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.
Metro-North
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 inMetro-North
Metro-North Electrical Workers Gear Up for Potential Strike
Rail travelers from three states may need alternate transportation if the first Metro-North strike in 40 years materializes.
Posted inMetro-North
Penn’d In: MTA’s Second Rail Mega-Project Stuck in Mire
Transit agency officials said the plans to connect Metro-North trains to Penn Station will likely face delays of six to nine months — while pointing fingers at a familiar impediment.
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 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 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 inTransportation
The MTA’s Running a Year Late on Its Next 20-Year To-Do List
It’s not just the subways that can run into delays. The MTA’s wishlist for the next two decades — covering everything from new subway cars to eventual subway expansion — likely won’t be made public until the end of the year, officials said Thursday. That would make it more than a year late. Transit advocates […]
Posted inTransportation
Price of MTA Cost-Cutting Consultant Rises
The price tag for a consulting firm charged with saving the MTA money is going up. The MTA board will vote next week on a $3.75 million contract with AlixPartners – a vote delayed in March when the-then $2.3 million restructuring contract met fierce resistance from board members. “That’s a little bit troubling,” said Andrew […]