WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 21, 2021 13
A chance to boost the MTA’s vision for the future
BY BY JANNO LIEBER
With the latest infrastructure bill
now under debate in Washington,
we have a once-in-a-generation
chance to invest in the future of
mass transit. This vital legislation,
championed by President Biden,
will help to improve the lives of
millions of people, not just in the
metropolitan region but across the
country.
The $1.2 trillion plan includes
$550 billion for public transit,
bridges and highways, with more
than $10 billion potentially headed
for the MTA. The money would
give our historic 2020-2024 Capital
Program a major boost on top of
OP-ED
the $15 billion in capital funding
congestion pricing is expected to
generate. Until then, we need every
penny we can get from the federal
government to support our ambitious
plans to revitalize the MTA.
Money from the infrastructure
bill is different than the hard-fought
$14 billion in federal COVID-19 relief
funds that Congress allocated
to help the MTA keep the lights on
and the trains running after the
pandemic devastated our finances.
Instead, the infrastructure funds
would be used for just that: longterm
improvements and modernization
projects for the subway, bus
and commuter rail systems.
Delaying action on the bill could
jeopardize long-planned upgrades
that would create new jobs and
advance climate goals, like zeroemissions
buses, new signals on
six subway lines, and accessibility
projects at dozens of stations — not
to mention transformative mega
projects like Second Avenue Subway
Phase 2 and Metro-North Penn
Station Access.
These upgrades are only becoming
more important as customers
return to the system. Already, we’re
back to regularly serving more than
3 million riders a day on just the
subways, and more than 5 million
including buses and the commuter
railroads. The best incentive we
can offer additional riders to come
back and drive these numbers even
higher is a seamless and modern
travel experience, which requires
real investment on the federal level.
Led by Senate Majority Leader
Chuck Schumer, our partners in
Washington have already done so
much to keep mass transit alive
during the pandemic. But now it’s
time to look to the future of mass
transit and its short-term and longterm
importance to the region’s
revival and survival. By passing
the infrastructure bill, Congress
could give the MTA’s indispensable
system new momentum as we carry
millions back to work, school, entertainment
venues and everything
else that New York has to offer.
Janno Lieber is acting MTA chair
and CEO.
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