Today is a big day for the subway: it’s 121^st anniversary! Happy birthday to the backbone of our transit system, city, and entire region.

As a former subway conductor, I saw every day how important it was to the lives of millions of New Yorkers. Whether it was young kids excited to hear the subway announcements or people depending on transit to get to work in the morning, it’s a major part of what makes our city great.

That’s why it’s so important that transit continues to get investment and upgrades so that generations to come can keep depending on the subway system. We were thrilled that the billionth rider of the year came earlier than in previous years and this past Thursday set a post-pandemic record with 4.56 million riders— both are  great signs that people are returning to transit as it gets safer, more reliable, and faster. We hope that more ridership milestones will be met as we approach the busy holiday season, and people turn to transit instead of driving.

As we get ready to say goodbye to the MetroCard, we’re happy to see the partnerships launched last week celebrating such an iconic piece of transit history on its farewell tour. We know that in time, the OMNY card will rise to its level, especially now that 87% of riders are tapping instead of swiping. We’re glad that many of the initial issues with OMNY are being fixed, so that the system is fully ready in the new year.

Congrats to Demetrius on your first year at the helm of NYCT, happy 121^st birthday to the subway, and many more in the future! Thank you.

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I am a regular transit rider and I used to be a subway conductor before joining the PCAC. I live in what is essentially a subway desert, so I rely on buses to get me to the subway and on express buses to get me to work. I was looking forward to the improvements that congestion pricing would bring: more frequent subway service, upgraded signals and tracks as I’ve witnessed the need first hand; buses that don’t crawl through traffic – that go faster than a chicken can run; and even as a driver, to less traffic when I need to take my mom to doctor’s appointments in midtown. I was stunned when the Governor made her surprise announcement, like all of you probably, and we’re still trying to figure out where the money is going to come from to pay for the capital improvements not only now, but over the next few years.

Like many of us who live in the “better boroughs” I was also looking forward to service increases on express buses. I see that one of the casualties of the so-called pause is “readjusting express bus trips added in Summer of 2024” in anticipation of congestion pricing. Not only are we losing key projects like more accessible subway stations that moms like me and our disabled and older friends need, but service increases that would have improved the commute for so many of us and would help people get out of cars. There are two major, yet tragic, ironies that I see. First, we just celebrated the 34^th anniversary of the ADA at the same time we heard about work stopping on 23 subway accessibility projects.  Second, the Governor’s action is directly hurting the people she claims she wants to help, New Yorkers just looking to get to work. I would not have been one of the people applauding her decision since it is having the reverse effect on my life and on many people in my neighborhood.

Governor Hochul, from the heart of Brooklyn, please unpause the pause.

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Today’s Committee book notes that, “In March, overall subway satisfaction is 62%, down 3 percentage points from February. Service Reliability decreased 4 percentage points, while Waiting Times, Travel Times, and Overall Line all decreased 3 percentage points.” The correlation between reliability, wait and travel times and satisfaction is really telling. A real concern is that without reliable service, riders aren’t going to keep coming back in the post-pandemic historic numbers we saw last week. Getting people where they need to go safely, reliably, efficiently and affordably is key to getting riders back on board, and keeping them coming back for more. We can’t go backwards because platforms and trains are getting crowded again, not when we’ve all gotten used to a new model of on time performance – and waiting 18 minutes for an F train won’t cut it. But you know that.

The strides that Transit has made in the past year, with the focus on the North Star of customer service and riders, have been impressive – but not enough on their own. A concerted effort requires all the resources of the state and city to bear as well. I had hoped that today we would be rehashing what the new state budget would bring – call me optimistic, but I’ll look forward to discussing that on Wednesday. The key to our region’s future is ongoing, dedicated, and recurring operating funding for our transit network. You know it, the Governor knows it and our Senate and Assembly elected leaders know it. Now we need them to bring it home for us in such a way that we never have to have this conversation again. Reliability and frequency take funding – consistent and targeted funding that comes off budget to the MTA and can’t be siphoned off. The city must contribute as well.

Reliability and frequency also require equipment like the additional 640 R211 subway cars – and a system that has state-of-the-art signals and power, accessible and modern stations and reaches everyone who needs it. Those kind of funding needs are why the state passed Congestion Pricing in 2019, and why riders need it more today than ever. 

Thank you.

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Happy birthday to the LIRR! Almost two months into full service to Grand Central Madison, riders and the railroad are still adjusting to the new schedules. With multiple rounds of tweaks and improvements since February 27th, we appreciate that the MTA and the LIRR are looking for opportunities to solve the most glaring issues including adding more service to Penn, lengthening trains, and increasing peak service to and from Atlantic Terminal. As PCAC and LIRRCC have said from the beginning, listening and responding to the concerns of riders is key to ensuring that everyone can benefit from this major investment in the LIRR and Long Island.  

That’s why we published a digital survey earlier this month, available at pcac.org: to better understand the major issues commuters are still facing. We hope the information we’re compiling on what riders like, dislike, and their suggestions for improvements will help inform decisions when it comes time for the next round of major adjustments. Many comments so far have focused on bringing back timed connections. It’s clear that commuters have been regularly inconvenienced by narrowly missing their connecting train and needing to wait 20 or 30 minutes—or more—when they previously had timed connections or didn’t have to change trains. While on-time performance is improving, having trains running even a couple of minutes behind can add close to an hour when connections are no longer held.

Our survey has also shown some positive results: commuters heading to the East Side have a faster commute and appreciate the one-seat ride on trips that previously required multiple transfers. As time goes on and more riders visit Grand Central Madison, we’re confident that you’ll quickly reach the next ridership milestone after last week’s millionth trip. 

We’re also glad to hear that Mets-Willets Point will have 24/7 service—all the more reason for the station to be made fully accessible! We hope that a funding model similar to Elmont-UBS station can be used, to take advantage of the extensive private investment in the surrounding area.

We hope to see the railroad continue to monitor rider concerns and make ongoing adjustments—riders hold the key to unlocking a better LIRR. Thank you. 

The post MTA Joint LIRR and Metro-North Committee Testimony- Incorporating Rider Feedback to Improve LIRR Service appeared first on PCAC.

We again point out the importance of the Safety Committee meetings and ask that they be held monthly and later in the day, at a time when more people are likely to pay attention. 

It is so disheartening to see the increase in assaults against employees and MTAPD. This month’s book shows that in February, Metro-North was where the preponderance of these unacceptable acts is occurring. Why? No one should put their life in jeopardy simply by going to work on the railroad. And while the numbers seem to be declining against both LIRR, subway and bus employees, they are still way too high. In the breakdown of summonses and arrests across the system, it would be good to know if people are being caught and held accountable for these crimes, and then what the outcomes of those cases are.

In the electronic security program update that will come during this meeting, we look forward to hearing how the technology being used is helping to protect riders and the system, but also the employees and PD who keep the MTA rolling.

We had also hoped for an update on the e-bike/e-scooter policy. You can’t turn on the news without hearing about fires from lithium-ion batteries. We also hear continuously from riders about people charging these devices onboard trains and in stations, and also riding them in stations. A solid and declarative policy, with teeth, will let people know the rules and give those enforcing them the back-up they need to do their jobs. We stand ready to assist. 

Thank you.   

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I live in a subway desert in Bergen Beach, Brooklyn. My options to get to work in Lower Manhattan are limited: with no rail service close by, I can take the express bus, a slow local bus to a long subway ride, or drive my car. Taking transit is still my best choice because it’s more affordable—even when taking the more expensive express bus— and often faster than driving. My express bus commute gives me a pleasant and comfortable one-seat ride into Lower Manhattan or Midtown, but during rush hour the ride can be slow and backed up due to traffic in the tunnel and on the highway. Often, an excessive number of vehicles slow down and delay the express bus, even when it’s in the HOV lane. With school starting up again, my express bus ride will take even longer than during the summer, with more vehicles on the road with people driving to drop off their kids. Congestion Pricing would speed up my express bus commute and make it an even more convenient way for me to get to Manhattan. By decreasing traffic in and around the Central Business District, I’m looking forward to a much faster trip into and out of the city to and from the South East end of Brooklyn.  

Congestion Pricing would even help make taking the local bus to the subway more reliable and fast. My bus options include the B41 which runs on the extremely congested Flatbush Avenue and takes much longer than it should to travel towards the 2 and 5 trains or Downtown Brooklyn. By reducing traffic, our bus network will speed up and become a more dependable and efficient way of getting to work.  

The funding brought to the MTA by Congestion Pricing will go towards making the transit system more accessible and reliable for all riders. As a former subway conductor, I know how old some of the signals and systems are. They need upgrades and the funds that congestion pricing will bring in will help pay for them. I’m excited by the potential of projects like the Interborough Express and future subway extensions to bring subway access to neighborhoods like mine that do not currently have rail stations. Congestion Pricing will help fund these critical improvements and upgrades to the transit system, speeding up commutes for the majority of New Yorkers who travel by transit.

Thank you. 

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