Good morning! I’m Jack Connors, Research & Communications Associate at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC).
It’s state budget season, and with a more than $35 billion gap in the next MTA Capital Plan, there’s a lot on the line for riders this year. Whether it’s new signals that allow for more frequent and reliable service, preparing our commuter railroads for the threat of climate change, new 40-minute trips between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights on the IBX, or simply keeping the roof from caving in at Grand Central, riders are counting on Albany to get it right.
Unfortunately, unlike other public services, MTA funding does not have the luxury of having a dedicated line item in the state budget—this is myopic and wrong, but it’s reality. Instead, every five years riders become a political football as the Legislature and governor wrangle over funding sources.
We can live with the dramatics is the vital importance of the essential State of Good Repair work that must get funded. Too often, the costs of paying for the vital work are not distributed equitably around the region., although history has shown this is far from guaranteed. That’s why we put together more than two dozen funding options that total well-above three quarters of a trillion dollars once bonded out.
Last Wednesday, before the Council’s Transportation Budget Hearing, we stood outside City Hall to remind elected officials of the importance of fully funding the MTA Capital Plan. We’re looking forward to heading to Albany to do so tomorrow.
Despite what certain members of Congress would have you believe, the reality is the vast majority of commuters into New York City rely on some combination of Metro-North, the LIRR, and New York City Transit — and even NJ Transit and PATH! With the MTA Capital Plan projected to generate 72,000 jobs and $106 billion in economic activity, every dollar invested in the MTA benefits not only riders, but all of New York State.
Thank you.