Author: SHANNON NAJMABADI
MTA Looking for High-Tech Ideas to Keep Subway Tracks Clear
The MTA is looking for high-tech ways to spot people and objects in the path of trains — in hopes of cutting down on both deadly collisions and frustrating delays stemming from track intruders. Following a months-long surge in the number of people trespassing on the tracks, the MTA last week issued a request for […]
Transit Experts Hail Era Where Gov and Mayor Aren’t Throwing Each Other Under Buses
The budding alliance between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on matters of mass transit marks a departure from the last eight years when Albany and City Hall were often headed in opposite directions when it came to the MTA. While former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio mostly used the transit […]
2021 Saw Another Surge of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes in Subway
The number of anti-Asian incidents reported in the subway jumped last year, NYPD data shows, accounting for more than one third of all bias crimes in the system. Through the end of November — the latest figures provided by the Hate Crime Task Force — 30 of the 84 reported subway bias incidents targeted Asians, […]
New MTA Express Bus Rollout Tripped Up by Leg-Room Gripes
Complaints from cramped commuters about the newest express buses on city streets have caused the MTA to pump the brakes on their rollout, THE CITY has learned. The coaches, which began going into service last December, are part of a $150 million order placed by the MTA in 2019 for more than 300 buses from […]
MTA’s Late in Making OMNY Subway and Bus System Reduced-Fare Friendly
OMNY is not yet all things for all people. The MTA acknowledged on Monday that it’s facing “struggles” in offering discounted subway and bus trips to riders with disabilities and seniors through its nascent contactless fare payment system. The agency last month activated the “One Metro New York” readers at 240 automatic gates throughout the […]
Driver Cash Eyed as Fix for MTA’s Struggling Access-A-Ride
With Access-A-Ride service quality in a monthslong slump, the MTA is considering putting more money in drivers’ pockets to boost the paratransit system’s reliability, THE CITY has learned. Among the ideas being mulled, advocates said, are proposals to pay for drivers’ bridge and tunnel tolls to help them avoid traffic on local roads — and […]
Rail Riders Charged Rush-Hour Prices Despite Pandemic Discount
Hundreds of thousands of commuter railroad riders unwittingly overpaid for peak fares during the pandemic, MTA data shows — even as cheaper off-peak prices have remained in effect for 20 months. At least 340,000 peak tickets were purchased between April and December of last year, figures that emerged from 2020 Long Island Rail Road ticket […]
As Federal Funds Put Second Ave. Subway Extension on Express Track, Displacement Looms for Locals
The now-very-real prospect of securing billions of dollars in federal funding for the next phase of the Second Avenue subway line has state and transit officials dreaming big again about putting the project on the express track. “Ladies and gentlemen: Next stop, 125th Street!” Gov. Kathy Hochul said last week after touring a tunnel built […]
Runway to Taxi Gets Longer as Cab Shortage Hits Thanksgiving Airport Travelers
New York City’s local airports expect to see the most travelers in two years this week — but flyers should brace for long waits at taxi stands. An analysis of Taxi & Limousine Commission data by THE CITY shows the number of yellow taxis plunged from 11,302 in September 2019 to 6,218 two years later […]
Cornerstone of MTA’s Fast-Track Plans Racking Up Delays and Dollars
The MTA’s multi-billion-dollar quest to speed up subway trips by replacing ancient signals is running into delays and cost increases. The transit agency plans to spend more than $7 billion for new signals on sections of six lines as part of its 2020 to 2024 capital program. But snags with ongoing signal replacement projects in […]