Expert observers and former transit officials say the MTA and the city are using too many “sticks” and not enough “carrots” in their rollout of the pioneering tolling system set to launch next year.
LIRR
Posted inTransit
To Get MTA Back on Track, Albany Has ‘A Plethora of Options’
Transit watchers generally seem to agree that an increase in the state payroll tax could be the best way to avoid a crash when emergency federal aid runs out in 2025, but there are several other roads that could help avoid that fiscal cliff.
Posted inMetro-North
Amtrak Pact Puts MTA’s Penn Station Access Megaproject Back on Schedule
MTA crews will get needed access to Amtrak’s tracks crossing the Hell Gate Bridge, but Amtrak passengers potentially face months of service impacts.
Posted inTransit
Sneak Peak: Rail Riders Charged Rush-Hour Prices Despite Pandemic Discount
Hundreds of thousands of commuter railroad riders unwittingly overpaid for peak fares during the pandemic, MTA data shows — even as cheaper off-peak prices have remained in effect for 20 months. At least 340,000 peak tickets were purchased between April and December of last year, figures that emerged from 2020 Long Island Rail Road ticket […]
Posted inTransportation
Pyramid Scheme: Critics Question Why Transit Spaces are ‘Hostile’ to Humans
The new showpiece entrance to Penn Station that added sparkle to the famously grimy transit hub late last year now has structures resembling ancient wonders of the world. A trio of wooden pyramids was erected atop flat metal security bollards in front of the station’s East End Gateway at Seventh Avenue and 33rd Street — […]
Posted inTransit
MTA Shuffle Puts Construction Vet in Driver’s Seat, Leaves Vacancy at Transit
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to reshape MTA leadership didn’t unfold exactly as he wanted — but he is, for now, installing one of his picks atop the turbulent transit agency. Janno Lieber will serve as acting chairperson and CEO, Cuomo said Thursday, even as he pushes state legislators to split the top jobs. The governor […]
Posted inClimate Change
MTA Touts Tunnel Fixes But Sandy Subway and Rail Repairs Still Have Long Way to Go
When repairs to the F line’s East River tunnel wrapped in late March, the MTA hailed the earlier-than-expected completion of work inside the last of the eight subway tubes damaged by Hurricane Sandy back in 2012. But nearly nine years after the superstorm, dozens of other projects designed to strengthen the transit system against future […]
Posted inTransit
MTA Eyes Commuter Rails as Discount Subways Substitutes With Crowds Expected Back
The MTA is exploring ways to increase the number of passengers at commuter rail stations in Queens, Brooklyn and Bronx neighborhoods that lack easy access to the subway. MTA Chairman Patrick Foye recently said on the “Recalibrating Reality” podcast that the agency is “poised to have [the commuter railroads] do more” as part of a […]
Posted inTransit
‘Tough Guy’ Cuomo’s Hard Reign Over MTA Shaken by Growing Scandals
For ex-transit chief Andy Byford, moving to head London’s transportation system after his two-year stint running New York’s buses and subways marked his own declaration of independence. “I’m now given the space and leeway as a transit professional to do my job,” Byford told THE CITY from London Thursday. “I can do my job for […]
Posted inTransit
New Push to Let Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens Ride Rails for Less
Need to know more about coronavirus in New York? Sign up for THE CITY’s daily morning newsletter. The coronavirus crisis is spurring a renewed push to give riders discounted fares to ride now little-used MTA commuter trains within city limits. The long-running campaign to expand the “Atlantic Ticket” from 10 Long Island Rail Road stations […]