Good day everyone, my name is Nia James, and I am the new Policy and Public Affairs Associate with the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
I would like to thank the railroad crews for working throughout the weekend in the rain and wind to get folks where they needed to go during and following the nor’easter. You keep New York moving!
This past week, the Governor, MTA, and Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins announced a Metro-North Resilience Project on the Hudson Line. We are thankful for the proactive approach to addressing the challenges that extreme weather events pose to transportation. The $270 million investment will provide funding to protect the most vulnerable portions of the rail line from Spuyten Duyvil to Hastings-on-Hudson.
With school starting, we are reminded that most families with students who take the LIRR alone to school must assume the costs as there are no eligible transfers or discounts available. We encourage the MTA to consider other avenues to reduce this financial burden. PCAC will continue to advocate for a more flexible fare policy that would also allow for transfers between the railroads and subways and buses within the five boroughs.
We also encourage the MTA to continue to improve its communication with riders. Particularly when there are outages or services changes, whether planned or unplanned. The MTA should look at ways to add the railroads to the request for information that’s going out for improved communication to subway riders.
We will continue to monitor ridership as we anticipate additional increases with fall activities and hope the railroads are able to meet the demand that the fall brings for Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road. I encourage people to take advantage of the additional Leaf Peeper trains on the Hudson line and enjoy the fall views on both sides of the Hudson.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and we look forward to improving rider access and affordability on the railroads.