For too long, our transit system was starved of investment. Aging subway cars, dilapidated signals, and a lack of basic maintenance and repair plunged a system that was once the envy of the world into crisis. We all remember the so-called \u201csummer of hell\u201d \u2014 overcrowded platforms, constant delays, and a level of dysfunction that made it harder for millions of New Yorkers to get where they needed to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those days are over.\n<\/p>\n
As your Governor, I\u2019ve made it my mission to turn the page, restore confidence in public transit, and make long-overdue investments to bring the MTA into the 21st century.\n<\/p>\n
This spring, I secured historic funding for the MTA\u2019s Capital Plan, an achievable and forward-looking blueprint that will improve safety, reliability, and accessibility for decades to come.<\/p>\n
The bread and butter of our plan is modernization. The subway is 120 years old, and much of its core infrastructure is past due for repair. There are subway lines that still rely on old, unreliable signals installed when FDR was President. This plan includes over $5 billion to replace aging signals with new, modern technology on eight subway lines, from the A in Far Rockaway to the N and W in Astoria. These investments, along with upgrades to tracks and power systems, will reduce delays and move trains faster and more reliably.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re also making a generational investment in our subway fleet. Everyone knows the dreaded feeling of boarding an aging subway car \u2013 dim lights, less reliable air-conditioning, and a worse ride. Some of these cars date back to the Mario Cuomo era \u2013 and they\u2019ve earned their retirement. That\u2019s why we\u2019re investing in 1,500 new subway cars, including more of the popular R211 models, with features like wider doors, built-in security cameras, and better performance across the board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But modern transit isn\u2019t just about subways. More than two million New Yorkers rely on bus service to get around, especially true in working class communities where subway access may be limited. This plan will make our fleet cleaner and greener than ever, with 500 new electric buses hitting the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Accessibility is another top priority. For too long, our subway system has been out of reach for too many New Yorkers \u2013people with disabilities, parents with strollers, caregivers, and countless others. In recent years, we\u2019ve made great progress, with over 150 accessible stations. And now, we\u2019re going even further: this capital plan includes funding to upgrade at least 60 more stations with new elevators and other accessibility improvements. When this plan is complete, over half of all stations \u2013 serving 70% of all riders \u2013 will be fully accessible.<\/p>\n
We are doing more than improving existing infrastructure. For the first time in nearly 50 years, New York will expand its transit system outside Manhattan by building the Interborough Express, or IBX. Running from Sunset Park to Jackson Heights, the IBX will cut commute times for up to 115,000 daily riders by using existing freight rail lines to connect Brooklyn and Queens, saving some commuters up to 40 minutes each way. I\u2019ve directed the MTA to move this project forward with urgency, because outer borough New Yorkers deserve faster, more reliable transit.<\/p>\n
This budget gives the MTA funding to proceed with the Interborough Express \u2013 or IBX \u2013 which will transform communities from Sunset Park in Brooklyn to Jackson Heights in Queens. When complete, the IBX will significantly shorten commutes for 115,000 daily riders and be the first transit expansion outside of Manhattan in nearly 50 years. By using infrastructure we already have, we can build the IBX faster and cheaper and I\u2019ve directed the MTA to advance this project this summer.<\/p>\n
And let me be clear: safety remains our top priority.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve made real progress driving down subway crime to its lowest level in decades, and we\u2019re building on that momentum.This plan makes record investments in subway safety and in stemming the tide on fare evasion. Soon, there will be modern fare gates at over 150 subway stations, making it easier for paying customers to enter and exit the system while deterring fare evasion. This will supplement the progress we\u2019ve already made towards deterring criminals and making riders feel safe by installing cameras on every subway car and deploying LED lights to brighten platforms. I want customers to feel valued and appreciated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When transit thrives, New York City thrives. We\u2019ve seen the consequences of underinvesting in our transit system \u2013 delays, dysfunction, and a summer of hell. I will not let New York go back. We proposed the most ambitious transit improvement plan in history and we got it done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For too long, our transit system was starved of investment. Aging subway cars, dilapidated signals, and a lack…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":67174,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,5371,9904,47538,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,3586,1269,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-67173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-kathy-hochul","10":"tag-mta","11":"tag-mta-investment","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkcity","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-op-ed","19":"tag-opinion","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114862856807188882","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}