Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility JOSE MARTINEZ, Author at Baltimore Independent - Page 3 of 3

Author: SHANNON NAJMABADI

MTA Employees Due Millions in Refunds After Pension Overcharge

An MTA payroll error caused thousands of transit workers to be overcharged on pension deductions out of their paychecks for years, THE CITY has learned. Now, nearly 8,000 employees are in line for around $4.1 million in total refunds — with interest — from their pension funds, according to the MTA. The oversight affects approximately […]

‘As Good As It Gets’ Transportation Infrastructure Deal Leaves Plenty Off the Table

The federal infrastructure deal could deliver some key regional transportation projects for New Yorkers, but still falls short of meeting the city’s vast needs, according to transit and planning experts. The bill, awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House of Representatives passed it Friday, could jumpstart the extension of the Second Avenue Subway from […]

Access-A-Ride Service Quality Stuck in Reverse as Traffic, Driver Absences Mount

The reliability of the MTA’s Access-A-Ride service has sunk to its lowest level in years, statistics show, even as ridership has returned to almost 80% of pre-COVID totals. Providers of paratransit service for New Yorkers with limited mobility have repeatedly failed to meet on-time performance goals this year, MTA data reveals, with the number of […]

New York Just Getting Into Gear on Road to Transit-Biking Tandem

The MTA plans to install a bicycle storage pod at Grand Central Terminal and City Hall is pedaling toward bringing 10,000 new bike racks to local streets by next year. Still, that’s not nearly enough to put New York in the fast lane alongside other major cities and transit systems, advocates say. “Molecules in the […]

Derailed Biden Infrastructure Package Could Mean Loss of $10B for New York Transit

A massive federal plan to spend $550 billion on public transit, bridges and highways stalled in Congress late Thursday, spurring transportation watchdogs to sound the alarm about potential long-term impact to big-ticket New York projects. “The longer this hangs out there, the greater the chance you’ll have to open it up and perform some surgery […]

MTA on ‘Mask Blitz’ Following Reports of Low Compliance

Police officers and transit workers distributed a record 26,000 masks in the transit system in the first three weeks of this month — topping the total for the nearly 12 months prior to September, according to MTA data released Wednesday. And starting Thursday, more fines will be likely, officials say. The first phase of a […]

MTA Brings Back Virtual Testimony for Board Meetings — With a Catch

The MTA will no longer require in-person testimony at its board meetings beginning Monday, with public speakers once again allowed to rail remotely against the transit agency  — although not in real time. The option for members of the public and MTA officials to participate remotely reverses the agency’s return to pre-pandemic traditions in July, […]

MTA Planning to Cut Subway Operator Training Time to Curb Trip Cancelations

To combat service-crippling crew shortages in the subway, the MTA plans to accelerate the training of new train operators, taking a month off the onboarding process, THE CITY has learned. New York City Transit intends to trim training currently required of new train operators that can take up to eight months, a move that will […]