspection reports.

 

High Line Has Cameras What About Subways?

The Park Is Elevated. Its Crime Rate Is Anything But(NYT) An abundance of cameras are among the factors responsible for the absence of serious crimes at the High Line park in Manhattan since its opening two years ago.

MTA Broken Cameras After this weekends murders in March of 2010 that were not caught on video because of broken cameras.  With a failure rate of 50% for the cameras already installed maybe the MTA would gain a little creditable if they said 450 new cameras on the way? 900 new subway surveillance cameras on the way * Lack of Video Slows Hunt for a Killer in the Subway * About half of New York subway security cameras don't work * Investigators in double subway murder hampered by lack of cameras * No video after subway stabbing highlights MTA issue * MTA Vows To Fix Subway Surveillance Cameras *** Insecurity Cams? About Half in the City Don't Work

 

MTA Adds with Pencil and eraser At first the MTA said they would save 70 millions by cutting out the school bus passes on December 13, 2009 today after Paterson and others have said that the state will make sure the students get their fee bus passes the MTA says It will take $214M to save free student MetroCards: MTA They know there getting the programs funded so they inflate the price. The MTA must thing they are defense contractors. *Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s doomsday cuts may not be as drastic [2nd Avenue Sagas *MTA retools 'Doomsday' budget plan (wabc)* MTA's 175G hire will handle card shuffle oversee the switch from MetroCards to swipeless smart cards * It's Not an M.T.A. App, but It's Close

True News Monday Update

Nevermind MTA & Bloomberg On December 3, 2009MTA Boss Says No Fare Hike In 2010 -- Daily Inte Bloomberg before the election on BLOOMBERG: FREE CROSSTOWN BUS SERVICE FOR ALL - NYPOST.com & Bloomberg after the election Bloomberg: Expect Bigger Fare Hikes, More Service Cuts - Gothamist *** You'll pay for their raise Fare raise to pay for MTA higher salaries (NYP Ed) * Bloated MTA spends more but gets less * Salaries and staff at the MTA's capital construction division have ballooned over the past five years

MTA Poor Management Never Changes

 Going in Circles: Whatever contract they make it is over budgeted and outdated

Subway information network is overbudget, almost done and already obsolete (DN) "Due to technology evolution and other factors, many components in this network are at or nearing their end of life," an MTA document from October says. $76 million overbudget (original budget $370)

No Show MTA Board Members Paterson

MTA bigwigs ignored the little people who pay their salaries(NYDN Ed) Board members skipped fare-hike hearings.  MTA board members Mark Lebow, Andrew Saul and former Gov. David Paterson each attended only a single hearing, with a Paterson aide offering as an excuse that hearing times conflicted with his radio program. Answer: Call in a substitute host or give up one of the gigs. Charles Moerdler, caught recently abusing an MTA parking placard, turned up just twice to hear out people who actually ride the subways. Well known for pomposity, Moerdler blamed — who else? — straphangers for causing him to be a no-show. He declared the hearings to be a waste of time because few people showed up to testify. Gee, wonder why.

.

20 Years After the Start of Metrocards, Why Do We Still Have Sleeping Token Clerks?

MTA agent's sneak-sleep(NYP)

 

 

 

 

Most Subway Stations and Tunnels Still Don't Have Working Online Cameras

Broken lens can't catch tunnel boob A surveillance camera that could have spotted him has been broken for some time now

Thanks Florida State gets $354 million rail boost after other states turn down money(NYDN)

 

 MTA Outlaws Who Will Lead?

Many on track to jail as two MTA workers plead guilty to taking bribes from unqualified work-seekers(NYDN) * Cuomo to form search committee for new MTA head(NYP) * Transit: About 70 days to find a replacement. [Ben Fried / Streetsblog] * Transit: “Strangely, the shortest biography in the official press release belongs to the person who may have the most influence with the governor: Mary Ann Crotty, a close aide to former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo who handled Albany’s transportation policy in the 1980s and 1990s.” [Michael Grynbaum / New York Times]

Albany You Can't Touch the MTA Fund Again

 MTA “lockbox” bill awaiting Cuomo’s signature

Bill to protect MTA funds from gov't raids is good(NYDN)

 

Tell Albany to Stop Stealing Dedicated Funds from the MTA ... *  Albany shortchanges the MTA again « Permanent Citizens Advisory ...*

Feds Concerned Over the Recent High Turnover of MTA Managers

MTA honchos jump tracks Top managers on mega-MTA projects -- who haven't had raises in four years -- are bolting at an alarmingly high rate, leaving crucial positions vacant and prompting concern from federal regulators.(NYP)

 

Nobody Watching MTA Books

City contractors cheats MTA workers out of MILLIONS, files for bankruptcy(NYDN)

Subway Cops Down Crime Up

Subway cops harder to find as crime jumps (NYDN) The MTA has reduced the number cops patrolling subway stations by 10 percent as crime in those locations has increased 18 percen

 

 

 

The MTA is facing “credit strain” on its revenue bonds after the partial elimination of the payroll tax in the tax code deal

2011 Transit Year In Review: MTA Chairman Resigns, Joseph Lhota Steps Up(NY1)* Moody's frowns on tax cut (LOHUD)

 

The New Fat Seat

Transit Agencies Face the New Calculus of Broader Backsides(NYT)

 

 

MTA chief says Bloomberg's dream of extending line 'not going to happen'(NYP)* MTA Chairman Dismisses NY-NJ Subway Over Cost Concerns On Tuesday, MTA Executive Director Joe Lhota cast doubt on whether the subway system could ever conceivably reach New Jersey, saying it would be much more expensive than any current agency project.

 

 

Union Politics And Rising Pension Costs How Will the New MTA Contract Rise the Fare?
Union Politics Ensnarling MTA Talks(WSJ) The MTA and its largest union on Friday held contract talks for the 15th time this year, an unusually slow pace that has prompted criticism of the labor organization's president.

Next fare hikes to fund pension costs, says MTA :: Second Ave. Sagas




MTA Countdown Clocks Mixed Results

We'll Have To Wait Years For More Subway Countdown Clocks(Huff Post)
Bus Time arrives in Bronx by end of month(NYDN) * What really happens when a city makes its transit system free? (the Atlantic)

A very expensive non-transfer (Queens Crap)

From the Daily News:

For years, Metropolitan Transportation Authority construction and planning schedules have pegged November 2012 as the time for the opening of a new underground connection between the Fulton Center subway complex at Broadway in lower Manhattan and the Cortlandt St. station on the eastern edge of the World Trade Center site. Workers are now putting the finishing touches on the passageway, which cost more than $200 million to build. Known as the Dey St. Concourse, the subterranean walkway will feature a wall of giant video screens, some providing travel information, some displaying advertising. The turnstile banks are in place. The bright lights are installed and shining. A ribbon-cutting should not be far away. Yet transit officials now say they plan to keep the Dey St. Concourse padlocked — for several years. The official reason: Few riders will make use of the free transfer. The demand, officials say, will come when the new office towers being built at Ground Zero are completed and occupied, and the Port Authority finishes its permanent — and extravagant — PATH hub. That’s will be in 2015. Maybe. “The small number of people we believe would use the transfer...does not justify the expense of opening, maintaining and policing the passage,” MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg explained.



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MTA Fare Card $

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has netted almost $11 million in added revenue since implementing the $1 fee for plastic MetroCards and expects to print 60 million fewer next year, the Daily News writes

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Subway Trains With Not Doors

No Doors Between Subway Cars? M.T.A. May Consider New Model(NYT)

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Real Issues Not Being Debated and Investigated

Advocacy Group: MTA Fares Could Jump To $3.75 In A Decade 
NYers on track for a $168 MetroCard(NYP)

Press Has Not Challenged Candidates Promising City Takeover of the MTA Which Would Cost Billions
Bloomberg on NYC takeover of MTA Weiner, Quinn & Lhota campaign on: "It is such a nonstarter."

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Dead Run

Signals Upgraded for Curve in Track Where Metro-North Crash Occurred(NYT) Operators nearing the area, just north of Spuyten Duyvil station, will be warned of a reduced speed limit, and the train will brake automatically. Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it had upgraded its signal network to warn operators as they approach the sharply curved section of tracks in the Bronx where a Metro-North train derailed last weekend

Metro-North engineer jumps the rails — and gets job back(NYP) After an engineer’s alleged dozing caused a derailment last Sunday that killed four people, a Post investigation found that dangerous train drivers get little more than a slap on the wrist by the agency.

Saturday

Fed Crackdown on Metro-North

Engineer in Metro-North Crash Is Called Dedicated and Kind(NYT)People who know William Rockefeller, who was at the controls when a Bronx derailment killed four passengers, say they are puzzled by the impression that he is a reckless man.* U.S. Orders Changes at Metro-North After Derailment(NYT) * Ocean of tears for tragic train dad(NYP) * Getting back on track after Metro-North tragedy(NYP Ed) *Metro-North Ordered to Modify Signal System (WSJ) *NY railway has until Tuesday to analyze lines (WSJ) * Railroad Administration orders Metro-North to use 2 engineers(WABC) * Funeral for one of victims of Metro-North derailment(WABC) * Metro-North has until Tuesday to analyze lines

Friday

Blame the MTA for train crash, too(NYP Ed)* Feinstein: Stick to Train Safety Deadlines After New York City Crash (WSJ) * Cuomo To MTA: Take Steps To Make Trains Safer(YNN) *Changes ordered for Metro-North after fatal crash(NYP) * QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Safety is our highest priority, and we must do everything we can to learn from this tragic crash and help prevent future derailments. While we assist the National Transportation Safety Board in carrying out its investigation, this Emergency Order will help ensure that other Metro-North trains travel at appropriate, safe speeds.” – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, commenting on the response to the Metro-North derailment, via The Wall Street Journal. * * The Federal Railroad Administration issued an emergency order to Metro-North Railroad requiring it to improve its signal system following the fatal train crash in the Bronx, The Wall Street Journal reports:

Thursday Update: Warning System on the Wrong End of the Train

Derailed train’s alarms located away from engineer(NYP) *Train Had a Warning System, Just Not in the Operator’s Cab(NYP) * Federal investigators are leaning toward blaming operator error in Sunday’s Metro-North train derailment, with the train engineer’s attorney firmly stating that the incident was not a criminal matter, The Wall Street Journal reports: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that an alerter system had been installed in the locomotive pushing the train that derailed in the Bronx, but not in the front cab where the engineer was positioned at the time of the crash (NYT) * Charges Not a Certainty in Train Derailment(WSJ) * Inside the derailed Metro-North train(NYP) * EXCLUSIVE: Train engineer in deadly Metro-North derailment will undergo evaluation for sleep apnea, which leaves sufferers exhausted when they wake up(NYDN)

 

Editorial in NYT on train derailment highlighting neglect of infrastructure by political system. Tragedy could have been prevented

The Times writes that the Metro-North derailment in the Bronx raises the question on why that train and thousands of commuter trains across the country are not better equipped with automated train control systemsTrain Engineer Was Dazed Before Crash, Lawyer Says(NYT)* Sweat the motorman (NYDN) Zeroing in on the crucial piece of the Metro-North derailment puzzle* 'IN A DAZE': Shocking first words from engineer blame lack of focus for fatal train wreck as NTSB says brakes were working properly and alcohol wasn't a factor(NYDN) * Driver Lapse Cited in Crash(WSJ) * Hudson Line Commuters Get Back On Track (NY1) * The governor also said that the state would explore options for “positive train-control systems,” which automatically slow down trains, in the wake of the Metro-North derailment in the Bronx, Gannett Albany reports

 

82 MPH At the Curve 30 mph Zone

Driver started early morning shift two weeks ago 

#Breaking: @NYGovCuomo announces service to be restored to Hudson line for Wednesday morning.

BREAKING: @MetroNorth engineer was sober, well-rested before crash. http://nydn.us/18YVh7t  Brakes were working, too. Gov. Cuomo: Law Enforcement Should Look Into Operator Of Metro-North Train Wreck (NYDN) * The engineer of the Metro-North train that derailed on Sunday did not appear to be focused moments before the crash, said sources close to the investigation, with one describing him as "almost hypnotized," The New York Times writes: * The MTA is bracing for lawsuits in connection to Sunday's train derailment in the Bronx that killed four people, but the total cost to the agency may be as little as $10 million, Crain's reports: 

Engineer ‘zoned out’ before speeding Metro-North train derailed(NYP) * DNAinfo.com New York on Sunday’s deadly train accident: “Investigators believe the motorman at the controls in the deadly Metro-North Railroad derailment in the Bronx Sunday dozed off for a few fateful moments and woke up too late to stop the speeding train from hurtling off the tracks.”* HELL-RACING 'SPEEDER': Engineer facing probe after NTSB reveals doomed Metro-North train was hurtling down tracks at 82 MPH when it hit 30 MPH curve and brakes weren't fully engaged(NYDN) * Report: Metro-North Operator Fell Asleep Moments Before Deadly Derailment  * On track for grand jury(NYDN Ed)* Engineer on deadly crash: ‘I don’t know. I was in a daze’( NYP) * Crash victim set to file 1st suit(NYP)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not make an appearance at the scene of the Metro-North train derailment in the Bronx, with staffers declining to reveal his whereabouts, though a spokesman called the accident “a state matter,” the New York Post reports  *  Rail curve’s deadly history(NYP) * Gov. Cuomo Expects NTSB Probe Will Find Speed Was Behind Metro North Train Derailment (UPDATED Wit CNN Interview) * 'I’m not a professional firefighter or police officer... nothing I can do': Departing Mayor Bloomberg, out of the public eye all day, visits Metro-North crash victims * CNN’s Chris Cuomo Interviews Governor Andrew Cuomo on New York Train Derailment (VIDEO) *Flying Bodies, Broken Bones and Screams After Cars Leave the Track(NYT) * A Sharp Curve and a Train’s Speed(NYT) * Bloomberg On Absence From Crash Scene: 'What Can I Do? I'm Not A Professional Firefighter' (NY1).*  Federal investigators recover second data recorder at Metro-North crash site. (NY1)

.@MikeBloomberg Spotted Golfing in Bermuda After Train Accident: Report(NYO) * Bill de Blasio Says As Mayor, He Would Have Been At Train Crash Site  * Bloomberg learned of Metro-North derailment while on golf course(NYP)  *Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the train derailment in the Bronx was likely caused by speed and not a product of the tricky turn near the Spuyten Duyvil station, the New York Times reports:* @Newsday: BREAKING: @NTSB says train that derailed in the Bronx was traveling at 82 mph as it approached a 30 mph zone. -@AP  

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