0P-ED
Time to get serious about funding the MTA
BY LARRY PENNER
State Comptroller
Tom DiNapoli’s recent
audit report “MTA
Subway Station Repair
List Is Growing” told us
nothing anyone in the
transit industry did not
already know.
DiNapoli and others
through the years have
issued reports going back
decades on NYC Transit
station shortfalls. The
MTA and NYC Transit
have internally tracked
the state of good repair for
stations and individual
station components for
years.
In 2016, the NYC Citizens
Budget Commission
issued a report which
said, it will take 52 years
or until 2067 when all
468 NYC Transit Subway
Stations reach a state of
good repair. Also in 2016,
Governor Cuomo said,
“New, modern subway
stations across the system
are an essential part of
our efforts to rebuild and
reimagine the MTA for
the 21st century.”
He talks the talk, but
doesn’t walk the walk
when it comes to providing
the additional billions
necessary to reach these
goals.
The MTA’s own 20-
year Needs Assessment
Report is in the process
of being updated. It
will tell you the same
information provided by
this audit.
At the end of the
day, it is a question of
sufficient funding not
only for maintenance but
also upgrades to various
components to bring
each station up to a full
and complete state of
good repair.
DiNapoli bears part
of the blame for “years
of under funding for the
MTA Capital Program
has resulted into a longer
list of needed repairs
in NYC subway stations
and fewer stations in
good condition. When
did he ever introduce
legislation, cast a vote
or lobby any governor to
increase funding during
the past 32 years to
finance MTA NYC Transit
shortcomings as identified
in his MTA audits past
to present?
One challenge facing
the MTA as it develops the
next $40 billion Five-Year
Capital Plan is to come up
with funding.
It is dependent upon
a number of taxes and
fees including Real
Estate Transfer Tax and
Congestion Price Tolling,
which combined equal
$25 billion, plus another
$7 billion in anticipated
Federal Transit
Administration funding.
But this leaves a shortfall
of $8 billion. Neither
the MTA nor any elected
official has yet to identify
the source of funding to
close this $8 billion gap.
The MTA may not
be able to count on all
$15 billion in projected
additional revenue from
congestion pricing. A
downturn in the economy
could also result in less
revenue from the Real
Estate Transfer and
other tax income sources.
The $8 billion shortfall
could easily grow by
billions more.
The real battle is
between reaching a state of
good repair versus system
expansion. I would argue
that it would be better to
place the $6 billion Second
Avenue Subway Phase
2 project on hold. Use
those funds to accelerate
bringing more subway
stations up to a state
of good repair and into
compliance with ADA by
adding elevators.
The MTA must not
initiate any new system
expansion projects until
each operating agency
— NYC Transit bus and
subway, MTA bus, Long
Island Rail Road and
Metro-North Railroad —
have reached a state of
good repair for existing
f leet, stations, elevators,
escalators, signals,
interlockings, track,
power, yards and shops.
This should also include
insuring a majority of
subway and commuter rail
stations are in compliance
with the Americans With
Disabilities (ADA) Act.
Larry Penner is a
transportation historian,
writer and advocate
who previously worked
31 years for the United
States Department of
Transportation Federal
Transit Administration
Region 2 New
York Office.
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