Things did not look good for me when I arrived down on the platform at 7th Ave. in Brooklyn at around 8:40 a.m. yesterday morning. A Q train was pulling in, and I thought I’d hop it to DeKalb and switch to my W. 4th St-bound B.
There was but one catch. This Q [...]

For an unprecedented second time this year, the MTA will soon be revising its budget projections, according to a report in Metro. Earlier this year, the MTA updated its financials to project a $900 million budget deficit. As the markets have crashed since that number was released, the agency will meet again to pour over [...]

The most compelling two seconds of a bus you’ll ever see.
In its ever-increasing quest to wrangle money out of the exposed services of its buses and subways, the MTA earlier this week announced yet another new source of advertising revenue. While the agency isn’t yet slapping product promotions on the names of its stations – [...]

Along with everyone else, the MTA is trying to stave off financial doom. Unlike with Lehman Brothers and the other failed financial institutions, though, the MTA’s fiscal troubles stretch back decades, and the transit agency has been trying to come up with a fix long before Wall St. headed south last month.
For the [...]

Despite some last-minute dire predictions, the MTA managed to see its bond offering last week. While MTA officials warned that the bonds might not sell in a down market, the authority raised $550 million through bond sales. On the flip side, the agency will face higher-than-expected interest rates as they repay the bonds. You win [...]

The MTA may be facing a cash-flow shortage over the next few months.
Earlier this week, amidst a collapsing economy, the MTA issues a $500 million bond request. The cash-strapped transportation agency had hoped to generate cash flow by selling off bonds. This money was destined for high-profile, big-ticket projects such as the Second Ave. Subway. [...]

The MTA’s timing on this one is impeccable. The transit agency has recently issued a $500,000,000 fare-backed bond aimed at providing much-needed money. But, as The Times notes, a bad economy is a tough time to be issuing bonds. With banks on the decline, few large institutions are soaking up the bonds, and the Authority [...]

The MTA is not immune from the nation’s current economic woes. According to a story with alarming consequences in today’s Daily News, the transit agency could be facing a budget crisis when and if its debt payments increase due to rising interest rates.
Pete Donohue has the details:
Skyrocketing interest rates caused by the Wall Street meltdown [...]

During the hullabaloo over the fully-wrapped Shuttle last week, MTA CEO and Executive Director sneaked in an interesting tidbit about the agency’s future advertising plans. According to the MTA head honcho, the agency is seriously considering offering up station sponsorship packages to willing advertisers.
Pete Donohue of The Daily News reported this development late [...]

The outside of an ad-wrapped Shuttle. (Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
Following up on this morning’s news about fully-wrapped subway cars, I’ve gotten my hands on some photographs from today’s press conference. As you can see, one of the 42nd St. Shuttles is now fully wrapped in History Channel advertising.
“We have had tremendous success [...]