Excuses. Excuses
The MTA denies almost every issue brought up in the article and offers no solutions, just more excuses.
There are leaders and managers in the MTA who’s job it is to keep the system running. When the applied for these jobs they didn’t say they couldn’t perform their job because there are thousands of cars to maintain, hundreds of miles of track, too many passengers, or the system is open all night (insert other excuse here). If the MTA leadership can’t be honest about the problems and fix them, they should step down and let someone else have a crack at this.
5
Governor Cuomo controls the MTA -- not the mayor or anyone else -- and needs to take full responsibility without equivocation. So Governor Cuomo: Stop stealing from MTA funds to balance the state budget; Stop piling debt onto MTA shoulders that puts bond payments before safety; Stop promising capital dollars and then offering IOUs instead. Stop giving sweetheart deals to the MTA's unions (e.g. TWU) in exchange for their support of your equivocations.
As President Truman said, "The buck stops here." Cuomo should emulate him by taking responsibility for the MTA.
3
There are those who defend the NY system by using age as an excuse in comparison with, for example, the Seoul subway. Well the Tokyo subway system is about as old as the NY system (within a year or two) and it does not experience these lapses.
3
While it sounds great that the NY Metro operates 24/7, the reality is that it probably costs too much money for too little benefit. Put dedicated bus lanes on some streets if you need to, but get people on buses from midnight to 5am.
With the number of people taking the subway at peak periods, it is far better to have a subway that works, than one that operates at all hours.
1
Better bus service at night isn't a terrible idea. But then there'd be those like you saying "it costs too much, why are we running buses at 2AM with 4 riders?"
Also don't suppose for a minute that all lines, and all stations are open 24 hours a day.
One thing often lost on those commenting, who don't use the NYC subways, is that many of the lines have 4 tracks 2 local and 2 express, so skipping stations can work, or only running local can work.
1
Agreed. But keep in mind the open 24 hours excuse is half rubbish. The trains run so slow overnight that there is plenty of tine to get work done.
2
Horrible management combined with an inflexible, expensive unionized workforce is never a good combination. I agree with a previous comment that they should just shut down the system for 3-4 hours every day to do maintenance. It's hard to believe that there is enough ridership at 2am across the entire system to justify the operating costs. I am fortunate enough to walk to and from work, but I do occasionally take the subway during rush hour and find it absolutely horrendous. I don't know how subway commuters maintain their sanity. A decade ago I used to take the subway every day, and the service is much, much worse today....
3
How can one of the wealthiest cities in the world, in the richest county in the world, be allowed to let it's mass transit system slowly collapse? This is as outrageous as it is sad. Shame on you Gov. Cuomo!
5
Yes, it is shame on Andrew Cuomo.
However George Pataki was governor of NY State for 12 years, and he instituted the massive cuts in the MTA budget that lead to many of these failures.
Right, the governors following him, A. Cuomo included, have not fixed the Pataki disaster.
3
If everyone who holds state and local government positions -- AND their immediate family (spouses, children, parents) -- had to ensure the filth, danger and frustration of the subway twice a day, at least 5 days a week, I wonder how long it would take for all the problems to be fixed.
Great reporting. Often times, it's not about raising money, funding shortfalls but about basic, common sense management and basic labor practices. Smart people make systems run well, not fail.
(A quickie for readers: What does MTA have in common with AMTRAK?)
The half-billion $ purloined by Cuomo for the new Tappan Zee Bridge was no favor. But, hey, he was able to enshrine his father's name in a monument that had no meaningful connection to the elder Cuomo. Poor Mario never wanted a crown or a monument. R.I.P.
2
What does the massive Pataki era cuts, which continue, have to do with the new Tappan Zee bridge?
Also the old bridge really was beyond its useful life span. Now the new one should have been built to be able to carry commuter trains in the future, but it wasn't.
1
'If you want to privatize something and destroy it, a standard method is first to defund it, so it doesn’t work anymore, people get upset and accept privatization. This is happening in the schools. They are defunded, so they don’t work well.' - http://noam-chomsky.tumblr.com/post/45417325365/theres-a-very-good-study...
see also about the destruction of the US tram system from 1938 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_streetcar_conspiracy
Despite the exterior bells and whistles added in the past two decades, it's as dismal as it was when I was in high school and took the bus because the trains were just too dirty, too packed and too many gropers and that was 40 years ago. Some things about NYC don't change.
1
This is the future under Donald Trump and the Republicans with their new tax cuts and belief that government is a tool for the wealthiest, to be used openly and generously for their power, acquisitions and control. With private jets and overland vehicles, they don't need subways, trains, commercial airlines or any form of public infrastructure. In fact the worse conditions get, the better for keeping us at home away from Washington and mass protests. The US has not had a meaningful infrastructure program since the interstate highway system when Republicans were actually working to better the nation and conditions for our people. Europe and Asia are light years ahead of us.
1
It is a similar infrastructure problem that we are experiencing with our subway in the D.C. Metro area. We as Americans continue to kick the can down the road. The Republican tax giveaway will make infrastructure problems throughout the U.S. much, much worse.
1
In the interest of fairness to ALL MTA riders, and to increase revenue. it is time to shift the subway fare from the current flat-rate to one based on distance traveled! Modern technology makes that easy! Distance-based fares are used in most of the world's subways, and for the MTA operated MetroNorth trains!
5
This issue with this, Donna, is unfortunately that would disproportionately effect poorer individuals who have to come in from the outer reaches of the city for work. I more prefer the idea of congestion tolling, as those with cars in NYC tend to be the highest earners and the expansion of bus lanes a la London and Shanghai.
3
If you did that you would be penalizing the poorest riders who have long commutes to come to Manhattan from other boroughs to work. This is a very bad idea.
2
But this already occurs elsewhere in the MTA system! Check out how many reverse commuters (mostly poor) travel daily to Westchester to clean homes, work in hospitals and hotels, etc for the wealthy! A train a few miles from Mt. Vernon to Larchmont or White Plains costs much more than the fare for the much longer trip from say Woodlawn to Coney Island!
Our DC Metro has experienced similar problems due to lack on maintenance over many years. In order to "catch up" stations have been shut down for days or weeks so work can be done. A hardship for commuters.
2
One suggestion that doesn't require funding. Close the entire system from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. to permit maintenance without having to work around moving trains. No other major municipal subway system operates 24 hours a day.
7
do you live here? you can't close the system in a 24 hr. city
Ass long as managers average $300,000 a year as you last reported the public will not support greater investment. That’s just politics 101. I favor unions but hat is Crazy. And yes I understand not everyone earns that and more is needed for repairs.
Of course Nothing will be done.
6
The managers are non-union and work under a separate contract.
They can also give themselves raises without the approval of the MTA Board.
The last raise they instituted on themselves added up to an extra $25 million/year. What a waste.
2
Perhaps the paid-mouthpiece Weinstein could offer us taxpayers his phone number so when we are next delayed in the collapsing subway we can call and have him refute our delays and tell us we’re not an hour late but an hour early.
4
Excellent article, as usual. But so many basic things omitted:
Tracks should not have joints. They should be welded. In 1991, the two best schoolbuses (Crown and Gillig) -- whose frame members were welded together, were forced out of the market by Bluebird (British-owned), Thomas (German-owned) and International -- whose lesser frame members are bolted together. The survivors' vehicles have a fraction of the life span of Crowns and Gilligs, and bumpy rides are the norm.
As a regulatory matter, one cannot decide for political or budgetary reasons, to not inspect train cars. 49 CFR 396.11 requires "pre- and post-trip inspections" of all safety features of every vehicle before every shift. So much of the carnage that is the NYCTA subway system is because of a broad regulatory violation that appears to have lasted for years.
Construction of the Second Avenue Line should have begun two decades or so ago, easing capacity on the system as a whole and, more importantly, on the streets above.
You can't squander $4B on an unneeded upgrade of a single PATH station (the WTC station) and expect to have enough money to spend on things one might actually need. Before this upgrade, I could get to the platform from the street in two minutes. Now it takes me 8 minutes to walk through a stadium-sized mall whose stores I cannot afford to shop in. What idiots are making these decisions?
To be continued, with another 1499 characters.
13
You got that right--it's all about "tourism," not safety
1
So what happened to the subway workers who failed to bolt down that spare rail, and act that would have cost next to nothing? Somehow, I think the TWU101 covered for them so they can keep their bloated salaries despite this case study in laziness. How about we let Bechtel or Halliburton come in and take over the maintenance of this system? At least then, we can fire people when they screw up.
6
DC Metro has similar staff issues. Workers are fired for egregious errors and union manages to get them back on the job.
Cuomo should rename it the Mario Cuomo Subway System.
4
Weinstein's head is in the sand and should be replaced ASAP.
2
Well if this is Gov. Cuomo's fault, then Gov. Cuomo should ride the trains daily, for the next 3 months. Yeah he probably doesn't live in NYC. Too bad, make him move there. And he should work the night crew 3 nights a week, too.
2
Ever hear?
“A lack of planning on your part, is not an emergency on my part.”
Sounds right, until you are in the NYC Subways. A lack of planning does become an emergency, first when things break and risk lives, or second, when it is a politician-declared emergency to suspend good business practices and impose draconian disruptions with humongous price tags.
There is long-term neglect, infrastructure in not in a state of good repair (SOG), no reliable and decent service for riders and a up-coming boon to private contractors who contribute heavily to politician’s war chests.
Doesn’t “Rebuilding America” sound like a good tag line for a presidential candidate? In my state, a bridge here, a subway line there…let me bring my track record to bear for you in Idaho! JOBS!
This is a manufactured emergency in more ways than one. Don’t believe the hype!
Before we shovel any more billions into a bottomless pit of mismanagement and pay emergency prices to contractors, we have to find the systemic problems and hold the truly responsible parties accountable.
They arrested signal maintainers for falsifying records and promoted the managers for hitting inspection targets: https://www.villagevoice.com/2012/08/20/mta-employees-indicted-for-faili...
9
I'm a former resident of NYC currently living in Seoul, Korea. A subway ticket costs less than $2 here and some of the trains are unmanned, remotely operated by a computer. The trains arrive as scheduled within a fraction of a second. Its interior is cleaner than my living room. Oh and they provide free WIFI. The Koreans run one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world. We need to learn from them...
17
What's the average age of subway line in Seoul?
Greetings from a southbound C train moving at the pace of a Sunday driver. It's one of those days where you really ponder and internalize the vulgarity of the 'society' we keep here in the US. When you live in one of the wealthiest cities in the world with crumbling infrastructure, rank with mismanagement and the smell of urine. Where the mentally ill and hard on their luck are allowed to suffer on the streets. Where people are extorted and broken for the most routine medical procedures. All while their 'representatives' pat themselves on the back for handing $1.5 trillion back to the people who need it least and the media celebrates the first $100 billionaire. Disgusting, unconscionable, and most of all SHAMEFUL. No wonder millennials are opting for socialism. I'm joining them.
18
The NYC subway needs more money for basic maintenance and upgrades. I suggest a 5% surtax on everyone in the City who earns more than $200,00. That should help provide the needed funds.
2
Part 2 (the last 1499 characters)
You can't complain about garbage on the tracks when some of the City's 8 million rats (and counting) feast on the trash left in plastic garbage bags on the station platforms.
You can't keep up with demand for passenger rail service without a moratorium on building or up-scaling office buildings in Manhattan, and to a lesser degree, in the boroughs.
I offered both NJT and the NYCTA (first through the TCL) to reduce the costs of their paratransit services (Access-A-Ride) -- which I could likely chop 20 to 30% of the costs off, in return for a small percentage of the cost savings.
Stop blaming these problems on labor costs and start blaming them on the decision-makers with no grasp of public transportation reality.
Ned Einstein
8
Politicians know that allocating capital to the unsexy maintenance of the infrastructure doesn’t doesn’t do much to further their highest priority - getting reelected. And government managers know full well they’re extremely unlikely to lose their jobs no matter how bad their decisions.
At best government management is mediocre and at worst terrible. See Amtrak, VA Health Care, healthcare.gov, the Postal Service, Military Spending, Air Traffic Control, Public Housing, Inner City Schools, DC Metro System, and on and on and on.
It's a darn good thing our domestic airlines long-haul trucking aren't run by the government. Our economy would grind to a halt.
7
As a supplier of critical relay components (made here in the USA) is is disheartening to see a picture of a room full of relays that are, as best I can tell, not made by our customer here in the USA. We've spent years improving the quality, effectiveness and durability of the critical signalling relays through process and testing improvements. Our customer has advised us they have never been able to make much headway at supplying their product into the MTA. When I ask why, since there is evidence their product (and what we make for them) is superior, I'm told, "The competition is entrenched.", while they rub thumb against middle and index fingers to let me know what that means. If New Yorkers want their subway fixed in a New York minute, ain't gonna happen with the entrenched politicians or the entrenched regime that creates extra expenses draining resources. It goes top to bottom and back to top again. I'm just an observer out in "fly-over" country, but I can smell the rot from here.
5
one has to remember that bids for parts for anything on the driveway always goes to the lowest bidder.
1
There are many larger issues at hand here, thoroughly outlined in the article, that are of greater concern than the factory which our relays are made. Where are the ones in the picture made?
In any case, it's the signal architecture itself that was designed in the early-mid 1900s that's very difficult to integrate with new digital systems without fully turning down the existing signaling system. Does your factory do that? The mta should be looking for specialists and researchers that can come up with innovative ways to implement CBTC, and it seems like there's a huge lack of motivation on that front.
2
According to our customer, they are replacing and integrating relay and electronic systems on a regular basis, so, no, our factory does not do that, but we supply a customer who does, apparently locked out of the process by failures to invest in not simply the equipment but in gaining understanding of how a transition could work. "It is difficult t get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Sinclair.
So, another failure to invest, but in this case into knowledge and skills to improve. To keep doing it the old way seems cheap - until it gets really, really expensive in other ways. And when you buy on the cheap based on the old ways, old specifications and old boys, with a bit of mutual back slapping and a wink, you almost assuredly end up with inferior product that is not durable or serviceable without lots of maintenance (which is neglected). I agree that it's not just about where the equipment is made, it's about whether there is a system and a culture that intends to supply the best product for the customer. In this case, the "customer" is, directly, the ridership but with them rides the economic vitality of not only a city, but an entire region of the country.
1
Great example of the excellent management provided by some in government. You don't neglect basic maintenance of your personal car or your house, yet these folks let the system go without so many suffer. Time for different management, competent ones.
2
And it is because none of they USE the system.
And I bet upwards of 90 per cent of mechanics never use public transportation. For them it is nothing by a paycheck. That is no way to run a system.
2
matty:
On what basis do you make your claims that MTA employees don't use the NYC subways?
3
I'll be in NYC from the 29th. I spent some time there in April last. As a non-driver from Australia I think the NY City subway is a dream come true. No, I don't have to commute on it and on my first trip the power went off in a packed rush hour car. But you have the essential framework, unlike anywhere except possibly London. Make it work, please...
2
What about the Paris metro system?
2
Welcome to the decline of the American Empire. We are making the same mistakes as the Romans who let their roads crumble. Will humanity ever learn from its past mistakes?
12
Not really - roads in UT, CO, NM, AZ, MT, WY, ID are just great. Blue States have a big welfare expenses to fund.
Services cost money. USERS should pay high enough fees to properly maintain the services they want. Period. (As a user of many such systems, I back that statement 100%).
Whether the NY subway, the USPS, power, water, roads and bridges, etc., what I mostly see is commentary about how someone ELSE, ANYONE ELSE, should be paying for the services people expect government to provide.
Now, I'm not saying waste and corruption should be ignored, and government has far too much of that in some cases. All I'm saying is based on many, many comments I've read in recent months re the NY subway system, riders accepting the higher fees needed to have a truly excellent, clean, safe, reliable, well maintained, growing to meet future demand, etc. system seem to be few and far between.
2
Are users the only people who benefit from systems such as the subway? What about, e.g., drivers? All the people who use the services (such as fire, ambulance, police) who are confined to the roadway, and suffer from congestion that is relieved by the subway?
4
After Mueller is done with Trump, could we get him to investigate who bears responsibility for the sorry state of affairs of our subway system? I would personally enjoy public hearings with current and former politicians, MTA management and board members called to testify. Yes, I know, it would be purely emotional gratification but it would make me feel a little better as I wait 15 minutes for the next #1 to arrive. And who knows, maybe the public humiliation will be incentive for our next generation of leaders to do the right thing.
7
Considering how poor of a job he has done perhaps you need a really competent person to do so. You need to pay a lot more to ride, and that money needs to be applied by ethical and competent people, not political hacks.
1
I truly appreciate the Tennesseean telling New Yorkers how much they should or shouldn't pay for their subway fare. Tax dollars required per capita to maintain roads for drivers is far higher than public transportation, and we straphangers pay taxes for those too.
5
The reduction in maintenance on the subways is a function of overspending on employee wages and benefits, which leaves little money for anything else. It is the same issue with the general deterioration of US infrastructure, that the overly generous wages and benefits paid to public sector union members leaves very little left over for maintenance and improvement of infrastructure. The government officials doleing out these goodies in return for votes don't case becasue it isn't their money they are spending It is only when the situation becomes dire that reality is faced.
12
You are right. Good pay should only be given to those doing important work that thousands depend on, like bankers and finance professionals. Public sector work is overrated and not really needed. I mean. Who really cares if the subways are maintained? LOL!!
4
You did read this part, right?
When the authority hires new maintainers, it often cannot keep them for long. Subway signal maintainers toil in dark, rat-infested tunnels, are often called on to work overtime and are paid far less than what they could earn in the private sector. They earn about $35 an hour; an electrician with similar skills can make $60 an hour elsewhere.
3
Who doesn't like to know that their bridges, trains and roads are being maintained by underskilled, underpaid, and resentful workers? We will all feel so much safer with the money saved.
3
Citing flagging as a problem is prototypical of the internal politics and dysfunction.
Flagging is a skill set that any operating NYCT employee can be qualified on.
You don’t need to be a maintainer in a highly skilled and short-supplied department, like a signal maintainer. Conductors and train operators flag, and there are scads. Cleaners can and do act as flaggers, oodles of them. They are also the least expensive to do the job ($28.18/hr or $42.27/hr overtime rate). http://www.twulocal100.org/sites/twulocal100.org/files/pay_rates_by_titl...
MANAGEMENT must train the employee, assign the work, or offer it on overtime (OT).
The problem: Who is vying to get the lucrative overtime? If the signal maintainers ($35.63/hr) get to reap all the OT as a perk, at $53.45, contractors are limited by availability of signal maintainers on OT. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has a greedily guarded pecking order to farm out OT to various members. Management colludes with the TWU by doling out OT paid in a CONTRACTORS budget to motivate workers to do regular NYCT work, otherwise there is labor unrest on straight time.
SOLUTION: Management trains all available operating titles to flag, a job requirement, maintaining qualification is a condition of employment.
What is written between the lines is a shake-down and the long-term neglect it wrought. The TWU wants more jobs. Workers want to guard OT work. Management wants labor peace.
ALTERNATE SOLUTION: Privatize.
6
Oh yeah. That always works well. Well at least for the executives of the companies getting the contracts. I have seen enough working with contract workers from big companies to know that quality takes a big hit when you bring in private companies.
4
How would privatizing work?
Do you expect skilled labor to work for $15 per hour if things are private?
Got any idea how much skilled construction workers and welders make on private (union) jobs in NYC?
Doesn't sound like it.
One of the reasons for the failures of the subway is that the "tunnels" are badly drained often having been built in open trenches. This is a direct result of private companies building and running the subway system in NYC for the first decades of the 20th century. Over-lapping stations on different lines in downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan are another result of private companies building the subway.
Yes, you are likely correct that management assigns OT to favored workers and contractors, however you've not demonstrated that OT is being assigned to those who are incompetent.
1
First, plumbers, electricians, etc. who need a certain level of expertise and a license are not needed in the subway. As an AUTHORITY, under law, all the work done everywhere in NYC on the subway is NEVER done by employees with those qualifications. (Ever see an inspection sticker on a NYCT vehicle? Like on yours? NO, they are exempt by law, they inspect their own vehicles for safety.) Contract employees wouldn't need to NYC-qulaified to work in the environment either. Don't have to be unionized either (and I am pro-union).
A Cleaner makes $60,000 base pay a year, 5 weeks vacation, 10 holidays, full medical, dental, vision, free transportation 24/7, etc. Don't you think the private sector could get better performance for a much lower rate? At least by half and in efficient operation cut costs to 20-25% to do the same tasks, but better.
Painters make $75,400 base, with all the bennies above.
Can't you paint for half of that? Get it down to 25% for the same tasks?
First, this is NOT a state problem, it is a city problem. Cuomo needs to realize that NYC is not the only part of New York state. There are plenty of blighted towns in upstate NY that are in need of a financial infusion. Secondly, where is the impartial audit? Follow the money trail - show transparency in where the money is actually going in great detail so people can understand how the MTA consistently falls short of money. Thirdly, why, why are the riders safety compromised daily bc of cutting corners? When did we come second? HOW did the MTA suffer from the 2008 housing crisis? I was riding the subway then and there were no shortages of ridership. Was the 2nd Ave subway so critical at the expense of other projects? Is it always Cuomo's agenda that gets pushed? As a life long Dem I would never vote for him. To me he is all smoke and mirrors. We are required by our insurance companies to do preventive care to ourselves and why shouldn't the MTA being doing preventive care to avoid the big expenses? It is astounding that things have gotten this far out of hand.
4
It is a state problem, because the MTA is a state agency.
The failures are directly related to Pataki era cuts that continue today in state MTA funding.
1
So nobody after him corrected them? Or should have corrected them?
NYC's taxes essentially pay for the rest of the state - that is why Cuomo pays so much attention to NYC. I don't think Glen Falls or Tonawanda are exactly paying the bills here.
1
Writing from Kew Gardens / Union Turnpike .... New York City is unlivable without a working subway system. All of the city's opportunities for further growth depend on this system getting much better.
While there is value on the postmortem of how the system got to where it is now, almost everybody cares a lot more about "How are you going to fix it?"
It's at this point that the "answers" drift off toward nonsense. Among the biggest pieces of nonsense is the "idea" (put forward by whom?) to shut down all the subway system in the early AMs "for maintenance."
The MTA has nowhere remotely-near enough workers to work on every line all over every night. Yes, the system might save money by this policy, but it is completely irrelevant to maintenance ... lines can be (and are) taken out of service individually.
Lines taken out of service should automatically get "route-flyer" bus service replacement -- buses that go station to station on the subway route. In the wee hours of the morning these routes won't be too slow; there's not a lot of traffic. (Nor are a lot of people on these routes.)
In the longer run New York City is choking on density and transportation. If the city cannot figure out how to do much better without spending a lot more money then the city will stagnate, people will go elsewhere.
7
Great logic, but most in management don't understand logic, rather they understand corruption.
3
But we need tax cuts for billionaires and corporations! Who cares if none of their employees can get to work....the rich all have chauffeurs, helicopters, and private jets!
3
There is a great lack of trust in the MTA especially since it was proven by The NY Times that they keep two sets of books, one showing a deficit and one showing a surplus. This was in 2003 or 2004. IMHO the work needs to be done but if they are intending to shut down lines for a long period of time then they must give back to the riders. Lower the fare temporarily and then there will be incentive on their part to finish the work on time. Otherwise there is no incentive to finish. I write this as once again there is a service delay on the downtown A train. This happens almost every single day.
2
"There is a great lack of trust in the MTA especially since it was proven by The NY Times that they keep two sets of books, one showing a deficit and one showing a surplus. This was in 2003 or 2004."
Link please.
1
Between the new stop on deductibility for City taxes - which will inevitably erode the city's income tax base, consisting largely of high-taxed bankers, lawyers and corporate types - and the growing cost of union pensions, this problem will only get worse. Much worse.
2
While reading about all the money MTA doesn't have, I couldn't stop thinking about that 5-day or so period some December ago (I think it was 2005 or 2006?) when they had such a huge surplus, all subways and buses were free.
2
The real problem is that most of the tax money to pay for the MTA comes from NYC yet goes to the state which in Albany does not use the MTA.
It would be far better to have the tax money go directly to NYC and have the mayor fully accountable. Then if when there is substandard subway performance we can elect a new mayor.
Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic lost his reelection effort because his administration failed to prepare appropriately for a snowstorm.
Similarly changing subway funding so that the New Yorkers who use the subway can directly hold the mayor accountable will go a long way towards fixing the underlying issues, which are not technical but political.
5
Help is on the way! Soon the CEO of Toronto's Transit Commission will move to New York, to head the Transit Authority. He has done a credible job here, but of course the challenges in NY are on a different scale. I wish him luck.
7
Please let us never forget Pataki's unconstitutional (and unconscionable) raiding/elimination of the special transit fund to finance his property tax cut for his upstate backers. It's been all downhill from then.
2
And Giuliani cut the City's $400 million a year contribution to zero. This continues.
Yes, Pataki's cuts were (are) worse.
3
The system is completely broken and nobody cares. Trying to get home on the B train from midtown to central Brooklyn is a joke. My trip should take about 45 minutes. It took an hour and 40 minutes Monday night and two hours last night. Colleagues who live in central New Jersey get home in less time than it takes me to go 15 miles. And those new countdown clocks don't work - the one at the 7th Ave station always shows the same thing: D Train arriving in 1 minute; E train arriving in 9 minutes. It has been stuck like that since about two weeks after it was installed.
9
We are constantly told that we must have immigrants come to our country because they have skills that nobody here has. This is the perfect example - we need to fire the conniving bankers who run the MTA, and replace them with Railroad Engineers from Japan, France and Switzerland, where they know how to run great passenger rail systems.
That's the kind of immigration we need to strengthen our country.
As for the unemployed bankers, they should be encouraged to emigrate to some country we don't like. North Korea seems like a good fit - a communist country is a great place for useless and corrupt bureaucrats.
4
This is an excellent point. On a relate note, the Dutch defend their land from storm surges, floods, etc, with state of the art gates, dikes, and so forth. Why can't we learn from other people who do things correctly??
Me, I'm still hating my morning walk to the Astoria Blvd station as the 30th Ave station is one of the stations that is being "improved" for almost TEN MONTHS--junk like free WiFi (duh, the N line is entirely above ground in Astoria), "new information screens" (aka captive audience advertising) and other junk, but NO ADA improvements. All for the low low price of $51 million per STATION allegedly.
So far, all it's done is strand the injured, handicapped, and elderly even more than they usually are; NO shuttles or expanded bus service. And the number of times I nearly slipped and killed myself during the recent icy period makes me fearful for anyone less fit, older, or more encumbered during that walk.
MTA bigwigs should be forced to use ONLY public transportation and sneaker power for the entirety of their posts.
19
I found the first article in this series, photographs included, far more interesting than this one. These photographs are boring and only some of the information is detailed enough to be revelatory. Not much here adds to the article on the signal system written by Emma Fitzsimmonsmay (co-author of this one) on May 1. The lack of signal electricians is interesting and detailed but the problems with car maintenance and management structure are not fleshed out deeply. Why is NYT not posting all the MTA documents online?
5
The transit authority must immediately overhaul its core values. Safety of subway riders and workers must be the most valued measure of success, and buy in that all injuries are preventable. Compensation to senior transit authority, if there is any merit or performance bonus structure, must be tied to safety performance. Criminal liability through occupational health and safety is also an option. If the subways cannot be properly maintained, than they will not operate. If required maintenance has not occurred, than routes will be idled until safety is proven.
Scheduled maintenance is a necessity, and cuts are not an option in many industries because it either isn't safe and/or has proven to be cheaper in long term operational costs. Every driver knows what happens to their personal vehicles if they ignore oil changes, brake pads replacements, tires, etc. Another example, oil & gas upgrades & refineries perform scheduled maintenance & shutdowns because catastrophic failure is not an option, and plant insurance providers mandate the upkeep.
The article makes it clear the NY transit authority gives silently consent to conditions for an occasional derailment of a subway as an acceptable tradeoff for money not spent to maintain safe, reliable public transportation.
PS According to a 2013 report, more than 2000 bridges in NY state are structurally deficient. It's not just a subway infrastructure problem in New York City, it's state & national problem.
4
Spending money on bells and whistles (WiFi, countdown clocks, a new state-of-the-art bus here and there, an existing station completely refurbished complete with tile art done by a local artist, etc.) is a lot more 'fun' for various arms of the MTA, and it helps to distract riders from the ugly truths of the system as a whole: a system that is mismanaged, whose core infrastructure is out of date, whose employees often have a sense of entitlement versus a sense of pride in the jobs they were lucky enough to secures, etc.
I like what I've been hearing from that new guy that's supposed to be coming to us from Toronto, and where he's proposing shutting down entire subway lines to fix them once and for all, from top to bottom. As he said, it's going to be painful but then, our commutes are 'already' painful, and that's with them running 24/7. So while what he's proposing may sting a bit more, it's the only way we will be able to see some truly meaningful, impactful improvements.
6
Why go into debt for a tax break when we can use debt to fund infrastructure and transportation improvements? Why benefit corporations when we can help everyone with infrastructure building? If we must go into debt why not pay for stuff like this?
12
Nicholas Balthazar, You are making too much sense. Haven't you learned that if anything makes sense that they will NEVER do it?
3
I guess you're right.
MisSteps:
Why Metrocard? I know original plans called for s really fancy card that could1 ) tell things like if two people with identical cards were on the system at the same time, unnecessary if you stick to tokens, and plans to charge more for rides based on distance, something the system tried once on lines making the longest runs onto the Brooklyn southern peninsula.
The advantage promised commuters were cheaper monthly passes and an easier to police free public school ridership program.
I used to know how many rides I had purchased by the number of tokens in my pocket. Now the system makes money on thousands of lost cards. The zoned fare system put a new burden on people already priced to distant homes,ga discriminatory policy long in place on the LIRR.
A place requiring a 2-hour daily commute generally is cheaper than a place where the ride is 15 minutes long.
Best bet - restore the old token system, add it to the LIRR Use saved electronics repair costs to hire the night work crews, who used to install new precut pieces of rail and weld ‘em, as well as work on signal systems with no shutdowns at all.
Pay for workers with a tax on any business with more than 7 employees, graduated up to those with thousands making less than the cost if raiding a family in a nearby comfortable apartment, and those where the moneyed have 6 figure salaries, supported by cleaners and gofers earning less than $20/hr benefits.
2
Metrocard is 20 years old and at end-of-life and there is no fare zone system in place - $2.75 will get you anywhere in NYC - other non-MTA systems like PATH and AirTrain take Metrocard payments but are additional charges. Metrocard is not causing the problems of today. Also tokens are a maintenance nightmare with turnstiles needing to be emptied and repaired constantly.
6
One real advantage to MetroCards is true free transfers to buses.
2
The MTA problems have a certain similarity to the Transportation Department problems.
In NYC DOT, engineers have been replaced with City Planners who tell engineers to draw up plans based on the planers designs, and sign them. The Transit Authority is, fundamentally an administrator of engineering yet management is, essentially, performed by lawyers and accountants.
Simple solutions are ignored. There is the constant refrain of "antiquated signals." But what is their flaw? They absolutely support Positive Train Control (PTC) that is still not implemented on most American railroads? That, in addition to PTC, it supports bi-directional signaling? It prevents trains from getting too close to a train ahead? It prevents a train from crossing an open switch?
Are the wires old and frayed? Replace them. In fact, cut every cable put fiber optic multiplexers (mux) at each end. Gradually, the track side mux out to the device that it controls. At the tower end, build a parallel electronic control unit that can be tested and "shaken down" before being cut over to replace the labor intensive electro-mechanical relays. Problem solved.
Capacity problem? Robert Wagner increased station length on the IRT (numbered lines) from 4 or 5 cars to 11. Buy some 60' cars to add to current trains and gain a 10% capacity increase.
Solutions that licensed, Professional Engineers would have no problems coming up.
11
"Are the wires old and frayed? Replace them. In fact, cut every cable put fiber optic multiplexers (mux) at each end. Gradually, the track side mux out to the device that it controls. At the tower end, build a parallel electronic control unit that can be tested and "shaken down" before being cut over to replace the labor intensive electro-mechanical relays. Problem solved."
Sounds like a reasonable suggestion.
But do you have any evidence that no one within the MTA ever proposed such a solution 20 years?
I pick 20 years ago, because that's when the massive Pataki era budget cuts started to take effect, and then the MTA piled on debt.
Guess what kinds of suggestions get ignored when managers have to concentrate on simply keeping the system running day to day?
In short, bet such plans, written up, were already in existence 25 years ago at the MTA.
The American way. Ignore it until a) people die or b) some rich guy loses money on it. Then, patch it together until it happens again.
19
This is one reason why so many are wary to support transit. With roads, any problem is easily and transparently identifiable, so the electorate can just as easily force its politicians to act. But with complex institutions like train and subway systems, the electorate just encounters an opaque wall. Until we change our political culture, people will continue to move into suburban townships where control is hyper-local and hyper-subordinate to its electorate.
2
Monopolies have no incentive for upkeep, and politicians are not savvy business operators.
7
I am afraid it is only going to get worse.
Where in our country do we have a modern, clean, efficient, safe and on time public transportation system? Most of us would be happy for just two of these things.
We don't even come close to meeting half the normal standards of most other developed countries. We are a broken nation. On par with 3rd world ones in so many ways. Go to just about any major city in the world and take a look at how things are done. We should be so ashamed.
28
“Peter S. Kalikow, a former M.T.A. chairman, said keeping the subway in good condition required constant vigilance, though that work receives less attention.”
Less attention from whom? He seems more concerned about public relations rather than the necessary due diligence involved in operating this system.
5
Cuomo is responsible for this mess in the subways. The MTA is a state agency, and he has been in office for seven years. He sets the priorities. He wanted WI-FI and brand-new stations for photo ops, instead of investing in basic maintenance to keep the subway trains running. However, he made one miscalculation; he was unable to leave office before his neglect of routine subway maintenance resulted in this mass transit disaster.
97
And let's not forget the ski resorts!
3
To the overwhelming number of riders in the 1970’s, claiming the system was horrible as compared to today, is a myth! Sure, there was graffiti, and perhaps some crime on very few lines, but the trains ran on time, you could converse with your neighbor, without feeling you were on another planet, if you had trouble, people cared, and both females and men dressed more professionally, The women, while I know this is subjective, were a lot prettier! And no tattoos, especially on the women! Remember the tattooed lady in the circus, well the circus has come home! Oy.
8
Admittedly, the MTA is primarily controlled by the state and the governor, but it amazes me how a lot of people really go out of their way to give DeBlasio a total pass. The mayor gets to appoint several members of the governing board of the MTA, thus having significant input. Furthermore, a mayor of NYC has a huge bully pulpit to advocate for improvements and accountability in the entire system.
Unfortunately, NYC has a mayor whose ego bumps up against the even bigger ego in Albany and who thinks that things like looking for offensive statues is more important that really using the power of his office to improve the transit system.
9
De Blasio has appointed some seasoned transit professionals to the MTA board. They have raised a lot of these issues, but the Governor controls the majority.
1
George:
It's only the state that can make up for the huge Pataki era cuts to the MTA's budget.
2
It's not as if the MTA folk are doing nothing. Au contraire, they're posting signs about not putting on makeup when you're riding the subway, and giving pregnant women your seat, and so forth. And these signs are translated into many languages. AND they've added WiFi and electronic clocks to stations in the wealthier areas of NYC. Well and good. Someone is very busy with the little things, but the major safety issues are not being addressed. So before we're killed by fires and crashes, at least we'll have WiFi and the pregnant among us will be sitting down.
16
After living in NYC for over a decade, my wife and I finally relocated this year to Denver, CO. I have to say that the miserable commutes had a lot to do with our decision. Because of rising housing costs, we had to move deeper into Brooklyn, which resulted in longer commutes. What should have been a fairly long but tolerable 45 minute train ride home would routinely tick up to an unforgivable hour and 15 minutes -- we'd get stuck on the bridge for ten minutes almost daily at around 7PM.
New Yorkers: you don't have to endure this. It's OK to move. This is a big country with a lot of great cities. A big world, even. Think about your priorities in life. If you find it just doesn't feel worth it anymore to deal with NYC's poor management, it's *not* a failure on you, it's a failure on your city. You'll still be the same, ambitious professional anywhere else you decide to call home.
77
I love New York City, and I understand the people who refuse to live anywhere else, who tolerate apartments the size of potato chips with princely rents, the miserable subways, the crowding....but it is important to remember that there are many pleasant places to live in the United States. Many of them have better weather, cheaper housing, and better economic opportunities to boot. We even have opera and ballet out here believe it or not!
2
But leaving NY most likely means trading transit, walking and bicycling for a life as a motorist, and many of us don't want to live like that.
Paste 5-10lb weights to your thighs now to simulate the resulting lack of exercise. Factor in the $8,500/year per car cost to your household budget, or more if parking is not free in your new place. Watch your kids become completely dependent on you for mobility, because in most car-dependent places, they can't walk or bike to anything.
I am so grateful that I can commute by ferry. As a subway commuter since the mid-80s, I can't remember the quality of the commute being worse. And I remember some bad times.
7
The subway debacle is a major fail for NY - the state and the city. Without efficient and reliable mass transportation city life is miserable. Cuomo had better hope he turns things around fast if his ambition to the presidency is to be taken seriously.
Kudo NYT's, this reportage is where you excel as our hometown newspaper. Do not take your focus off this story, please!
13
The state of NYC transportation system is why I would not and will not ever take a job in NYC. You couldn't pay me enough to put up with the squalor, the smells, the noise, and the inconvenience. And I know plenty of other people living in Westchester County and the surrounding areas who feel the same way: no thank you.
15
You obviously make enough not to depend on the Westchester Bee-Line Bus system, but I'm sure people who serve you in restaurants, stock the shelves of your grocery store, nurse or clean your bedpans at the hospital or with in-home care, provide medicines at your pharmacy, clean your home, launder your clothes, and take away your garbage do. Those buses are similar to the ones in NYC, and many connect to the subways. But unlike NYC, the Westchester bus system stinks in comparison to NYC's transit system.
Take Bee-Line for a few weeks, and experience: few bus shelters (enjoy standing in oncoming traffic or in a mud pit or in driving rain or sleet); infrequent service outside of traditional commuting hours; a service map that disappears on nights and weekends so you're often stranded. Then tell me Westchester is better.
I know about the Bee-Line. And the lousy service and the way it's set up. But this is about NYC, not Westchester. I wish I didn't have to own a car to get around. Unfortunately I and millions of other Americans have to have cars because funding for public transportation is inadequate as are the systems that exist.
NYC is going further into debt every year. All the money goes to pay the big fat pensions who created the debt problem. For a city that doesn’t know how to manage themselves this is going to be your transportation. I suppose the city had plans that Hillary would be in office and have the parts of this country that can manage themselves pay for your subway. California, New York, Illinois all are piling up the debt. Big lefty states that have the hubris to say they know what’s good for the country but can’t pay their bills. When it all comes crumbling down they will be begging for a bailout.
2
Pensions are not the problem, Jim from Wisconsin. Oh, and NY not only "manages" itself, it pays for some of the...less profitable states. (Not pointing fingers.)
8
Kathleen, aren't the MTA pension liabilities in excess of $7 billion? It is one big part of the funding problem.
"NYC is going further into debt every year."
You really don't follow the point that the subways are a NY State agency do you?
Article shows photo of the chaos caused at a Harlem train station. While constituents couldn't get to work not one single elected official had anything to say about the ongoing issues when it comes to train or bus travel for their constituents. Oh, that's Senator Benjamin, Council Member Perkins and Assembly Member Inez Dickens. When was the last time Dickens road a train?
4
I'm a dedicated Democratic, but I can't fathom that New York reelected a Mayor and Governor that are destroying our mass transit. Of course, the GOP is even worse. Those who live in Staten Island, the borough that voted for Trump, deserve all the mass transit misery you get dished. Federal funding for mass transit is evaporating like dew on a desert morn.
9
"...but I can't fathom that New York reelected a Mayor and Governor that are destroying our mass transit." Easy answer - too many voters, on both sides, vote for a candidate for no other reason than the D or R after their name. They do it and then lament that nothing changes.
4
I live in Manhattan, but almost never use public transportation. I either dive or walk. So, I guess I don't even think about transit issues. I live in Battery Park City. What I see daily is the beautiful Hudson River Park and the nice Brookfield Place. I spend most of my free time in my own neighborhood. I am not saying transit issue don't matter. I am saying guys like me forget they exist until we read the NYT. I live in NYC all year and almost never interact with public transportation. I do pay a few parking tickets for my car and I've been towed twice.
Republicans, Democrats, Chris Christie, Cuomo, Di Blasio, and politicians in general don't care about mass transit, it's always the next guy's problem. Di Blasio says, "It's not my problem, I have term limits, I need a new job in 4 years, and I'm going to Iowa - plus, I've got my limo to Park Slope". Cuomo is all for smoke and mirrors, and Christie will responsible for shutting northern Jersey off from Manhattan when the tunnels have to be take out of commission - but he will be out of office, so it won't be his problem. Trump? Fuhgettaboutit. He has the attention span of a gnat, and the intellect of a flea. Only Bloomberg made an effort to fix and expand the subways (especially after Sandy).
1
Currently reading this article in the midst of an hour long delay at Delancey/Essex & can attest that, atleast from my experience, things have only gotten worse since June, not better
12
The system should no longer run 24/7; it's not feasible if we wish to have a modern, clean, maintained system. And one would hope the insanely bloated salaries of the TA employees could somehow be renegotiated....
7
Except that it strands shift and night workers. The city that never sleeps is not just a nickname. There are people who need public transit all day AND night.
7
This is why corporate taxes are needed more than ever! While the CEOs aren't taking the subway, all their workers and customers are.
38
This is all part of the Reagan/GOP mentality that taxes are unnecessary and a ridiculous burden and we don't need them. So buildings, roads, bridges, transit systems and infrastructure are neglected. Repairs are more expensive than maintenance, people die or are injured and then there are lawsuits, and personal tragedy. But hey some nitwit gets reelected by touting the "all taxes are bad" mantra. And shortsighted people who have no memory vote for them again.
56
Yes, all of that "Reagan/GOP mentality" infects New York's historic Democratic influence, including people like Cuomo and DeBlasio. Are you seriously suggesting that either of those two believe the (false narrative to begin with) "all taxes are bad" mantra"???
2
Hogwash. NYC is blue. NYS is blue. Mayor and Governor are Democrats. Little or no GOP influence whatsoever.
4
"The examination showed that the transit authority’s own flawed policies and practices have led to preventable breakdowns."
and
"one source of the transit authority’s problems was decades of leadership by officials who prioritized flashy projects over basic upkeep of the subway’s infrastructure."
and
"Transit leaders have acknowledged that at least part of the surge in delays this year stemmed from past policy decisions."
In other words the MTA had the money to fix the subway, but they failed to spend it correctly. (I'd love to know what "flashy projects" is a euphemism for.)
And you want to give these incompetent political hacks more of your money?
News flash: holding government accountable doesn't make one a Republican! It's especially important at this time, when people start citing dictatorships such as China and Russia as preferable because they "get things done", that we make sure our Democratic leaders are not allowing corruption and nepotism to undermine their policies, thus weakening the party politically. When you turn a blind eye to blatant mismanagement that can be traced back to Democratic appointees, you help the Trumps of the world gain power.
1
I visit NYC every few years and marvel at the subway system. It, and the commuter trains and buses, are literally the cardiovascular system of the city and region. How city government could make a conscious decision to cut back on the system’s maintenance and improvement is a literal crime in my eyes, not just the usual bureaucratic malfeasance. Tourists come to the city to ride the subway as part of their experience. But real people need it to get to work, school, shopping and doctor appointments. Shame on those who have let this crown fall into disrepair.
29
"How city government could make a conscious decision to cut back on the system’s maintenance and improvement is a literal crime in my eyes..."
It was the state that committed this crime.
2
Easy to look back and figure out what went wrong and when. Problem is our mentality, short term focused and Woo-Hoo to everything. Let's grow up, every 1 hour spent on planning saves 3 on execution. Let's not elevate folks with quick tongues and embellishment skills to hijack our thinking. What is LaGuardia Airport's excuse, same problem there. LaGuardia has the dubious distinction of being worse than most 3rd world countries' airports. It's not the skills, it's not our ability, it's not our finances, it's our thinking!
11
Our airports are abysmal in comparison with most of the other airports of the world.
Simply embarrassing. We should be ashamed. Yes, first impressions count.
Our dysfunction is glaring.
7
It's amaziing that Russia, which is said to be near bankruptcy, affords to keep their subways in a perfect condition while New York,the home of quite a number of billionaires, can't afford even basic upkeep.
80
And instead of funding the infrastructure we just passed a tax cut to put more money into those billionaires pockets.
1
The NYC subway system is a disgrace. I've ridden public transport in London, Hong Kong, Zurich, Paris, Cairo, et. al and hands down NYC's is the dirtiest in addition to the delays, reroutes, etc. MTA get it together.
58
Not to mention Washington, DC's good metro system. It _can_ be done in this country....just not in NYC.
4
Boston's is just as bad. Disgusting filth permeates every part of the system.
The smell is always the worst part.
8
The MTA needs professional railroad engineers running the show, not accountants. That is first thing that needs to be done. Secondly, the State Legislature needs to pass the MoveNY plan that could provide the system with more than a billion dollars a year in new revenue.
After that, the system needs to be rebuilt bit by bit, but not on weekends or overnight. Andy Byford's idea of closing whole portions of a line for work is the only real way to go. Here's how it can work:
Let's rebuild the 4/5/6 line from Bowling Green to Union Square. The line is shut down between those two stations. Above ground, the train's route (B'way/Park Row/Lafayette St/4th Av) is closed to ALL cars, except yellow and green taxis. A free two way busway is created to replace the train. A lane is created for deliveries which would only be allowed outside of the rush hours.
Underground, large crews of workers not only fix up platforms, track, etc., they also install all the needed equipment for computer based train control. Three shifts work 24 hours a day. When that segment is done, the same operation take effect for the next segment, say Union Sq to Grand Central. My guess is within about three or four years, the entire Lexington Ave line could be rebuilt to modern standards.
With plenty of careful planning and lots of public education, such closures could fix what ails the subway system in a fraction of the time we are accustomed.
But most of all it will take political will and courage.
36
The most glaring problem with your otherwise good suggestion is that it lacks needed controls for that billion dollars. The biggest? None of that money, not one cent, should be allowed in any form as raises, bonuses or payments on benefits or pensions, in short nothing that is not actual repair/improvement. There is a dismal history of taking large boosts to the system only to see it eaten up in fatter union contracts, management perks and more layers of bureaucracy.
3
Agree completely. There really should be another step before number one in my original comment- A thorough examination of how contracts are drawn up, work rules, cost estimates, etc. There is simply no reason that work here needs to cost 2x, 3x, 10x as much as it does in other cities around the world.
1
Just curious though - if they shut down the Lex from Bowling Green to Union Square, what do they do with the trains on the remainder of the line? In Brooklyn, the last stop would be Borough Hall, and it is possible that it could actually function as a terminal (although not at current service levels during the rush hours). In Manhattan, however, the nearest place to Union Square that could function as a terminal is Grand Central, and there is no way that it could deal with the service levels of the 4, 5, and 6 trains coming down from the Bronx; so, you'll need to cut back on service uptown, in addition to killing downtown service.
Part of the game of "Shut down line segments for months at a time" is deciding how to deal with the remainder of the service, along with how to cover the missing links.
2
Maybe you New Yorkers just need to give DeBlasio all your earnings. I'm sure he and the unions can spend it more wisely than you folks do.
7
The MTA is not run by NYC. But thank you for you interest and insight.
14
Such a well reasoned, thought out comment Steve. Thanks for contributing to the discussion!
4
Steve W:
So you're another person who doesn't understand that the MTA is a state agency? And that massive cuts, continuing, from the Pataki era are a significant cause of these problems?
DeBlasio mayor, and the mayor has little input into the MTA's day to day running. Also many of these problems started in force during the Bloomberg era.
One thing the city could do is restore the Giuliani cuts to the City contribution to the MTA.
8
And had anyone involved in the decision making spent 5 minutes playing video games, they’d know from SimCity the natural result of cutting the transport budget is your transport infrastructure rapidly crumbling, costing you more to rebuild than you saved in cuts.
5
I have lived recently in Beijing. The subway trains run every three minutes or so. They are spotlessly clean. Routine maintenance is done every night. New lines are constantly under construction.
I was recently in Washington. The trains were old and grubby. There were signs bragging that the escalators now worked 95% of the time--that is, a given escalator was only broken one weekday a month.
And let's not even think about trains. Chinese high speed trains between Beijing and Shanghai, about the same distance as New York to Chicago in 4.5 hours.
Folks, you get what you pay for. We are paying to protect inherited megawealth, not a decent, fully functional society.
146
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/25/opinion/in-china-the-brutality-of-hou...
But, hey, the trains run on time!
2
We are paying for excessively high salaries for MTA personnel which is why there is never enough money for upkeep and improvements. I guarantee that workers of the Chinese rail lines make a fraction of those in NYC, accounting for the overall wage differential.
2
Out of curiosity, can you give an indication of what Chinese riders pay for their excellent service, vs. what US riders in bad systems like Washington and NYC pay?
I ask because the core thing people seem to be arguing about much of the time re infrastructure is really about WHO should pay for it (and of course, most people think it should be the OTHER people -- as though government magically exempts them from paying their share for services they demand).
BTW, let's unlock the doors between cars on the A train, for our safety. Of course, as on any moving train don't pass through. But, you might need the doors open to escape a violent event rather than be trapped in the car. London has subway trains that are fully open the entire length of the train, which gives a sense of openness, but that can create other problems like the absence of noise insulation. Yet, they seem not to have the screech of NYC trains.
6
Wow, this article makes it seem as if Cuomo has no responsibility for any of this mess.
And it chalks it up to 50% “bad luck” in the end.
Typical — The Times does a poor job of holding the powerful accountable.
45
Well, the Times is busy selling Andrew Cuomo as a serious contender for the Democrats' presidential nomination in 2020. He's as terrible a candidate as H. Clinton.
So of course the Times isn't going to highlight A. Cuomo's many MTA failings.
8
I was just about to write that the NY press should provide monthly, detailed updates on the state of the MTA--beginning now and in the future. However, your comment, Thomas D., rings true to the the extent the NYT (among others) don't have the stomach to challenge those in power. It is left to the army of Tweeters stuck underground to push for accountability. (of course between stations no signal is available!)
4
How about an in depth report on how much of the MTA budget actually goes to infrastructure as opposed to bloated administrative salaries and union-rigged labor costs and pensions? It's the worst kept secret in the City that the MTA's compensation and spending structure is one big union giveaway, and has been since Tammany Hall.
It's not a revenue problem; it's a spending problem. Look at the salaries, overtime roulette and pension spiking that have been rampant for decades at the MTA, LIRR, Metro-North etc. and work backwards from there. When the LIRR conductor is banging out $250k with a nice convenient disability pension at the end, the math won't work no matter how much revenue you put into the system.
Break that out first and THEN we can start playing the violin about revenue shortages.
57
So another person who thinks that workers aren't to be paid decently, that they should live near poverty in a very expensive area of the US to live in.
Keep posting.
4
No one is saying workers should not be paid adequately or near poverty. Why is it that no one can make a point about compensation structure without being accused of trying to pick the pockets of workers? In the article, the maintenance workers are paid barely half as much as they would make in the private sector. So maybe it's the MTA that has the problem with paying the workers who actually work decently. My husband worked for the MTA twice as a consultant, and they have consultants in the office paid 6 figures a year and some have been there for 5 years or more without accomplishing anything significant.
What you should be asking is why the people doing the heavy lifting are paid so little in comparison to people in the office who spend half their days in meetings?
12
Paid decently? Sure.
Living wage? I'm all for it.
A train conductor or a station agent making $200k a year? 25% of the entire MTA making over $100k when most jobs require a high school diploma? Ridiculous.
https://www.empirecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mta-top50-2016.pdf
Defined benefit pensions with Cadillac benefits for life that is ripe for malfeasance with overtime and other shenanigans? Unsustainable and criminal.
https://nypost.com/2015/07/16/heres-why-your-subway-fare-keeps-going-up/
Replace MTA with BART and it's the same problem out here. They all claim poverty and say they need more funding for infrastructure - until you realize the janitor at the Powell St station made $225k last year because they miraculously worked 12 hours a day for 365 days, per the overtime logs.
I think we should be willing to discuss additional revenue solutions only after a top-down review of the bloat in the labor costs is addressed.
2
Last summer on a Sunday I was at 34th st waiting for a train forever, no signs, no maps, I find out three lines had been closed, no notifications anywhere, an Asian man said to me as the train finally arrived that our subway system is like Hong Kong in the 60's.
I'm also from London where everyone I know complains about the underground because the Brits love to complain. I remember as a child in the fifties electronic signs on ALL platforms telling you what trains are coming next. Clean, with maps all over the carriage. I do understand that NY has a 24 hour system but for the sake of the passengers shouldn't that stop momentarily so repairs could be done? Put prices up if there's no money during the rush hours, have the people in charge go to London, Singapore, Tokyo to see how it's done. Enough moaning, yes I'm a Brit, I have a train to catch.
17
I don't believe your 34th street story. Line closures are noted. Also if you live in Manhattan as you claim, and you don't know that subway service changes radically over weekends, you've not been paying any attention.
2
34th St/Penn Station is the worst in terms of signage and clarity.
Johanna:
You'll note the OP said nothing about Penn Station.
While barring a region wide black out, trains will be running at Penn Station.
Leaving, for Manhattan, 33rd street on the Lex line, which is a local stop, and certainly could be skipped for a Sunday. However that skipping would be posted.
Here are a few of the elephants in the subway cars that no one wants to address.
-There is absolutely no account taken of what new apartment construction will do to existing neighborhood transit infrastructure. Not for Cars, not for buses, not for trains. No planning at all, just someone pocketing money from zoning variance fees. Corrupt real estate practice is exacerbating mass transit issues.
-Congestion pricing for cars with a revenue stream to public transit should have been instituted long ago.
- More people live in the city. More people have longer commutes due to the inability to afford to live where you work. Again. No planning. No planning. No planning. Commuters are exhausted.
-Hey corruption, how you doing? Take the politics out of mass transit. The job should not be a political appointment.
-Commuters don't want improvements to 'swipe technology'. They want simple competence.
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Congestion pricing, besides the big brother aspects, is elitist. No wonder Bloomberg favored it.
Correct, huge developments get built with little subway improvements.
1
You are right. Every day I look at the huge towers in Long Island City that weren't there 10, or even 5 years ago, and think how many thousands of people that added to the existing mass transit.
1
How is supporting mass transit through congestion pricing elitist? Private cars driving around areas of the city during high peak congestion times should pay for the privilege of clogging the roads.
I think this is a record for a story about MTA deficiencies; in the pictures throughout, we actually see someone (one person!) in the process of fixing something! We can overlook the repair shop photo of 5 individuals gawking (with one holding his hands on his head).
There is certainly a lot of blame to go around, but I do wish the Times would spend less time focused on budget shortfalls and more time on the reason the budget is so bloated in the first place...
7
"bloated"? Examples?
1
The bookkeepers won out over the safety advocates. Saving money never cost so much. Evidently, human life is worth less underground? Ask commuters.
6
The NYC subway and the MTA is a disgrace. An anecdote: a couple of years ago, workers patched up the stairwell in my station in Brooklyn. I was amazed at how shoddy and messy was their work product. I can’t believe the MTA accepts this low level of standards. This entire organization needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
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I understand all the puts/takes comments on Tokyo, DC, London, Moscow...
But - you don't have to travel thousands of miles to see another system, to compare...
When in NYC, just look at the contrast in maintenance/upkeep between the ground floor of Macy's Herald Square store, and any subway mezzanine...
Or any private-sector building lobby, or privately-maintained half-avenue pass thru...
Even more proximate, just compare Grand Central station to any subway station...
Last, compare several numbers for the MTA - how much was spent in 2016 on...
> New lines and stations
> New rolling stock
> Current/future pension obligations, people earning more than $200K/year who aren't one of the top fifty MTA executives, and overtime above 1.3X baseline salary
> Maintenance/upkeep - including provision for new signalling, informative platform signage, lighting, and ceiling/beam refurbishing
The spending is in exact reverse order of passenger needs - but in precise order for political patronage needs...
Ending on a high note - there is one place where NYC gets great value for mass transit dollars...The (plain old painted) signage for the bus system is concise, precise, and informative...Overall - very well done...
Ending on a low note - why isn't subway-schedule integrity enshrined in our NYS constitution, the way public-sector pension integrity is...
4
Sorry, $200,000 per year is just decent pay in the NYC region--it's no longer 20 years ago.
Also: Macy's aren't they nearly out of business? (And one of the reasons Macy's NYC can look so clean is paying people near poverty wages, even those represented by a union.)
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Yah, one may debate the merit of certain salaries, but pretending that $200,000/year in salary is "just decent pay" is rather out of touch with reality.
2
"...The median household income across New York City stands at $50,711, according to 2010-2012 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. That's down from $54,057 in inflation-adjusted dollars for the 2007-2009 period...
Do you - by any chance - live in rent-stabilized housing?
In the 1970s riders did not have to deal with the filth and the stench that riders today endure. Urine smell every where. The homeless live on the E train.
14
There was plenty urine on subway platforms in the 1970s, and early 1980s, you have no idea of what you're writing.
Now, homeless wasn't as much of a problem, because a greater percent of those employed full time had jobs with a living wage in 1978. Not today.
4
There's a pathetic theme in watching Mr. Weinstein, previously a TV news reporter, repeatedly deploy deflective and defensive language - in the service of his conniving boss in Albany - to journalistic peers who clearly are much better at their jobs than he is at his
2
I was a signal maintainers in the late 1970's. The system was based on 1930's technology but it worked just fine. Good design and good equipment require maintenance and replacements and repairs as do all mechanical devices. The problem then, as is most likely the case now, is that the folks in upper management are political appointees who know nothing about the super complex 3 railroad system ( IND, IRT, BMT ) that are the NYC subways. The system is an engineering marvel and running it as a "paper railroad" instead of an organized ongoing maintenance, repair and renewal system is the cause. Get the academics, the politicians and the armchair geniuses out of the way and let the railroad people do what the do best.
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Right, and I more than suspect that some time about 2010 they, MTA management, went over to a entirely computer based parts/refurb/maintenance system.
Whereas in your day, and through the 1990s, people doing repairs and sending signals out to be rebuilt, used 40 year old parts lists, lists of equivalents, and trusted suppliers of "new" rebuilt parts.
You can likely confirm something like this for the 1970s. But I speculate that things have moved over to a system that "if it's not on the computer list, we can't do it and can't order the maintenance". This kind of thing get worse as experienced employees ,who could read old paper manuals, leave, trusted suppliers get many fewer orders so don't maintain MTA accounts/processes. But the MTA saves money since now it's a $17.00 an hour clerk with a year on the job placing orders for repairs, while in the past it was experienced workers who had intimate knowledge of parts, failures, literature, and trusted suppliers.
2
" Get the academics out of the way..........." Ron is right. Take a first class foremen who has 20+ years experience in the Subway and put him with his team to manage maintenance. Get agreement with the union for smooth oversite and let people with mechanical skills do their job. The college boys are only a nuisance here .
Most important, give authority to foreman to close a track for short periods , in order to complete a fix.
4
As someone who just moved from Toronto four months ago, I was surprised to read that Andy Byford has been picked to head the MTA. The TTC subway stations are much cleaner and more modern than the MTA ones, but the TTC is plagued by persistent problems that Byford was never able to solve. These include overcrowding, delays, bad investments like paying a huge sum to Bombardier for streetcars that never arrived. In 2016, a quarter of trains on one of the two main subway lines had no air conditioning in the summer. I could go on but you get the idea. There were positives too: the quality of customer service improved. If we're depending on Byford to solve the mess the MTA is in right now, we will be sorely disappointed. He can only do so much and, given what I saw in Toronto, that may not be enough for NY.
24
I live near Washington, D.C. and I think D.C. Metro is worse. At least NYC has trains that run on time. There is constant delays in the D.C. metro and if you miss one train, you'll be waiting 30 minutes for the next one. Also, I'm not sure if safety is a priority for D.C. metro as the rails are very old and rusted and the trains haven't been replaced in a while, besides a few new cars if you're lucky to catch one. The escalators and elevators are always out of order. So much for mass transit for our nation's capital
6
Visit Boston and ride our MBTA. You may appreciate what you've got, seriously.
1
Great article, but lets not kid ourselves here. Nothing will change until there's an accident that will result in many peoples lives being taken. The MTA is an corrupt system just like every other corporation out there.
2
While business in general is not pure in heart or deed, I just don't buy the "every other corporation out there" mantra.
The problem with the MTA is not that it functions like most corporations but that it does not do so. The primary reason for that is politics, and the often ham handed interference by glory seeking pols like Cuomo and his ilk. They really don't care that much at all about your morning commute or how filthy the cars are - hey, he and Bill DeBlasio sure won't be shoulder their way into one of them - but they do care about how it seems. WiFI is "a necessity" (like people really can't survive 10 minutes without being on line) but maintaining aging subway cars is easy to defer. A shiny, way to expensive "modern" station is far more important - and a great photo op - than doing something about every other station caked in filth with gross leak stains from ceilings and walls. And the press aids in that by focusing on these cool new hubs and stuff that boosts political egos.
A real cooperation will go out of business if they were run as the MTA is. Their overly generous salaries and union contracts would have made them shut the doors years ago as customers flee and their accounts bleed red ink. Until all of this changes, the MTA will continue to be a mill stone around the necks of the taxpayers and riders.
7
George:
The MTA, unlike Microsoft, is not in business to make a profit.
Also remember how much of a disaster the Windows and MS DOS OSes were for 20 years? Clearly you don't.
Many corporations exist to sell needless garbage that fails.
The reason commutes are miserable is because the MTA is under the misimpression that it's in the business of repairing tracks, maintaining signals, and fixing trains rather than its actual business: moving human beings from one destination to another.
Its basic philosophy - that maintenance and safety simply MJST come at the expense of customer convenience - has to go. And there's a very simple solution actually.
We all understand the subway is a disaster and will be for years to come, that trains will breakdown, that signals will go awry, etc. etc. MTA, if you're reading this, BUILD AN APP! Make it Waze-like in that it instantly and in real-time re-routes customers around all the various subway problems because all anyone who's using the system cares about is "how do I get where I need to go right now" and nothing else.
The MTA has all the data. It knows how big its stations are so can estimate walking time through a station. It knows - kind of - where its trains and buses are so it can estimate how long it might take a customer to transfer.
We don't need gibberish announcements or incomprehensible signage; we need to be able to glance at our phones be told how to get where we're going given the current state of system in the very moment we're actually using it.
In the big scheme of things, it's a minor expense to gather all the necessary data and build an app, but a massive transformation in customer convenience and one which could happen in months rather than decades.
7
.....Except that for many of us, there is only one subway line we can take on our commutes.
9
How much money did the city spend or pass up, to give subsidized housing to preferred political clients who were already receiving a variety of subsidies, while it starved mass transit used by actual taxpayers?
10
What does the City budget have to do with the MTA?
More explicitly: What part of "the MTA is a state agency" do you not apprehend?
1
Brilliant article highlighting results of chronic under funding, short-termism and focus on flashy stunts.
Every engineer knows that 1$ spend on preventive maintenance today will save 5$ in the future. Obviously, the technical experts haven't been involved in the decision-making for a very long time.
Now customers and taxpayers must pay the price! There's a lesson to be learned here, but which politician wants to listen?
22
But this reporting doesn't explain why the rail at/near 125th street on the A line wasn' t bolted down for storage between the tracks. That's how such extra rails are supposed to be stored on the tracks.
Is it a case of a track workers simply "forgetting" to follow procedures? Or is it more likely that management pressured track workers to work faster and skip such basic safety steps?
Also a little background on 26 year old "car inspectors" is in order. I realize the guy left the employ of the MTA, but I think this "reporting" needs to make clear what qualified him for that job at a reasonably young age? Did he have an undergrad degree in engineering from a real engineering school? (The fact that he's now a pilot in the army suggests yes.) What was his training prior to being a subway car inspector and what does that job entail? Is it simply looking for/at dirty cars, or does it mean checking break lines, and the conditions of wheels and bearing and electrical connections?
So yes, it's good to read that the Times has finally noticed that basic subway maintenance has been significantly cut, but that was obvious 5 years ago.
Better is the acknowledgement that some of track/signal work requires subtly and experience with the equipment. But this article and the longer "serious" one of a month ago don't make up for the decades of "gee whiz aren't the redone stations shiny" articles in the Times.
19
Are you really blaming The Times for the subway mess because they weren't doing enough investigative journalism on the management!?
Steve:
"Are you really blaming The Times for the subway mess because they weren't doing enough investigative journalism on the management!?"
Basically, yes, it's more that for the last 25 years the NY Times' NYC reporting has been getting worse and worse.
Often what substitutes for NYC "reporting" in the Times is real estate and restaurant reporting--this is outside of the Real Estate Section and the Food Section.
Frankly, until 6 weeks ago: Yes, much of the Times' subway reporting has been "look at how shiny the 'redone' [badly] stations are.
I commend the Times for noting the Pataki cuts in the article about a month ago. But then the Times riffs on the total false equivalence of Andrew Cuomo arranging a one time expenditure of five million dollars of MTA monies for White Face Mountain (Lake Placid) as if that's somehow same as cutting more than 10 billion dollars from the MTA budget over 20 years.
Where was the Times good subway reporting when serious delays became much more frequent starting 5 years ago. Where is the Times' reporting on "redone" stations falling apart?
1
The MTA is money pit that is mismanaged. The executive salaries are over-blown, and the Governor and Mayor seem to not be able to incapable to plan for any of the priorities that need to be addressed. And charging people to drive into the city and increasing the already too high bridge tolls, etc is not the way. NYC is a money making machine, and the MTA needs to do a better job with their salaries and overtime. Incompetence, corruption and no accountability has taken us all to this sorry destination. Next stop? End of the line.....
4
So, nothing to do with the massive Pataki era cuts that continue to this day?
You know those cuts raised bridge tolls too?
Having lived in Tokyo and London, I have some experience with other transit systems. It has been a long time since Ii was in London but the differences between Tokyo and New York are amazing.
Things in New York's favor: 1) subways are cheap; 2) they operate 24 hours a day.
Tokyo has very expensive mass transit. I am shocked every time I submit an expense report.
There is also the problem of people running to catch the last train of the night. I guess it isn't too different that trying to catch the last train from Grand Central.
I think the solution for New York is to drastically raise fares during rush hour and make them far cheaper at other times. It also probably makes sense to shut down the system for a few hours overnight.
It is virtually free to run trains outside of rush hour because they system has the trains, the people, the stations and everything else for rush hour. The biggest cost is the loss of the ability to maintain the system.
New York should learn from other major systems and not do things just because we always did it that way. New York can do better.
25
"trying to catch the last train from Grand Central."
There is no "last train" if you meant the subway (which is 24 hours as you point out).
Maybe you meant Metro North? But hailing from Madison NJ, I assume you didn't...?
The biggest problems are (a) the subway already IS expensive, for a large portion of the city's working caste, and (b) that barely Fit-to-Print four-letter word, Uber.
That taxi outfit has already reached "why wouldn't you Uber?!" popularity despite its "why WOULD you Uber?!" scorn for living wages and basic law. A shame de Blasio wasn't allowed to severely crimp them, thanks to his usual enemies—now the MTA is forced to keep their fares damn low or essentially watch Kalanick's megacorp become New York's official transport method.
Also a shame because you know that Uber cars are as eco-friendly as sniffing a ground-up lump of Christmas stocking coal, certainly compared to the subways. Think otherwise? Volkswagen got away with their diesel software tricks for a long time, and you can bet others' coders had to to keep their paycheck. Once we get a President of the United States again, we'll learn of many more such (non-)surprises.
For the men on wall street to make their millions and billions, then they need a city to be able to function. For a city to function, the basic needs of the people must be satisfied. Transportation is the ability to get people to jobs and provide services. So investment in transportation is necessary for a city to grow and function. What so hard to understand.
45
Well, in case you haven't noticed, the men on wall street making their millions and billions have jettisoned this idea of a functional republic. The subway be damned. And if their peons don't get to work on time, that's their fault. It will be their failing. They support the republican agenda of dismantlement, as if the greater whole of society is no longer anything to regard as necessary or good. They have de-coupled from the notion the we as a country should strive for the best interests of the citizenry. Thus they are attacking all of our institutions, right down the line: starting with the constitution, hitting our environment hard, slashing regulations, attacking education, bilking blue states to support red states, attacking health care, and planning to gut the social safety nets including Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid. They are like Scrooge and Grinch on a perpetual loop just prior to, but never reaching, the revelation that greed is not noble. They have literally become unhinged.
5
I am so glad you wrote about this--I have noticed same, and I have also thought to myself that the subway was starting to resemble the subway of the 1970s.
So by way of background, I lived in the city many years and LOVED the subway...especially in the 90s. I used it everywhere and thought Manhattan the greatest city in the world.
However.
When I think about moving back now, which I do less and less often given the new tax plans, transportation stymies me. Seems like every time I am in the city, I cannot get around. The subway delays are interminable. I can't find a seat. It smells. Plus--I live in fear of a bomb going off.
Taking a cab is no better. That used to be an option, provided you didn't mind springing for one. Now it's just another exercise in frustration as traffic is worse than ever.
Bottom line, it's a terrible way to commute.
One notable exception: I love the Q line. The subway stations on the Q line are gorgeous and pleasurable and the line is never particularly crowded. That should be the model....
13
The Q line? Except for a few stations, you must be delusional! All they care about are the stations in Manhattan!
2
Boston has one of the oldest subway systems with similar issues. Snow can be the issue that breaks the system down as well as the drip-drip-drip of unfunded maintenance. Republican governors often has said to consolidate transportation management further with budget reductions, no hire after retirement policies, and just plain hocus pocus with city vs. suburban politics. The aging infrastructure not only needs daily maintenance, replacement repairs and just common sense, it needs leadership which does not kick the can down the road.
18
Welcome to the 3rd world.
"We're #1"....in crumbling national infrastructure and 0.1% election bribery.
106
Yes, I keep hearing on the radio how New York is "The Greatest City in the World". Perhaps only by the measurement of self-regard can that be true, but increasingly little else.
6
Well, yes, but it's NYC, in NY, so republicans don't care. At all. Not that the NYC subway gets huge amounts of federal dollars. And they don't take the subway, they prefer private planes and blacked-out Chevy Suburbans.
7
It's a miracle more people haven't died down there.
But the clock is ticking until the next one.
45