MTA votes to approve service cuts

The MTA Board has just voted approve a sweeping package of service cuts that will save the MTA hundreds of millions of dollars while reducing bus and subway service throughout New York City. Only two board members voted against the cuts while the rest criticized Albany for neglecting transit but defended their votes on grounds of necessity. Basically, the authority’s board feels it has no choice but to cut services because the state will no longer support transit in the most transit-dependent city in the nation.

For New Yorkers, this vote means transportation pain this summer. Bus lines will be scaled back or reduced, and subway wait times and crowding will increase. The V and W trains will be eliminated, and the M will operating from Middle Village to Forest Hills via the Chrystie St. Cut and the Sixth Ave. line. The Board has delayed its vote on the Student MetroCard cuts pending the outcome of some heavy lobbying efforts by students and parents. Today is, as many Board members stated this morning, a dark day in the history of transportation in New York City, and with another $350 million deficit on the horizon, the MTA has some even tougher choices ahead.

For more information and resources about the cuts, you can check out my coverage here on Second Ave. Sagas. Earlier this week, I presented some FAQs on the board vote and what it means for New Yorkers in 2010. I also explored the latest iterations of the service cuts which included decisions to rescue some bus lines from the chopping block while saving the M train designation. For more on Student MetroCards, browse through that topic’s archives.