MTA: Tech No Magic Bullet for Every Transit Problem

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority must consider the age and peculiarities of its system and its strained budget when considering technical enhancements to everything from subway rider safety to fare payments, officials admit.

"If you look at our budgets, you'd know why things always make me nervous," acting chairman Fernando Ferrer said Wednesday. "Hurricane Sandy is one of them."

The MTA, which has $31.2 billion of debt outstanding, has said it must borrow $5 billion short term to cover costs of Sandy-related damage while it awaits reimbursement from the federal government and insurance companies.

Repairs to the South Ferry subway station in lower Manhattan alone may take three years and could cost a minimum of $600 million. The station, built below the water table, underwent a $530 million renovation — mostly federally funded — in 2009.

"At the end of the day, we made a commitment not to ask riders for another dime to pay for Sandy. If there are additional impacts on our budget, we'll engage in even more belt-tightening," said Ferrer.

The MTA will enact fare and toll increases for the New York City subway system, Metro-North and Long Island commuter railroads, and its bridges and tunnels on March 1. Although enacted in December, they were in the works before the Oct. 29 hurricane.

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed state budget, the MTA will receive more than $4.2 billion, up $358 million from the previous year. It also includes $307 million in general fund support for the MTA to fully offset the revenue impact of the MTA payroll tax overhaul that Cuomo signed into law in 2011.

Subway platform safety — in the headlines due to two recent push deaths — consumed much of the MTA board's time during an otherwise perfunctory Wednesday morning meeting. Two days earlier, officials told the transit committee that such enhancements as platform doors and electronic intrusion warnings could cost up to $1 billion.

Officials also said attempts to solve one set of problems could trigger another.

"A platform can get very full, very quickly and get very dangerous," said Ferrer, a former Bronx borough president and mayoral candidate who became acting chairman when Joseph Lhota resigned last month to run for New York City mayor. "We're working on a pilot for a detection system and platform doors, and we're taking it very seriously."

"Some parts of the system need different solutions," Ferrer added.

Some members of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 spoke Wednesday about the need to slow down trains when they enter stations. Critics call the move a job action while the union is in contract discussions with the MTA.

"Negotiations are ongoing. It's what the process calls for," interim MTA executive director Thomas Prendergast told reporters.

The MTA expects further delays to any plans to replace its MetroCards for fares with smartphones or credit cards. "Look, I remember the little tokens that are now part of my cufflinks," Ferrer said. "Not every solution fits with every part of our system, and no, I'm not suggesting going back to tokens. It's taken me 20 years to get used to MetroCards."

Ferrer said he has had no indication from Cuomo about a timetable for naming a Lhota's permanent replacement. The state Senate must ratify the appointment. "As I've said repeatedly, I expect this interim chairmanship to be of a short duration," Ferrer said.

The MTA this month sold $500 million of new money transportation revenue bonds, and $911 million of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority refunding bonds.

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Infrastructure Transportation industry New York
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