Gov. Kathy Hochul has vetoed a bill that would have required two-person crews on every New York City subway train, including a conductor and a driver.<\/p>\n
Hochul\u2019s veto is a blow to the Transit Workers Union, which had championed the bill for decades, arguing that having two-person train crews is crucial for safety.<\/p>\n
In her veto, Hochul wrote that trains can be operated safely by one driver, and cited the bill\u2019s cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill would cost as much as $10 million annually, reducing service, and limiting the MTA\u2019s ability to benefit from capital investments<\/a> in modern rolling stock and signals,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n The MTA\u2019s contract with the Transit Workers Union already requires two-person crews on many trains, and the legislation, on its own, wouldn\u2019t have changed that. But it would have required an additional worker on the trains that currently only have one operator, as well as on future lines. State lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill in June.<\/p>\n The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the veto. But in September, TWU President John Samuelsen told Gothamist<\/a> that having two workers per train is not just \u201ca necessity for safety\u201d but also \u201cwanted by the overwhelming majority of New York City working people.\u201d On Thursday, Hochul announced<\/a> that subway crime was at its lowest level in 16 years, with overall major crime on the transit system down 5.2% from last year and 14.4% from 2019.<\/p>\n