What do we get out of this? What do we — the 2.3 billion of us who ride the subways — get out of this upcoming fare hike?
That’s the question, isn’t it? Somehow, it’s a lot easier to swallow a fare hike when the increased cost to ride returns some tangible benefits. In December, right before the holidays, the MTA announced a $46-million plan to upgrade service provided that the agency’s finances held steady. In other words, if the tax revenue came in as projected and the fare hike met financial expectations, riders would see some much-needed service upgrades.
Well, good news. With less than a month to go before the new fares go into effect, the MTA is believed to have the funds to ensure their plan. Pete Donohue and the Daily News had more:
It looks like the MTA will be able to afford a $46 million program to upgrade subway and bus service across the city, including more frequent trains on some lines and new bus routes for growing neighborhoods.
The program was adopted last year when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved fare hikes, but officials were unsure if there would be enough money to carry it out. So far, the MTA’s tax revenues are sufficient for transit officials to approve the Service Enhancement Program in a month or so, according to experts and sources.
According to Donohue, since approving the fare hike, the MTA has drawn in an additional $23 million in tax revenues, and their 2008 taxes are right on target.
Putting aside the fact that the MTA has again seemingly discovered more money in their coffers after approving a fare hike, what can the riders expect? Well, riders on the 1, 4 and 6 lines should see decreased wait times during the evening. The B and W trains will run until 11 p.m. instead of 9:30 p.m., and the G train will head to Church Ave. in Brooklyn. The R will run to Queens at all times, and the 3 will become a 24-hour train as well. Increased bus service will shuttle New Yorkers from Red Hook to Manhattan via the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
There’s no word yet on when these changes will take place, but it’s good news with the fare hikes looming just three weeks away.
The old Transit Authority logo courtesy of flickr user AllWaysNY.
7 comments
R train 24/7? wow! I can’t see them doing it.
more 4,5,6 trains… where will the room be made for them to run?
3 train running 24/7 isn’t that great. it means no more 4 train straight to the east side. now you have to wait at utica ave… but if your going to the west side then its great for you cause now u got the 1, 2 and 3 running 24/7 (maybe even express service for at least one of those trains)
there are problems catching the 1 train in the evenings?
what is the point of the G going to church again? is their express service now on the culver line.
24/7 R trains? They announced it, so I assume it wasn’t a put-on.
On the 4/5/6, I think they’re adding just one rush-hour trip. I think they can squeeze that in.
Overall, a 24/7 3 train is a terrific improvement. I assume the 3 will always run express (with the 2 as a late-night local), and that means the 145 and 148 St stations won’t close overnight.
I don’t think they said problems catching the #1 trains at rush hour; just that there’ll now be more of them.
The G is being extended to Church because its usual turning tracks won’t be available during the Culver Viaduct rehab. There won’t be a Culver express while the rehab is going on, because the line is being reduced to two tracks during construction.
A lot of the extra service will be after the rush hour, mainly during the evenings when they don’t usually run at maximum capacity. It’s not much consolation to many rush hour riders but some improvement is better than nothing.
More 1 service outside rush hour is good; I’ve been on crush-loaded 1 trains at 1 am.
More regular service is a plus, no two ways about it. If people can reliably get subway service, they will use it. It shifts the calculus on modal decisions over time. Too many bad waiting experiences, and people are more likely to consider driving or taking cabs.
River Ave. Blues…2nd Ave Sagas…I like!
[…] They had to make sure their finances were in order first. Last week, the MTA revealed that they do indeed have the funds, but they still have yet to announce dates for the service […]