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MTA Releases Draft Of 2010-14 Capital Program

Posted by
on August 10th, 2009 at 11:42 pm

Earlier today, the MTA released a draft of its 2010-2014 Capital Program along with a 20 year Capital Needs assessment. The agency sent out a press release via e-mail to highlight the announcement:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today released its 2010-2029 Twenty Year Needs and Preliminary 2010-2014 Capital Program for public review and comment. Taken together, these documents identify the MTA’s long-term infrastructure needs and a short-term plan to begin addressing them within current budget expectations. The documents are available online at www.mta.info, where the public can also submit comments.

“The MTA’s capital program is critical to maintaining the system that supports our economy, and we’re pleased to be able to release the plan early to promote transparency and public input,” said Helena E. Williams, MTA Interim Executive Director. “We are ready to manage this capital program budget with new controls in place to mitigate risk, control costs and operate with full accountability.”

Since 1982, the MTA has invested more than $75 billion in six successive programs that have restored the legacy of a system once on the brink of collapse. As a result, ridership levels are the highest since the 1950s, and our infrastructure is more reliable than ever: the distance subway traveled between breakdowns has increased 1800% for subway cars and 670% for buses and more than 500% for commuter rail cars.

The proposed 2010-2029 Twenty Year Needs and Preliminary 2010-2014 Capital Program are based on two guiding principles – rebuild the MTA’s infrastructure and expand its system to accommodate growing demand. The $25.5 billion Proposed Draft 2010-2014 program focuses first and foremost on rebuilding the MTA’s core infrastructure, which makes up 73% of the total program. Many of the proposed investments repair and replace fundamental components of the transit system:

• More than 500 new subway cars, 2,800 buses and 410 rail cars;

• Signal improvements and upgrades for the commuter railroads and subways;

• Station renovations, including the introduction of a new program that targets necessary component improvements; and,

• Improved access for the disabled including audio-visual screens, low-floor buses, elevators, paratransit vehicles and ADA-compliant stations.

Wherever possible, obsolete or inefficient infrastructure will be replaced with smart investments, such as new technologies and innovative services including:

• A new contactless fare payment system to more fully integrate regional travel;

• Real time customer information to allow customers to optimize trip planning;

• Bus rapid transit initiatives, using low-floor buses, off-board fare collection, dedicated bus lanes and signal prioritization to speed bus service;

• New train control systems to increase capacity and safety on subways and commuter railroads; and,

• New subway transfers and strategic commuter rail investments to make the existing system work better for customers.

These rebuilding investments are complemented by investments to expand the system to meet growing regional demand. The MTA’s expansion plan includes the completion of its three critical, ongoing projects and the analysis of a number of new initiatives:

• First phase of the Second Avenue Subway, which will relieve overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue subway lines and carry more than 200,000 customers;

• East Side Access, which will save 76,000 daily customers up to 40 minutes a day by bringing LIRR trains to Grand Central;

• Extension of the 7 subway line to 34th Street and 11th Avenue, which will support development of Manhattan’s Far West Side;

• Study of Staten Island’s North and West Shore travel corridors, which will identify ways to support faster and more reliable transit service on Staten Island;

• Queens Boulevard Corridor study, which will evaluate solutions for meeting today’s high demand and serving projected population and employment growth as well;

• Regional bus analysis to learn about the opportunities and challenges of a more unified regional bus system; and,

• Continued study of Tappan Zee corridor, which will evaluate alternatives for the Bridge, including transit, to reduce congestion and improve mobility.

The $25.5 billion draft plan includes funding assumptions from local, state and federal partners, but requires an additional approximately $10 billion to implement the program as presented. Public input will be incorporated into a revised plan that will be formally presented to the MTA Board in September, before being submitted for final approval in Albany in October, as required by law. The MTA hopes to gain approval of the final plan by January 1, 2010, the effective date of the new five year plan.

The complete draft is available in 3 separate pdf’s. They are:

1. Executive Summary Presentation

2. Proposed MTA Capital Program 2010-2014

3. Twenty Year Capital Needs Assessment

Over the coming days, I will provide my analysis of the draft as well as the 20 year needs assessment.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Transit Workers Poised For Healthy Raises

Posted by
on August 10th, 2009 at 10:41 am

In a story that will be sure to piss off the anti-union & anti-blue collar workers that keep the MTA running, transit workers are poised for healthy raises as part of a new contract. The raises which come out to 4% annually would increase costs for the MTA by approximately $400 million. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this exclusive report:

Transit workers appear poised to win a generous contract with healthy 4% annual raises and lower health care contributions that could blow a huge hole in the MTA’s finances, sources tell the Daily News.

Despite recent fare hikes and the punishing recession, transit union officials argued that they deserve a 12% hike over three years, partly because city employees have received similar increases.

A three-man arbitration panel is expected to announce the terms of the new contract for bus and subway workers as early as Monday or Tuesday. The expected annual raises of about 4%, 4% and 3.5% would increase Metropolitan Transportation Authority costs by more than $400 million.

Transit workers and management had reached the framework of a deal in face-to-face talks last year, but the contract wound up going to arbitration in January after Mayor Bloomberg raised behind-the-scenes objections.

Both the MTA and the transit union agreed to abide by the panel’s decision, and workers are not expected to repeat their illegal strike of 2005.

Click here for the complete report.

I am exhausted at the moment so I will have to address this some more later. I expect to see a lot of people speak out against this as many feel that the typical MTA worker is lazy & overpaid. While those with a clue know that this is not the case, the niche that believe in such idiocy clearly exists & will be out in full force.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Elliot Sander’s New Gig

Posted by
on August 10th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Months after being forced to resign due to the inept & idiotic politicians in Albany, former MTA CEO/Executive Director Elliot Sander has landed a new gig at a familiar place. He now resides in a top position at the international engineering firm AECOM. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this report:

Former MTA CEO Elliot Sander has landed a top job with an international engineering firm.

AECOM, a Los Angeles-based firm with 44,000 employees and more than $6 billion in annual revenues, has hired Sander to be its managing director for global strategic initiatives.

The company’s wide array of ongoing projects includes the Second Ave. subway, the NJ Transit rail tunnel from New Jersey to midtown, a rail terminal in Hong Kong and the longest bridge in Bangladesh.

Click here for the complete report.

Good luck to Elliot in his new position. He will be missed & in my eyes remembered as a man who was given a raw deal while trying his best to rescue the MTA.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR Engineer & Friend Charged With Endangering Passengers

Posted by
on August 10th, 2009 at 9:34 am

I apologize for being M.I.A. lately. I hope that I can get back to regular updates starting today. So let me get started with catching up by blogging about the LIRR engineer charged with endangering passengers by allowing his friend to operate a Queens bound diesel train. Oren Yaniv and Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News had more in this report:

A LIRR engineer and a passenger he let drive his train – at speeds up to 80 mph – were charged Wednesday with endangering passengers’ lives, authorities said.

Veteran engineer Ronald Cabrera allowed William Kutsch, a court reporter, to operate a 500-ton diesel train carrying hundreds of passengers for more than 24 miles between Hicksville, Long Island, and Hunters Point, Queens, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

Cabrera, 40, and Kutsch, 47, both of Long Island, surrendered to MTA police and were charged with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, authorities said.

Cabrera, an engineer for 16 years, also was charged with misdemeanor official misconduct for the July 2 trip.

Click here for the complete report.

In regards to this incident, the MTA’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) released this statement:

The LIRR acted immediately when these extremely serious and troubling allegations first came to light on July 2nd. LIRR managers initiated an investigation and the engineer was removed from service the day the allegation was received. He has not operated a train since that time. Meanwhile, LIRR disciplinary proceedings against the engineer – up to and including possible termination – are in progress. The LIRR is cooperating with the MTA Police, the MTA Inspector General and the Nassau County District Attorney.

Engineers throughout the LIRR have been reminded of their responsibilities to keep cab doors closed to avoid distractions while operating trains. Also, all employees have been reminded that only authorized personnel are permitted in the operating cab of a train. The LIRR is committed to protecting the safety of its customers and the public. The alleged actions of this one employee do not represent the efforts of our engineers and train service employees at large, who are a highly professional, well-trained and dedicated workforce.

When I first heard this story, I immediately thought it was probably true. Incidents like these are not happening on a daily basis but do occur quite a bit. Honestly just about every rider would not know the difference of who is driving the train. However that does not excuse the blatant disrespect of the rules & potential jeopardy that passengers were put in. This is the type of offense that would warrant a complete termination without hesitation.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diverisons 07-31

Posted by
on July 31st, 2009 at 4:10 pm

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest information for the weekend & upcoming week (beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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