NY1

MTA Warns Transit Fares Could Go Up Twice In The Next Two Years

OCTOBER 19TH, 2004

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is warning fares could go up twice in the next two years unless the government comes up with new funding sources.

The agency has already proposed raising fares in 2005. Under one scenario, the price of a monthly MetroCard would go up from $70 to $84.

However, MTA Executive Director Katherine Lapp told a state Assembly hearing Monday that unless the state and city pitch in to help plug an estimated $700 million budget gap in 2006, fares could go up again, and this time the increase would be even steeper.

“Unless we get support from our governmental funding partners, we will be back here in a year from now talking about other reductions or other possible revenue increases that will not be palatable to anyone," said Lapp.

A fare increase in 2006 would come on top of severe service reductions, including a 10 percent overall cut in subway service and the elimination of 33 local bus routes.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the MTA needs to quit looking for handouts and figure out how to do more with less.

He says the city won’t hand over any cash unless the MTA can prove it has done all it can to run more efficiently.

“The city already subsidizes the MTA more than we can afford,” Bloomberg said Tuesday. "We just don’t have the money to subsidize mass transit, and of course no straphanger, including me, wants to pay more."

:rant:
damn you MTA!
and damn you City Hall, give them some money, I don't want to wait more time on the smelly, dirty and old platforms!

and some of those platforms are so dammm hot! We want some ice or airco! :)
Still I did found most platforms pretty clean and so..I thought almost all of them would look like hell...:)

Has there been any movement on the construction of the 2nd Avenue subway line?

^I don't think so, they said it should begin by the end of the year, I haven't visited any of their official sites though.
Let's hope they don't push it back again.
EDIT:
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/
^for all the MTA projects.
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/sas/
^for the 2nd ave. line
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/sas/pdf/overview8_18_03.pdf
^map with lines.
apparently it's going to be the Q and T lines
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/sas/images/schedule.gif
"In order to initiate construction by the end of 2004, the study team has embarked on an aggressive work schedule. The first step was the completion of the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS), published in April 2003.

The SDEIS carries out a comprehensive environmental analysis, compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act, of a full-length Second Avenue Subway versus a "no build" option (e.g. no improvements made). This analysis was done in concert with extensive public outreach. Completion of the SDEIS document was followed by a public hearing and preparation of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) document. The FEIS addresses questions and comments raised during the hearing process. The Federal Transit Administration will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) following their acceptance of the FEIS.

Concurrent with this work, MTA is conducting Preliminary Engineering (PE) work on the full-length subway line. A major objective of PE is to investigate the merits of all configurations and designs. These investigations require an in-depth analysis of all components, their interrelationships, and costs. Conceptual designs are more fully developed to allow for a more accurate estimate of project costs and impacts. In addition, environmental requirements are completed. Completion of the PE portion of the total design effort will permit the project to move rapidly through Final Design with a minimum of design changes, disruptions, and delays.

MTA has completed the environmental analysis. The next step is the issuance of a Record of Decision (ROD) by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the lead federal agency for the Second Avenue Subway project. Once the ROD is issued, MTA will request authorization from FTA to start Final Design and Construction.

* During Final Design, final drawings, technical specifications, and contract documents necessary to obtain construction bids are prepared.
* The Construction Phase includes the building of all structures of the subway line; the fabrication or manufacturing of the components and subsystems to be installed; and the testing of all subsystems and components.

To facilitate the advancement of the project schedule, MTA will consider strategies such as issuing Design-Build contracts, in which the selected contractor is given overall responsibility for project implementation including final design and construction. This type of contract offers the potential for reducing the project's time and cost, and improving the performance of the completed project."
^http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/sas/sas_sched.htm
documents: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/sas/sas_documents.htm
here's a thread about it:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=114525

I contacted the MTA. Here is their response.

Response (Second Avenue Subway Project Team) - 10/21/2004 04:24 PM
Thank you for your interest in the Second Avenue Subway project. Currently, we expect to award the first construction contract of Phase One of the project in the spring, 2005.

I don't live in NYC metro area.....but the gov't should find some money to in their accounts to plug up whatever deficits there are with the MTA....all the people who depend of mass transit shouldn't be penalized....thats wrong as hell.

Screw them... They raise fares, threaten to strike, raise fares again and they are again threatening to strike... meanwhile telling eveyrone who takes MTA if you cant get to work, screw you!!

its inevitable, no matter how many letters we write they will raise the fares. The next fare increase is in 2007. It is ridiculous how the fares have been raised the past 5 years, the increases to the commuter lines and then the bump up to 50 cents and the raising of the prices on the unlimiteds. and then raising the prices on some of the bridges, man this is ridiculous


I just read over your post again savethewtc.....76 to 84 for an ulimited...that is ridiculous I better be able to use it on an express bus if i'm paying that much more.

and a 700 million budget gap? then where the fuck did they get this "Surplus" money from this holiday bonus?

I don't live in NYC metro area.....but the gov't should find some money to in their accounts to plug up whatever deficits there are with the MTA....all the people who depend of mass transit shouldn't be penalized....thats wrong as hell.

The state used to subsidize the MTA... for some reason they stopped doing it.