MTA Construction

MTA Capital Construction now less ‘boring’

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 27, 2012

The cutter head of one of the East Side TBMs, shown here in 2011. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

Earlier this week, the MTA made, in the annals of capital construction, a relatively major announcement. On Monday morning at around 7:30 a.m., the final East Side Access TBM came to a stop six feet beneath the LIRR Main Line in Long Island City. The TBM named “Molina” made two runs and will now be scrapped. With its end, for the first time in three years, the MTA has no active tunneling machine boring through the city.

As part of the announcement, MTA officials were celebratory in their statements. And why not? After all, through economic turmoil, delayed schedules and numerous changes at the CEO position, the MTA has managed to complete 16 TBM runs since SELI, the first of the East Side Access TBMs began mining back in September of 2009.

“Sixteen brand new, concrete-lined tunnels now exist under New York City where none did five years ago,” MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota said. “For about sixty years, two generations, the New York transit system was essentially functioning in a status quo, with little action on expansion to meet the needs of a growing region. Today, we are lengthening a subway line, building the first quarter of what will be a new north-south trunk line running the length of Manhattan, and realizing a long-held dream of connecting the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal. The conclusion of tunnel boring reminds us that New Yorkers remain capable of great achievements.”

As the tunnels dug out future train routes, New Yorkers and New Jerseyites will reap the benefits of the rock. Some college dormitory foundations have been constructed with the muck; a golf course has been stabilized; and much of the popular Brooklyn Bridge Park sits atop a foundation of dirt that once was under Manhattan or Queens.

The TBMs though won’t be put to further use in New York City. In its release, the MTA detailed the future of these machines. Adi, the Second Ave. Subway borer, is off to Indianapolis for future work while the two 7 line machines named for Mayor Bloomberg’s daughters have been dismantled. Of the four ESA TBMs, two are being scrapped, one has been dismantled and removed and the fourth has been encased in concrete and buried under Park Ave. at 37th St., a dead end for any sort of southern progress.

It is, of course, great news that the MTA has finished mining. Despite the years of work that still remain, with the tunnels in place, these projects are that more likely to move forward. No politician is too keen on seeing billions of dollars flushed down the drain as preexisting tunnels sit idle and unfinished. So the 7 line will open in less than two years with SAS due to wrap up in 2016 and ESA before the decade is out. It’s a generational change in the transit landscape.

Still, the MTA, with proper support, funding and foresight, could have done more. Adi, in particular, represents a lost opportunity as the MTA had a TBM underneath Second Ave. and removed it before the machine could dig south of 63rd St. or north of 99th. Subsequent phases of the Second Ave. Subway will be more complicated and costly due to the need to build a new launch box and procure and assemble another TBM. It’s redundant spending at its worst.

Yet, we have 13 miles of new tunnel, and that’s an accomplishment. Soon — or at least soon in the lifespan of a great city — we’ll have new train service and more transit options. It’s hard to be too upset by that news.

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MTA Economics

A fragile budget, dependent on the union

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 26, 2012

The MTA's most recent budget projections rely heavily on a net zero wage increase to avoid larger deficits down the road. (via)

A few years ago, the MTA faced a precarious financial situation. Amidst a bad economy with debt payments and pension obligations coming due and healthcare and benefits costs spiking, the agency that powers the transportation backbone of New York City had cut costs, slash services and raise fares to make ends meet. In the intervening years, the MTA has managed to find ways to find savings of nearly $1 billion per year, but as the agency’s long-term budget, unveiled on Thursday, is a bit rosier than it has been, it’s still a budget fraught with problems.

For now, the MTA is cautiously optimistic. As budget documents show, the 2013 Preliminary Budget and July Financial Plan for 2013-2016 contain some good news. With aggressive cost-cutting and a bump in tax revenue, the MTA expects to break even this year and next as its out-year deficits shrink. Still, in the documents presented today, those deficits could still reach $231 million in 2016, and that’s only if all goes according to plan.

“I’m pleased that we will be able to keep the MTA’s budget in balance despite our challenges, but I am concerned about the long-term trend in our expenses,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said. “The MTA’s underlying cost structure is increasing for reasons that are beyond the authority’s control, so we are depending on all stakeholders coming to the table to find ways to address those areas that we can control.”

So what then needs to go according to plan? Who are these stakeholders? First, the MTA believes it must be its own stakeholder. Cost-savings measures will increase to $1.13 billion annually by 2016. Unfortunately, a big part of that equation has led to no raises or wage increases for non-union employees since 2008 (and the subsequent brain drain is a topic for another day). The authority is also relying on the “continued receipt of dedicated taxes as projected,” always a dicey assumption when Albany and its piggy bank raids are involved.

Additionally, the MTA is relying on biennial fare increases in 2013, 2015 and 2017, for starters. With a brighter financial outlook, though, the agency said today it would delay the fare hikes from January to March of each year. Such a move will cost the authority $67 million in 2013 and $69 million in 2015. I’ve questioned the wisdom of such a move, but MTA officials feel it is a positive customer service move.

Finally, we arrive at the key and controversial part of the plan: The MTA will keep its out-year deficits low only through a net-zero increase in labor costs. Without those savings, the deficit in 2014 could top $400 million, and 2016 could dawn with the MTA as much as $530 million in the red. As you might expect, TWU officials, still working on negotiating a contract, were not happy to hear this.

Already claiming that $29 million in service enhancements means the MTA is swimming in enough money to

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MTA Economics

GCT Shake Shack delayed as Zocalo digs in

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 25, 2012

Zocalo in the GCT food court may soon be replaced by a Shake Shack. (Photo by flickr user Crashworks)

In the basement food court of Grand Central Terminal sits a restaurant called Zocalo. Like many of the old guard food business there, it is an overpriced, mediocre spot albeit one that features some decent margaritas and otherwise uninspiring Mexican food. If the MTA had its legal druthers, Zocalo would be long gone, and Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack would be on the way in. That is, at least, what was supposed to happen.

Zocalo, however, has something else in mind, and the restaurant will not go quietly into the night. Already in unlawful possession of the space, owner Robert Shapiro has filed suit against the MTA, Crain’s New York recently reported. Adrianne Pasquarelli had more:

In the case, Zócalo alleges that the “bidding process [for retail space in Grand Central] is corrupted.” The restaurant is also protesting the eviction notice it received in February, and hopes to stay in the space as long as possible…

In January 2011, when the MTA put out a request for proposals, Zócalo submitted a bid to stay where it has been since 1998, but failed to win it. Shortly after, it was announced that Shake Shack, the popular burger and ice cream eatery owned by restaurateur Danny Meyer, was planning to move into Zócalo’s spot. Zócalo has been on a month-to-month lease since last fall.

“Zócalo is desperately pursuing any possible means to remain in possession of space it no longer has the legal right to occupy, contrary to the legal rights of the MTA and Shake Shack,” said an MTA spokesman. He noted that a civil court in a landlord-tenant proceeding already ruled that the Mexican eatery is in unlawful possession of the space, since its lease has expired.

The Zocalo owner claims that Shack Shake operates more locations than permitted under the RFP, and thus, the winning bid is ineligible. This is unlikely to be a particularly convincing argument though as Zocalo fights its eviction.

Meanwhile, as Crain’s notes, the MTA is not only going to have to pay costs to fight this legal battle but is losing money on the rent. Zocalo is paying an annual minimum rent of $336,698 while Shake Shack’s lease starts at $435,000 a year with escalators to $567,000. Meyer’s group will also pay a percentage of gross sales as well. And so Midtown Manhattan and GCT travelers will have to wait a little bit longer for their burgers, fries and custards.

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View from Underground

Customer appreciation and a Herald Square transfer

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 25, 2012

Over the past few years, I’ve written extensively about the MTA’s focus on or lack of customer service. From the frustration we experience over connections that aren’t made because Transit won’t hold local trains as an express pulls in to refund polices that just don’t go that extra mile, the MTA seems to have a love-hate relationship with its customers. It obviously needs them, but it struggles with appreciating them.

Lately, MTA officials have tried to be more customer-friendly. An open-data policy has led to a robust community of app developers; countdown clocks make waiting more bearable; and Joe Lhota spoke extensively about delivering service improvements for the benefit of the MTA’s customers when he announced the so-called “service investments” last week. Still, little things that are easy to correct often make me raise an eyebrow in dismay.

One of those things involve the uptown N, R and Q trains at 34th St. Because of either Transit stubbornness or a need to run too many trains to 49th St., the uptown Q switches from the express tracks to the local south of 42nd St., and the Q will often wait at 34th St. as an uptown local arrives. Sometimes, the conductor will announce which train will be first to leave, but often, riders are left guessing. Some will dash across the platform once they figure out which train is departing; others will wait the 2-3 extra minutes in the serenity of a calmer commute.

It’s an odd little dance, and in a piece on City Room, Matt Flegenheimer profiled the dash between trains. “It’s a gamble that you take,” Michelle Price said to The Times reporter. “Sometimes you win; sometimes you don’t.”

He writes:

Many riders tussle daily with the timeless question: local or express? But for the denizens of the N, R or Q trains, traveling uptown through Midtown, the calculus is a bit more complicated. Every morning, during peak commuting periods, two trains often arrive at about the same time. Sometimes the express leaves first. Sometimes it is the local. Sometimes at least two local trains will depart before a single express does. Sometimes they move together. And virtually every time there is a decision to be made, riders scamper across the platform, groping for a competitive travel advantage even as they are unsure why they have made their choice…

According to the transportation authority, the confusion is caused by a dispatching quirk on the Q train’s route on weekday mornings. Some Q express trains become locals after leaving 34th Street — crossing over and eventually going to Queens — but some do not. If an express is not changing course, it can leave at the same time as a local at 34th Street. If it is, a dispatcher must decide which train leaves first, said Charles Seaton, a spokesman for the authority.

Announcers occasionally inform passengers which train will leave first, though this often happens after the doors of the departing train have begun to close. For a rider, a wrong choice, to say nothing of two or three, can lead to several minutes in initial delays. The amount of time lost can accelerate for passengers with transfers to make at the next stop, Times Square, who may miss their connections. (Since all N, Q and R trains stop at both 34th Street and Times Square, most of the switching at 34th Street is most likely done only because a rider thinks a train will leave first.)

The question, of course, isn’t about a local vs. an express. If the two trains were on separate tracks leaving at the same time, the express would always be the right answer. Rather, it’s about what happens when the express becomes a local and other trains are competing for the same track space. Reaction to The Times’ amusing and overwrought story has ranged from applaus to derision with many folks channeling a popular Twitter feed. Take a gander:

Maybe it’s about all of that, and maybe it’s just about a quirk of life underground. But I also think it’s about customer service. If the drivers know which train is going to leave first, the customers should too. It might lead to a few sprints across the platform, but it will also lead to better informed customers who aren’t left waiting for their train to leave. The stranded straphangers will grow less impatient and may appreciate the added bit of information and that’s extra minutes saved during their commute.

Missed connections are an annoying fact of life underground. That 2 train pulling out as the 4 arrives at Nevins or that 3 speeding away as the 1 gets to 96th Street or that Q sitting there at 34th while the N arrives and then departs…we’ve all been there. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A quirk of a commute could disappear with a little extra communication.

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Subway Advertising

Judge: MTA advertising policy needs readjustment

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 24, 2012

An MTA ban on demeaning advertising has been overturned by a federal judge.

On and off over the past two years, the MTA and Pamela Geller, head of a prominent anti-Islam organization, have squared off over bus ads. Geller wanted to run a series of placards on the outsides of buses that the MTA claimed violated its advertising policies, and although the MTA seeming faced a tall legal order, the agency turned down the ads anyway. Late last week, a federal judge ruled that effort unconstituional and enjoined the MTA from enforcing its advertising policy.

In a way, the outcome of this case preordained. Geller opted to try to buy bus placards because the Second Circuit had previously declared them to be designated public forums and thus subject to strict scrutiny and sweeping free speech protections. In a 35-page opinion [pdf], that’s exactly what District Judge Paul Engelmayer decided on Friday.

“MTA does not offer any justification for selectively allowing demeaning speech to appear on the exterior of its buses, let alone demonstrate that its content-based restriction on transit advertising is narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest, as is necessary to survive strict scrutiny,” he wrote. “Whatever weight might be assigned to the governmental interest in banning demeaning speech on the exterior of New York City buses on an even-handed basis, there is no good reason for protecting some individuals and groups, but not others, from such abuse. MTA’s nodemeaning standard, as currently formulated, is, therefore, inconsistent with the First Amendment.”

The MTA’s problem is one many government and quasi-government agencies face. How do you craft a policy that does not run afoul of the First Amendment when your advertising space spans various public spaces and audiences? The MTA, whose own internal guidelines prohibit ads that demean an individual’s or group’s “race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation,” has not achieved this goal. “It is unavoidably clear that MTA’s nodemeaning standard differentiates based on the content of the proposed ad,” Engelmayer wrote. “Outside of these ‘specified disfavored topics,’ MTA’s standard permits all other demeaning ads.” Such a content-based determination violates the First Amendment.

So what happens next? Does Pam Geller run her ads calling all Muslims uncivilized savages on buses across the city? Not quite. Engelmayer stayed his decision for 30 days, and the MTA is currently assessing its advertising policy and whether or not it wishes to pursue an appeal. Meanwhile, the judge seemed to leave the MTA with something of an opening:

In holding today that MTA’s no-demeaning standard violates the First Amendment, the Court does not impugn in the slightest the motives of MTA and its officials—either those who put the standard into place or those who applied it to the AFDI Ad. Quite the contrary: From the testimony and evidence, it is apparent that, in promulgating and applying the no-demeaning standard, MTA has aspired to hold ads on public buses to a standard of civility. Its goal of preventing ads on city bus exteriors from being used as a medium for abuse and division in this diverse metropolis is entirely laudable. It appears likely that MTA drafted the standard in question with an eye toward the groups it felt most likely to be targeted by demeaning ads, without adequately considering the First Amendment implications under R.A.V. of such a selective prohibition…

Today’s ruling does not disable city authorities from adopting rules that hold ads and commentary on the exteriors of buses to a standard of civility. And in resolving this case on the narrow ground that the no-demeaning standard as currently drafted is impermissibly content-based, the Court pointedly does not reach any of the broader grounds for invalidation urged by AFDI under the First Amendment. Today’s ruling instead leaves—and is intended to leave—MTA the latitude to investigate and experiment with alternative mechanisms for using ad space on the exteriors of city buses productively, profitably, and constitutionally, while ensuring that this space is not used as a tool for disparagement and division.

And so that’s where we leave things. The MTA has been temporarily enjoined for enforcing its policy, and the case moves forward as the authority searches fo a constitutionally permissible standard and procedure.

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AsidesLIRRMetro-North

For MNR and LIRR, an almost-better refund policy

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 23, 2012

When the MTA raised last year, one of the more outrageous money-grabs involved the validity period for Metro-North and LIRR tickets. The MTA shortened the time period for pre-purchased ticket use down to two weeks, instituted a $10-refund fee and generally angered everyone. As part of the service investments set to roll out over the next year, the authority has rolled back some of these more stringent measures, but a key barrier to any refund remains in place.

Beginning September 4, one-way and round-trip tickets will be valid for a period of two months, and the refund period will last the same amount of time. A ten-trip ticket will remain valid for six month, and its refund will be lengthened to six months as well. The $10 prcoessing fee for all refunds, however, will remain in place to help, as the MTA said, “recoup some of the administrative expenses of issuing and mailing checks.”

MTA Chairman Joe Lhota made this out to be a win for customer relations, and it certainly is. “We’re pleased that the cost containment efforts of our commuter railroads, combined with increased ridership, make it possible to broaden our ticket validity and refund policies to further benefit Long Island Rail Road and Metro North customers,” he said in a statement. “This benefit will cost the railroads $6 million, but combined with the expanded service investments announced last week, shows the MTA’s commitment to customer service.”

The truth remains, however, that many railroad tickets cost less than the $10 processing fee. Thus, customer still will not enjoy the benefits of a longer refund period if the economics don’t make sense. It’s an effort to avoid allowing riders whose tickets aren’t punched from cashing it, but $10 seems like a steep price to pay for processing.

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Service Advisories

A Sixth Ave. return for Transit’s FASTRACK

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 23, 2012

The July FASTRACK features a rerouted D train. Click to enlarge.

Updated (10:24 a.m.): According to MTA officials, FASTRACK has become something of a success story. Despite significant press coverage in January when the program made its debut, the overnight shutdowns have proceeded relatively smoothly since then, and officials say FASTRACK preparations made responding to emergencies, such as a water main break near Chambers St., easier and smoother.

Still, the system needs work. Tracks remain dirty, and the amount of debris removed from the system is fairly significant. So on it goes. This week, with the Yankees out of town and the need for late-night service along the Sixth Ave. line reduced, FASTRACK heads to 6th Ave. From 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. each night this week, there will be no service along 6th Ave. between 57th St. and West 4th St. in both directions. Here’s how service will operate instead (Note the change in the D train from the last 6th Ave. FASTRACK):

  • D trains are rerouted and operate in two sections:
    • D trains will operate between 205th Street and 59th Street-Columbus Circle, then via the C line between 59th Street-Columbus Circle and West 4th Street, then via the F line between West 4th Street and 2nd Avenue, the last stop.
    • D trains will operate between Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue and West 4th Street in Manhattan, connecting with the 205th Street section of the D train at West 4th Street and Broadway Lafayette stations..
  • F trains operate via the E line between Roosevelt Avenue and West 4th Street in both directions. For service to Lexington Avenue/63rd Street, Roosevelt Island and 21st Street-Queensbridge, customers should take the Q. Q service will be extended to 21st Street-Queensbridge via the F line after 57th Street-7th Avenue.
  • Manhattan-bound B and M service in Brooklyn and Queens ends at 9:30 p.m. Service in Manhattan is available until 10 p.m.
  • Free Shuttle buses provide connecting service between the Grand Street D station and both the Canal Street N/Q/R/6 and Broadway-Lafayette D/F stations.

This is the last FASTRACK treatment until after Labor Day. So New Yorkers and tourists will have a bit of a reprieve from these service changes. Next year, the program will expand beyond Manhattan’s so-called Central Business District, and the rest of the city will begin to adapt to period diversions and nights without the subway. It’s a very necessary evil.

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Service Advisories

Weekend work impacting 11 subway lines

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 21, 2012

You know the drill…


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, uptown 4 trains run local from Grand Central-42nd Street to 125th Street due to track replacement and maintenance north of 125th Street.


From 10 p.m. Saturday, July 21 to 10 a.m. Sunday, July 22, uptown 4 trains run local from Brooklyn Bridge to Grand Central-42nd Street due to track cable work at switches north of 42nd Street-Grand Central.


From 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 21 and from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 22, there are no 5 trains between Brooklyn Bridge and Bowling Green due to track replacement and maintenance north of 125th Street. Customers should take the 4 instead. 5 trains run local every 20 minutes between Dyre Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge. Note: Overnight, 5 trains run between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street only.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, 6 service operates in two sections due to track replacement and maintenance north of 125th Street:

  • Between Pelham Bay Park and 125th Street
  • Between 125th Street and Brooklyn Bridge


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Manhattan-bound 6 trains run express from Parkchester to 3rd Avenue-138th Street due to ADA work at Hunts Point Avenue station.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Brooklyn-bound A trains run local from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to West 4th Street, then rerouted via the F line to Jay Street-MetroTech due to electrical and substation work at Jay Street-MetroTech.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22, Brooklyn-bound C trains are rerouted via the F from West 4th Street to Jay Street-MetroTech due to electrical and substation work at Jay Street-MetroTech.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22 and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., Monday, July 23, Bronx-bound D trains run express from 36th Street to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center, skipping DeKalb Avenue, due to track maintenance and replacement at DeKalb Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, E trains run local in both directions between Queens Plaza and Roosevelt Avenue due to track maintenance.


From 10 p.m. Friday, July 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Coney Island-bound F trains are rerouted via the M after 36th Street, Queens to 47th-50th Sts in Manhattan due to station work at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street for SAS project.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Coney Island-bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Avenue to Queens Plaza and Jamaica-bound F trains run local from 21st Street-Queensbridge to Roosevelt Avenue due to track maintenance.


From 4 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 22, M service is suspended. Free shuttle buses operate between Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Avenue, making all station stops, due to track panel installation at Wyckoff, Knickerbocker and Central Avenues.


From 10 p.m. Friday, July 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, uptown N trains run express from Canal Street to 34th Street-Herald Square due to the installation of an electronic security system at Herald Square.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Manhattan-bound Q trains are rerouted via the R from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track replacement and maintenance at DeKalb Avenue.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 23, Coney Island-bound Q trains run express from Prospect Park to Sheepshead Bay due to track panel installation south of Kings Highway.


From 10 p.m. to 12 midnight, Friday, July 20 and from 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, July 21 and Sunday July 22, uptown R trains run express from Canal Street to 34th Street-Herald Square due to installation of integrated electronic security system at Herald Square.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., Monday, July 23, there are no R shuttle trains between 59th Street and 36th Street in Brooklyn due to track maintenance and replacement at DeKalb Avenue. Customers should take the N instead. R trains operate between Bay Ridge-95th Street and 59th Street in Brooklyn.

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Fare Hikes

To delay a fare hike or not

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 20, 2012

When MTA head Joe Lhota announced yesterday a $29 million package of service improvements, he also voice his belief that the upcoming 2013 fare hikes will be pushed back by two months. Although the MTA needs the $450 million in annual revenue the fare hikes will bring, Lhota expressed his desire to avoid raising fares until absolutely necessary. “We owe it to the riders to wait to collect until we absolutely need to collect,” he said.

But should the MTA wait? After all, once the fares go up in March, no one will remember or care about the two-month delay. The fares will be higher, and while service improvements will be rolled out over the next 12-15 months, riders will grumble about the increased costs of a subway trip or bus ride. In the short term, it’s an olive branch offering to perennially unhappy riders. In the long term, it will cost the MTA $90 million.

And therein lies the economic rub. That $90 million seems to be a key figure. When The Daily News first reported on the service enhancements earlier this week, Pete Donohue noted that the authority could restore service thanks to a $90 million surplus, and yesterday, as reporters wondered about the remainder of the dollars, the MTA spoke at length about blossoming ridership. These service improvements are due to demand they said.

So it appears to me as though the MTA is using a fare revenue increase along with the promise of more riders to expand transit service while relying on that $90 million surplus to stave off the fare hikes for a few months. One way or another, the numbers add up. So while the MTA gets credit for delaying a fare hike, I’m left wondering if it’s sensible policy.

There’s no doubt, with health care costs and pension obligations high and debt service obligations steep, that the MTA needs the dollars. They also have to present a balanced budget at the end of the year. Why not use the excess money to pay down some costs and then just raise the fares as scheduled? Fare holidays or fare hike delays never really pay off in the long run as by September of next year, the riding public will have mostly forgotten the timing of the fare hikes anyway.

Maybe that’s too technocratic of me and the MTA needs some good will for a few months. Maybe the politicians will appreciate it. Maybe the public will too. It’s a customer-friendly gesture but maybe it’s just worth it to get the fare hike out of the way and the money rolling in.

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MTA Economics

G train, bus routes among $29M in service enhancements

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on July 19, 2012

Facing record ridership, internal cost controls and a slightly sunnier financial outlook, the MTA today announced over $29 million in service enhancements that will go into effect over the next year. Included in this package of improvements — the single largest investment in service in recent years — are a permanent extension of the G train to Church Ave., more frequent commuter rail service during off-peak hours and a sweeping array of new bus lines and restorations of routes lost to the 2010 cuts. Additionally, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced that the 2013 fare hikes will likely be delayed 60 days from January 1 until March 1.

Subway riders, unfortunately, seemed to draw the shorter straw during today’s announcement. The only subway improvement involved a five-stop extension of the G train to Church Ave. that’s currently in place today due to the rehabilitation work on the Culver Viaduct. The loss of service along 4th Ave. in Brooklyn as well as the W and V trains will not be coming back, but more importantly, the MTA has chosen not to revise load guidelines that have led to more crowded trains and slightly longer waits for subway commuters.

According to MTA officials, the decision to focus on buses was one of expediency and efficiency. With dollars thin, buses offer more flexible options for transit-poor areas. Officials also explained that the subway cuts from 2010 had a minimal impact on riders and did not result in ridership losses. Thus, with bus ridership in free fall over the last few years, Transit has focused its efforts on bringing service to underserved neighborhoods and offering connections to new job areas — such as health care centers — that the subway doesn’t easily provide.

For the most part, the new bus routes will connect what MTA officials termed “new areas of residential and commercial growth.” The Bx13, for instance, will head to the Gateway Center Mall, an area currently inaccessible by transit. In Red Hook, where community activists and union officials have lobbied hard for better service, the B57 will now provide a new bus connection to the rest of Brooklyn.

Overall, over 25 bus routes will enjoy service enhancements. For a closer look, check out the MTA information available here. More intriguing to me than the extensions though are a series of new routes Transit has unveiled. These include a new north-south route along the far West Side of Manhattan; a bus from the South Bronx to western Hunts Point; a route in Brooklyn connecting Downtown with Dumbo, Vinegar Hill and the Navy Yard; and Williamsburg/Greenpoint waterfront service. These areas are truly the under-served.

The commuter rail agencies announced similar service expansions as well. Facing record ridership, Metro-North will add 230 additional trains each week, and they will be relaxing load guidelines as well. The LIRR will increase off-peak service to every 30 minutes and will restore late-night trains from the Atlantic Terminal. Not coincidentally, the Barclays Center opening this fall is expected to spur LIRR demand into and out of Brooklyn.

Finally, in a bit of guardedly good news, Lhota announced that the 2013 fare hikes will be delayed by two months. The MTA needs the revenue to cover increasing health care and pension costs as well as its ballooning debt service, but he is willing to wait as long as possible. “We owe it to the riders to wait to collect until we absolutely need to collect,” he said. So we have a reprieve until March 1 and new services that will roll out over the next year. Even as I wish for more subway service, this is nothing to sneeze at indeed.

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