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334k/">On transit, Hochul is the only choice for New York</a></h2> 335 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 336 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 337 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-11-06T21:27:21-05:00">November 6, 2022</time> </div> 338 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 339 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on November 6, 2022</span> 340</div> 341 </div> 342 343 <div class="standard-content"> 344 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 345 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 346 347<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For only the second time since 1978, New York faces a state-wide election without a Cuomo running for office. Itâs an opportunity for the state to move past the tedium of the Andrew Cuomo years and the imperial governance of one man who would broker no dissent and often failed to encourage or allow hand-picked experts who may have known better to lead. While the current race between Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin may not represent the best the Empire State can offer, when it comes to transit, there is only choice in this race, and that choice is Kathy Hochul. </p> 348 349 350 351<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Hochul is an unlikely transit-focused candidate. Sheâs a Buffalo native, chosen to be Cuomoâs Lieutenant Governor as a sop to upstate voters, and she found herself thrust into the position when Cuomo resigned in 2021. On the transit front, she had to <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/">untangle an unstable mess</a> left to her by her predecessor, and sheâs succeeded in ways that make me believe sheâll be a stabilizing force for transit in the NYC region and a driver of growth as well. </p> 352 353 354 355<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As governor, Hochul has done what Cuomo failed to do: First, she brought stability to the upper echelons of MTA leadership. While Cuomo presided over a revolving door of agency CEOs and presidents, Hochul chose Janno Lieber, a dedicated, smart and competent official to lead the MTA without her interference. She has given him her support to lead the agency, make decisions regarding transit personnel and growth, and empowered him to change the conversation regarding transit funding, treating the system as a public service rather than a political piñata constantly facing budget cuts and fare hikes. On safety, upon the rest of Mayor Eric Adams, Hochul helped deploy extra MTA police officers to areas where the NYPD could not staff the transit division quickly enough, and the move paid dividends with the MTA itself touting recent declines in crime. In the past, New York Governors were loathe to work with city officials and often used the MTA as a political chit, holding transit riders hostage. </p> 356 357 358 359<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Outside of the day-to-day operations of the MTA, Hochul has shown a willingness to plan carefully and listen to people who know more than she does. She ditched Cuomoâs useless Backwards AirTrain, and instead of demanding experts bend to her whims, in <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/">championing the Interborough Express,</a> she listened to planners who have meticulously crafted a case for a circumferential subway line, a true game-changer for disconnected parts of Brooklyn and Queens. On congestion pricing – a program that will unclog Manhattan streets while generating the revenue needed to launch the MTAâs $50 billion capital plan – she has taken political heat while continuing to support the traffic fee. Thanks to stonewalling at the federal level, congestion pricing may not be moving as fast as many New Yorkers had hoped, but Hochul has stood firm in the face of political calls to cut the fee. </p> 360 361 362 363<p class="wp-block-paragraph">
363Opposing Hochul is Lee Zeldin, a Long Island State Senator-turned-Congressional representative, who has no transit plan and has a documented history of hostility toward transit. While in the State Senate, he opposed the Payroll Mobility Tax, a measure that staved off the MTAâs fiscal collapse in 2010, and as a candidate, he has offered no vision for transit. He has spoken about stopping congestion pricing and claims, without basis in fact, that more fare enforcement can generate enough revenue for the MTA to plug all of its budget holes. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the issue can explain why fare enforcement alone, which itself costs significant money, cannot solve the MTAâs financial woes, and with the MTA facing a multi-billion-dollar fiscal cliff over the next few years, a governor with no plan to support transit is a governor inviting a crushing crisis for New York State and New York City. (Jose Martinez of <em>The City</em> <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/11/3/23437700/kathy-hochul-lee-zeldin-mta-janno-lieber">further explored</a> how a Zeldin administration could spell doom for the MTA.)</p> 364 365 366 367<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even on crime, the issue on which Zeldin is trying to stake his campaign, he hasnât offered a vision for improved safety. He talks about deposing a duly elected District Attorney and declaring a âstate of emergency,â which is symbolic at best. But he has not provided concrete details how he will handle the mental health crisis driving much of the crime or how he will improve the shelter system so fewer New Yorkers are sleeping in the subways (itself not a crime, but a clear driver of the way many New Yorkers perceive public order). Hochul has ushered in new homelessness response teams and the rapid deployment of cops throughout the subways over the past few weeks has shown early success. The MTA recently announced a day with over 3.7 million riders and just four major felonies throughout the system, all robberies and all resulting in arrests. </p> 368 369 370 371<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With early voting behind us, this endorsement is arriving late in the game. I have a newborn at home and have been focusing on my daughter lately. But for many, the day to vote is Tuesday, and if you are thinking about the future of transit investment, transit expansion and transitâs economic health in New York State, the only candidate worth your vote is Kathy Hochul. </p> 372 </div> 373 </div> 374 375 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 376 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 377 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-11-06T21:27:21-05:00">November 6, 2022</time></span> 378 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/11/06/on-transit-hochul-is-the-only-choice-for-new-york/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>83 comments</a></span> 379 </div> 380 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 381 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17613" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">8</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/11/06/on-transit-hochul-is-the-only-choice-for-new-york/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20On%20transit%2C%20Hochul%20is%20the%20only%20choice%20for%20New%20York%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/11/06/on-transit-hochul-is-the-only-choice-for-new-york/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=On%20transit,%20Hochul%20is%20the%20only%20choice%20for%20New%20York&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/11/06/on-transit-hochul-is-the-only-choice-for-new-yor
381k/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 382 </div> 383 </div> 384 385</article><article id="post-17610" class="post-17610 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-mta-economics"> 386 387 388 389 390 391 <div class="header-standard"> 392 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/mta-economics/" rel="category tag">MTA Economics</a></span></div> 393 394 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/18/dodging-a-question-lieber-shows-an-mta-unwilling-to-confront-its-cost-crisis/">Dodging a question, Lieber shows an MTA unwilling to confront its cost crisis</a></h2> 395 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 396 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 397 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-02-18T00:15:51-05:00">February 18, 2022</time> </div> 398 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 399 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on February 18, 2022</span> 400</div> 401 </div> 402 403 <div class="standard-content"> 404 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 405 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 406 407<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-1024x682.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-17611" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-1170x779.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/9A46C90D-B432-4562-9BBB-6A2DBF497510-6775-0000028E73674949.jpeg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Well over budget and long delayed, London’s Elizabeth Line, shown here in a tour I took with Andy Byford in November, costs just one-third per kilometer than future phases of the Second Ave. Subway. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure> 408 409 410 411<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Albany oversight hearings are staid and rote affairs. Every now and then, a panel of state legislators call in the technocrats in charge of state agencies to talk about the topics on the minds of those legislators. Unfortunately, those topics often run to the banal when it comes to transit and the MTA. Why is this bus stop in my district on one corner but not the other? Why isn’t the MTA building platform edge doors? When will Staten Island get better transit service? </p> 412 413 414 415<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These are questions with well-known answers, but for the sake of their constituents, our elected officials have to go through this exercise. I find it very frustrating. The Senate and Assembly could hold wall-to-wall hearings on any number of issues plaguing our transit system, but these 90-minute sessions once or a twice a year if we’re lucky is all we get. When MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber appeared before a joint committee panel this week, I didn’t expect much to come of it, and by and large, my low expectations were met. The session even featured Diane Savino asking why the MTA plans to <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/">build the IBX</a> but there are no plans to build a subway to Staten Island, a topic worth its own post exploring why her
415constituents don’t want one and no one is currently pushing funding for it. But I digress.</p> 416 417 418 419<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Midway through Lieber appearance, one brief exchange leapt out at me. George Borello, a Republican who represents Jamestown and a district as far away from the MTA’s service area as possible, was the only member of the panel to ask about the MTA’s runaway construction costs. The exchange was brief, and the emphasis is mine: </p> 420 421 422<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><strong><em>Borello</em></strong>: Itâs been widely reporting that MTA construction costs are up to seven times the global average. Why is that the case? And what steps is the MTA taking to address these out of control costs?</p> 423<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><strong><em>Lieber</em></strong>: The bigger question of how we compare to the rest of the world is part of a longer conversation, but when people throw those numbers around, they frequently donât even look at whatâs the scope. <strong>So comparing a mile of New York City subway tunnel to a rubber-wheel facility where they have three cars that carry 100 people is nonsense</strong>. So if these comparisons are going to go on, you have to do apples-to-apples workâ¦<strong>When you look at those kinds of comparisons, frequently they are informed by nonsensical lack of effort to compare projects based on scope, technology and the conditions of work.</strong></p> 424 425 426<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is a breathtakingly dismissive answer from the MTA head, and it’s wrong. A lot of people, from advocates to journalists to researchers, have conducted rigorous examinations into the MTA’s cost problems. They have indeed compared apples to apples – they’ve compared the Elizabeth Line’s deep-bore subway tunnel underneath London to the Second Ave. Subway’s deep-bore subway tunnel underneath Manhattan – and these efforts are simply not “nonsensical” nor lacking in effort. These four sentences uttered by the MTA head to a panel of legislators during an oversight hearing tells me all I need to know about the lack of sincerity of the MTA’s cost reform efforts. </p> 427 428 429 430<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The MTA’s cost problems are well documented and rigorously documented. Brian Rosenthal of <em>The Times</em> produced a thorough and accessible piece four years ago <a href="http://secondavesagas.com/2018/01/01/inside-times-deep-dive-factors-behind-mtas-massive-cost-problems/">analyzing how everyone from unions to contractors to public officials is to blame</a> and how the MTA’s usual excuses – environmental review laws, powerful unions, old utilities, fire codes – don’t hold up when compared with the Parises, Madrids and Londons of the world. Alon Levy and Eric Goldwyn at <a href="https://transitcosts.com/projects/">Transit Costs </a>have established a database of global transit projects that break down each by its components. These are the apples-to-apples comparisons that show the MTA paying between three or five times more per kilometer than even the second most expensive projects in the world. These are completely sensical comparisons that show out of control costs.</p> 431 432 433 434<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So why would Lieber dismiss this question out of hand when it’s one he should face every time he is called to Albany? For one, an entire ecosystem exists based on the MTA’s construction costs. Contractors in NYC are a powerful political interest group, and they would lose the most if the MTA could cut even a third of their astronomical construction costs. So the impetus to cut costs would come at a political price for Lieber’s boss. For another, cost reform is almost as impossible a task as it can be in NYC. Lieber alone can’t reform the MTA’s construction costs, and he’s overstepping his bounds to suggest the MTA is flushing money down the toilet. His job to lead to the agency, and it’s the politicians’ job to back work rule reforms and overhauls of review laws that drag down MTA construction projects. He doesn’t have the power or political backing to do any of this himself. It’s both a flaw and the purpose of the MTA as a quasi-independent government authority. </p> 435 436 437 438<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ultimately, Borello was right to ask, and his fellow Senators should be beating the drum on this topic non-stop. The MTA will not be able to expand its network sufficiently until the costs are under control, and understanding how and why the costs are so out of control and admitting it all publicly is the necessary first step. And all those cost comparisons floating out there? They’re accurate, and they’re not nonsense. Anyone in charge of the MTA should admit that. </p> 439 </div> 440 </div> 441 442 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 443 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 444 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-02-18T00:15:51-05:00">February 18, 2022</time></span> 445 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/18/dodging-a-question-lieber-shows-an-mta-unwilling-to-confront-its-cost-crisis/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>38 comments</a></span> 446 </div> 447 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 448 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17610" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">20</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/18/dodging-a-question-lieber-shows-an-mta-unwilling-to-confront-its-cost-crisis/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20Dodging%20a%20question%2C%20Lieber%20shows%20an%20MTA%20unwilling%20to%20confront%20its%20cost%2
4480crisis%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/18/dodging-a-question-lieber-shows-an-mta-unwilling-to-confront-its-cost-crisis/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=Dodging%20a%20question,%20Lieber%20shows%20an%20MTA%20unwilling%20to%20confront%20its%20cost%20crisis&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/18/dodging-a-question-lieber-shows-an-mta-unwilling-to-confront-its-cost-crisis/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 449 </div> 450 </div> 451 452</article><article id="post-17605" class="post-17605 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-interborough-express"> 453 454 455 456 457 458 <div class="header-standard"> 459 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/interborough-express/" rel="category tag">Interborough Express</a></span></div> 460 461 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/">The Interborough Express is Kathy Hochul’s crowning project, if she wants it badly enough</a></h2> 462 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 463 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 464 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-02-09T00:04:36-05:00">February 9, 2022</time> </div> 465 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 466 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on February 9, 2022</span> 467</div> 468 </div> 469 470 <div class="standard-content"> 471 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 472 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 473 474<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-17606" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-600x338.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-1170x659.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR-585x329.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IBXLTR.jpeg 1199w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>The light-rail version of the Interborough Express, shown here connecting to the L train at Wilson Ave. </figcaption></figure> 475 476 477 478<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her support last month for a truncated version of the RPA’s 25-year-old Triboro RX proposal, I was surprised. If it survives a gubernatorial election this year, your garden-variety NIMBY opposition and a lengthy review and planning process, the renamed Interborough Express — a 14-mile circumferential route that will connect Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights using an existing freight rail corridor — will become a welcome addition to the city’s transit-scape. But the break-neck pace that started with an out-of-the-blue announcement during her January 5 state-of-the-state speech and continued two weeks later with the release of the MTA’s feasibility study and the <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-releases-feasibility-report-interborough-express">start of the environmental review process</a> threw me for a loop.</p> 479 480 481 482<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Why? Because I had simply forgotten the MTA had <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2020/01/22/mta-launches-triboro-rx-feasibility-study-24-years-after-the-initial-rpa-proposal/">previously announced plans to study the route</a>. I forgot that they had already cut out the Bronx portion. I forgot it had attracted some support from a handful of New York Assembly representatives. The feasibility study was so out of mind, I didn’t even include it in <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/">my transportation to-do list</a> for the new governor last summer. When I looked back at the timing of the MTA’s original announcement, the world could be forgiven for forgetting. The next day, Andy Byford announced his resignation and a few weeks after that, the pandemic de
482scended upon us. The Triboro plan was one of the last bits of normal from 2020, and the feasibility study faded into that Before Times feeling. </p> 483 484 485 486<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But enough about me; let’s talk about the IBX. We’re definitely maybe kinda sorta getting it eventually as Hochul announced last month that the MTA had determined it is indeed physically feasible to add passenger to the freight line. âInfrastructure is all about connection, and with the Interborough Express we can connect people to their family and friends while also improving their quality of life,<meta charset="utf-8" />â the governor said. âThe Interborough Express will connect Brooklyn and Queens, not only shaving time off commutes but also making it easier to connect to subway lines across the route. With the completion of the feasibility study, we can move forward to the next phase of this project and bring us one step closer to making the Interborough Express a reality for New Yorkers.â</p> 487 488 489 490<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/011022_BRC-Existing-Conditions-01-2.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-17607" width="363" height="470" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/011022_BRC-Existing-Conditions-01-2.webp 726w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/011022_BRC-Existing-Conditions-01-2-463x600.webp 463w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/011022_BRC-Existing-Conditions-01-2-585x757.webp 585w" sizes="(max-width: 363px) 100vw, 363px" /><figcaption>The IBX will connect with 17 subway lines and the LIRR.</figcaption></figure></div> 491 492 493 494<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But what will the Interborough Express be? To learn that, we turn to the Feasibility Study and Alternatives Analysis, a <a href="https://new.mta.info/document/72081">flashy, 28-page PDF</a> that builds on the work the RPA has published on their <a href="https://rpa.org/work/reports/the-triboro">three-borough proposal</a>, most recently in its Fourth Regional Plan a few years ago. In that document, we learn that the new two-borough plan could be conventional rail, a new light rail or bus rapid transit. At this point, you may be wondering, “Why not <strong>Tri</strong>boro? What happened the Bronx?” Well, as we learned in 2020 and as the MTA briefly notes in the new report, including the Bronx extension would require significant expansion across the Hell Gate Bridge, and due to cost and feasibility concerns, it’s not in the cards for now. Turning the Interborough Express into the Triboro line will be another generation’s problem to solve. </p> 495 496 497 498<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even without this third borough, the MTA believes that 74,000 to 88,000 passengers per day, depending on the mode, would make use of this circumferential line that begins to fix the Manhattan-centric nature of the subways. It may have made sense in 1922 for nearly all subways to feed into Manhattan south of 60th Street, but in 2022, the need for better connections through the so-called far-flung neighborhoods of the so-called Outer Boroughs could not be more obvious. The 14-mile passenger route would connect with 17 subway lines and the LIRR in Brooklyn and Queens while providing a high-speed, frequent transit service for areas of the city currently heavily reliant on private automobiles for commuting. It makes use of an existing right-of-way, and if the stars align, it’s a project that could be completed by the end of the decade. The MTA hasn’t put a price tag on the alternatives, but MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber told reporters the project would be in the “single-digit billions” (which means the Interborough Express can be yours for the low, low price of $9,999,999,999 or less). </p> 499 500 501 502<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What this not-ten-billion will buy us remains to be seen, but the MTA has narrowed down the options to three: conventional rail sharing tracks with the preexisting freight service, light rail or bus rapid transit. Due to FRA requirements, the light rail and BRT options would have to run on rights-of-way physically separated from the freight service. For most of the route, these two options would exist next to the freight tracks but certain segments would have to run on newly-built viaducts above the Bay Bridge Branch corridor or on city streets. </p> 503 504 505 506<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The conventional rail option is most similar to London’s Overground or Paris’ RER. Trains would look similar to subways, could operate every five minutes and may even interoperate with the LIRR (though the MTA cautions this would be “very complex and expensive”). Ridership is estimated at 84,500 per day, but on the downside, end-to-e
506nd travel time for conventional rail is 45 minutes. </p> 507 508 509 510<p class="wp-block-paragraph">From a ridership perspective, the study seems to favor light rail, projecting 39-minute travel time and nearly 88,000 riders. Stations could be built at street level and “smaller LRT vehicles are able to navigate tighter curves and steeper gradients, which in turn reduce the amount of private land that needs to be taken.” But LRT is also the costliest due to the need to build out full physical separation from the freight tracks. The third option â bus rapid transit â would be the “lowest-cost alternative to build” with the “most operational flexibility.” But to meet the projected BRT ridership of 74,000, the MTA would have to run buses every 2.5 minutes during peak hours. The MTA cites “traffic and service reliability impacts” as potential challenges, and I generally favor either of the two fixed-rail options instead.</p> 511 512 513 514<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="763" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-1024x763.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17608" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-600x447.jpg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-768x573.jpg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-1536x1145.jpg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-1170x872.jpg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM-585x436.jpg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-02-08-at-11.58.55-PM.jpg 1792w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>A cross-section of the ROW reveals how the different modes would share space with the freight lines. Due to FRA requirements, light rail and buses can’t share track and limited dedicated viaducts or surface streets would be incorporated into the route.</figcaption></figure> 515 516 517 518<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With the feasibility study completed, and three alternatives tabbed for further review, the MTA at the direction of the governor will move this project into the environmental review phase. Never mind that the agency hasn’t released a 20-year needs assessment since the mid-2010s; never mind that funding remains a mystery. With the governor behind this project serving as its champion, it will move forward. That’s just the way the politics of transit expansion operate. </p> 519 520 521 522<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So next up are some public meetings, and as the line runs through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, those public meetings should be varied. As the study noted, “up to seven out of ten people served will be from communities of color, approximately one-half will come from households with no cars, and approximately one-third will be living in households at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Line.” While every elected official from these neighborhoods voiced support, Queens Assembly Rep. Cathy Nolan (and some of her more <a href="https://qns.com/2022/01/residents-worry-potential-drawbacks-interborough-express/">NIMBY-esque constituents</a>) worried about noise though I believe they’re worried about the <a href="https://twitter.com/2AvSagas/status/1478862127238680585">wrong ROW</a>, focusing their comments on the Montauk Line rather than the route of the IBX. </p> 523 524 525 526<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With <a href="https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/1/23/22898048/interborough-express-plows-through-past-opposition-to-rail-line-reactivation">key representatives, including council member Bob Holden, on board</a>, political opposition to the IBX is unlikely to materialize from Brooklyn and Queens, but Bronx representatives at clamoring for a piece of the pie. They feel perennial left out of the transit expansion discussion and for good reason. But Hochul wants to move fast, and if we take the MTA at even 40 percent of its word, the connection over the Hell Gate Bridge seriously complicates the project. The beauty of the Interborough Express is that it builds on a pre-existing right of way without the need for complicated construction. At-grade stations are easy; re-arranging the Hell Gate Bridge isn’t. A complicated, lengthy project isn’t in the cards politically, and the Bronx will have to wait. </p> 527 528 529 530<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51832771223_17f630920e_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The Bay Ridge Branch (left) as seen from the Fort Hamilton N train station. Will these tracks one day see passenger service? (Photo: (Marc A. Hermann / MTA on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/51832771223/">flickr</a>)</figcaption></figure> 531 532 533 534<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The biggest wild card may be Hochul’s reelection, but as of now, she’s sailing to her own term and at least four years during which she can use the power of her office to push through this project. In fact, Hochul even managed to get Rep. Jerry Nadler on board. The long-time Congressman had long opposed passenger use for the Bay Ridge Branch as he has spent decades pu
534shing for a freight tunnel under the New York Harbor. As part of the Interborough Express plan, Hochul <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-and-congressman-nadler-announce-port-authority-resume-federal-environmental">announced</a>, the Port Authority will examine how the Cross Harbor Rail Freight project will work with the Interborough Express. </p> 535 536 537 538<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The Interborough Express is an important project that has the potential to expand transit access to underserved neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. This project can and should co-exist with the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel project which would finally connect the New York metropolitan region to the national freight rail grid by removing trucks from our streets and diverting them to the underutilized rail network,” Nadler said in a statement. “We can and should use the Bay Ridge line to move both people and goods, and I am confident that we can advance both the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel and the Interborough Express together.”</p> 539 540 541 542<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So where does that leave New York City? This is the most real and concrete step the Triboro/IBX proposal has taken in its decades-long history, and it moves the project from the theoretical pages of the RPA to the real process begun by the MTA. So long as Hochul is the governor and wants to push this through, the project has the transit champion it needs to succeed. At 2 Broadway, there’s even a dream of finishing it by 2030 as the MTA eyes another round of big-ticket transit expansion projects.</p> 543 544 545 546<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I have one final suggestion thought. It could use a catchier name than one that reminds the world of an intestinal ailment. Is the Brooklyn-Queens Express taken? I hear the BQX is an awfully catchy acronym. </p> 547 548 549 550<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>For a deep dive into the ins and outs of the challenges that await the Interborough Express and a view of the AECOM report on which the MTA’s alternatives analysis was based, head on over to Streetsblog and read through <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2022/01/21/analysis-gov-hochuls-bi-boro-train-line-how-will-it-work/">Dave Colon’s analysis</a>. Alon Levy was disappointed in the narrow scope of the alternatives analysis but <a href="https://pedestrianobservations.com/2022/01/25/the-interborough-study/">finds much to like in the speed</a> at which Hochul is pursuing the project. I agree with Alon on both points.</em></p> 551 </div> 552 </div> 553 554 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 555 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 556 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2022-02-09T00:04:36-05:00">February 9, 2022</time></span> 557 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>34 comments</a></span> 558 </div> 559 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 560 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17605" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">10</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20The%20Interborough%20Express%20is%20Kathy%20Hochul%27s%20crowning%20project%2C%20if%20she%20wants%20it%20badly%20enough%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=The%20Interborough%20Express%20is%20Kathy%20Hochul's%20crowning%20project,%20if%20she%20wants%20it%20badly%20enough&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/02/09/the-interborough-express-is-kathy-hochuls-crowning-project-if-she-wants-it-badly-enough/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 561 </div> 562 </div> 563 564</article><article id="post-17603" class="post-17603 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-fare-hikes category-mta-politics category-service-cuts"> 565 566 567 568 569 570 <div class="header-standard"> 571 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/fare-hikes/" rel="category tag">Fare Hikes</a><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/mta-politics/" rel="category tag">MTA Politics</a><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/service-cuts/" rel="category tag">Service Cuts</a></span></div> 572 573 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/17/service-cuts-fare-hikes-off-the-table-for-now-due-to-covid-relief-money/">Service cuts, fare hikes ‘off the table for now’ due to COVID relief money</a></h2> 574 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 575 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 576 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-11-17T00:32:53-05:00">November 17, 2021</time> </div> 577 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 578 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on November 17, 2021</span> 579</div> 580 </div> 581 582 <div class="standard-content"> 583 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 584 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 585 586<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51634509344_606212cf9d_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>MTA transit fares will not increase for the the foreseeable future., the governor announced earlier this week. (Photo: MTA / Jessie Mislavsky) </figcaption></figure> 587 588 589 590<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a boon for riders, the MTA is ending 2021 much as it began the year: by delaying a planned fare hike for at least six months and putting off planned service cuts indefinitely. The news, first announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and later clarified by MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, will c
590ome as welcome news as subway riders continue to return to the system and came about due to various federal COVID relief bills. </p> 591 592 593 594<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Hochul first announced the pause on Monday before flying to DC to joint President Joe Biden for the signing ceremony of the infrastructure bill, and she made it sound as though the BIF was the cause of the pause. She said:</p> 595 596 597 598<blockquote> We’ve done the numbers. And as a result of the money we’ll be receiving from the president signing the bill today, I’ll be witnessing this. We anticipate that there’ll be no fare hikes for the MTA. So therefore, those of you who are commuters on the MTA and have been anxious about how much this is going to go up, especially in this era of inflation, when it just seems when you’re just trying to get your head above water and come out from under a long dark period of the pandemic, and you might get a little bit more money in your paycheck, that the cost of living from gasoline to the cost of turkeys in another week and a half, this is really affecting people’s ability to just put food on their table. And I’m really excited to say that we will not have to raise the fairs or have any service cuts. The service cuts that were planned for 2023 and 2024 are now off the table for MTA commuters.</blockquote> 599 600 601 602<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The MTA later clarified that the delay in any fare hikes and the indefinite postponement of service cuts is due more to COVID relief bills rather than the recent infrastru
602cture deal, but either way, riders are the ones who stand to benefit. In comments on Monday to reporters during the MTA Board committee meetings, Lieber added context to Hochul’s promise. The MTA will delay any consideration of fare hikes for at least six months, if not longer, and the service cuts are no longer part of the agency’s budget projections. “We are not planning to reinstitute those hearings and that process,” Lieber said of the fare hikes, once planned for 2021. “For now, fare hikes are off the table; service cuts are off the table…We do not want to discourage people from coming back by raising the fares.”</p> 603 604 605 606<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the budget wonks among us, Lieber explained how the various COVID and infrastructure bills allowed the MTA to halt these harmful cost increases and service reductions. Effectively, since the BIF enables the MTA to receive more money directly, the agency does not have to borrow as much to fund its capital plan. The debt payments associated with capital borrowing are applied to the operating budget so more direct funding means less deficit funding. Additionally, a few days ago, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governors-hochul-murphy-and-lamont-announce-agreement-federal-funding-awarded-regions-public">finally reached agreement</a> on COVID relief funding for transit, and the MTA no longer has to borrow against future revenues to ensure cash flow remains consistent. Thus, the agency had the financial leeway to hold off on fare hikes for now and defer service cuts for the next few years. </p> 607 608 609 610<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Reading the political tea leaves allows us to catch a glimpse of when the agency may reconsider fare hikes, and it’s very unlikely to be during 2022. Lieber told reporters that fare hikes could be implemented “in theory” over the summer or in October, but that would align fare hikes with votes in a hotly-contested gubernatorial primary or general election next year. Hochul, fighting for a term of her own, is not going to permit the MTA to raise fares before she secures her seat, and Lieber and the MTA are more than willing to go along with their boss’ plan. “We are,” Lieber said, “taking fare hikes off the table for at least six months and maybe well beyond that.”</p> 611 612 613 614<p class="wp-block-paragraph">What happens beyond the election in 2022 is anyone’s guess. MTA leadership has not been shy in noting that the COVID relief money is driving this policy. “The deficit is looming because of COVID when the Washington money runs out,” Lieber said, and he wants the legislature to come up with a funding plan that isn’t as heavily reliant on ridership as the MTA’s current projections. After all, COVID took a huge bite out of ridership, and the MTA — which must balance its budget by law — doesn’t want to cut service or raise fares as it works to rebuild its rider base. Currently, weekday ridership is around 55-58% of what it was before the pandemic, and the agency does not expect another big bump until early January when more commuters return to their offices. Thus, ridership revenue will continue to lag as it has since March 2020, and the state, the MTA says, should find more equitable ways to fund transit that do not fall so heavily on the wallets of passengers. </p> 615 616 617 618<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That’s a discussion that will have to unfold over the next few months and years. For now, as the MTA freezes fares, I ask is this good policy? And is this good politics? By freezing fares, the MTA is foregoing approximately $200 million in additional revenue that could be used to further pay down past debts or finance operations. As the money isn’t a 1-for-1 replacement from the feds, the MTA, through a decision by the Governor, is foregoing this added revenue. In a vacuum, this may not be great policy, but it’s very good politics. </p> 619 620 621 622<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While you or I may ride the subways regularly, the MTA still must work to convince New Yorkers to come back to transit. Those missing 40% of riders — which can amount to 2 or 2.5 million swipes every day — won’t come back by themselves, and the MTA will have to work for it. As many riders remain essential workers who never left the system and others look at various options, the MTA is wise to keep fares down, as they were earlier this year when they <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/01/19/mta-to-shelve-2021-fare-hike-for-now-citing-the-economic-toll-of-the-pandemic-on-nyc/">delayed the fare hike</a> in January. The agency isn’t about to reduce fares as some cities have done, but not raising the rates at a time when service isn’t better and riders need to have faith in the subway is good politics. </p> 623 624 625 626<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s also good personal politics for a politician to avoid fare raises during an election year. While the MTA was founded to remove politics from fare decisions, we saw during Andrew Cuomo’s reign just how easy it is to politicize transit. If Hochul wants to do us all a favor by keeping fares where they are for another year, I won’t look this gift horse any more closely in the mouth than I already have. </p> 627 628 629 630<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And so the fares remain the same. More importantly, the service cuts, which would exacerbate a death spiral, remain off the table, and the MTA continues along, bending to the will of the governor who is in control and allow the public some measure of relief as New York continues its late-COVID rebound. </p> 631 </div> 632 </div> 633 634 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 635 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 636 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-11-17T00:32:53-05:00">November 17, 2021</time></span> 637 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/17/service-cuts-fare-hikes-off-the-table-for-now-due-to-covid-relief-money/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>35 comments</a></span> 638 </div> 639 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 640 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17603" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">7</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/17/service-cuts-fare-hikes-off-the-table-for-now-due-to-covid-relief-money/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20Service%20cuts%2C%20fare%20hikes%20%27off%20the%20table%20for%20now%27%20due%20to%20COVID%20relief%20money%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/17/service-cuts-fare-hikes-off-the-table-for-now-due-to-covid-relief-money/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=Service%20cuts,%20fare%20hikes%20'off%20the%20table%20for%20now'%20due%20to%20COVID%20relief%20money&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/17/service-cuts-fare-hikes-off-the-table-for-now-due-to-covid-relief-money/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 641 </div> 642 </div> 643 644</article><article id="post-17601" class="post-17601 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-omny"> 645 646 647 648 649 650 <div class="header-standard"> 651 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/omny/" rel="category tag">
651OMNY</a></span></div> 652 653 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/11/omny-set-to-usher-in-the-age-of-fare-capping-in-nyc/">OMNY set to usher in the age of fare-capping in NYC</a></h2> 654 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 655 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 656 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-11-11T14:09:43-05:00">November 11, 2021</time> </div> 657 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 658 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on November 11, 2021</span> 659</div> 660 </div> 661 662 <div class="standard-content"> 663 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 664 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 665 666<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://pyxis.nymag.com/v1/imgs/a4d/624/6f3930640585b4d8db49b6c46e9354f8e5-omny-.2x.rhorizontal.w700.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The OMNY card will replace the Metrocard, though the fewer people who have one, the better. (Via the MTA)</figcaption></figure> 667 668 669 670<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During the pandemic, the way I’ve paid for transit trips in New York City has undergone a seismic change. I haven’t used a Metrocard since the second half of 2020 when the MTA completed the OMNY rollout in the subway and on buses near me in Brooklyn. I don’t suffer the frustration of “please swipe again” and instead tap in on every ride using my phone. Since I’m not commuting regularly, I no longer need a monthly Metrocard, and since I’m paying for each ride individually, I’m happy to use the latest and greatest in payment technology to tap in on every ride.</p> 671 672 673 674<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At some point — maybe in January when I head back to my office a few days a week — this might change, and I’ll have to revert back to Metrocards of yore. If I’m taking enough transit rides, I’ll have to think about whether an unlimited card makes sense. I’ll have to map out my planned trips to see if I’m going to make it back to 12 rides per week or 47 riders per month, the current breakeven points for a 7- or 30-day card respectively. </p> 675 676 677 678<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But what if I didn’t have to think about it? Enter OMNY and enter fare capping.</p> 679 680 681 682<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In our age of instant tech gratification, the MTA’s OMNY rollout has seemed almost glacial. The new fare payment system, in the works for the better part of a decade, was officially announced in 2017 and rollout began in 2019, around the time I interviewed Al Putre for a <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2019/06/21/second-ave-sagas-podcast-episode-5-omny-with-the-mtas-al-putre/">podcast episode on OMNY</a>. It will still be another 20 months before the Metrocard makes its final swipe in July of 2023, and yet, by MTA standards, this project is zooming along. All subways and buses are now OMNY-equipped, and as the MTA records 25% of fares paid via the new contactless tap system, the proprietary OMNY card made its debut last month for those who don’t have or don’t want to use their own payment cards. But that’s only the beginning, and the MTA is finally starting to talk about one of the biggest benefits of OMNY: the potential to implement fare-capping.</p> 683 684 685 686<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“For the MTA,” Janno Lieber, the agency’s current acting chair and CEO, said following last month’s board meeting, “the technology behind OMNY gives us ways to imagine fare structures in ways we haven’t really thought of just yet. This is a big, big moment. Folks recall that when we changed from tokens to Metrocard, that changed everything, not just how we collected fares but it give life to the monthly and unlimited fares that ended up being a financial plus in the long run. OMNY offers us the same opportunity to rethink fares.” This will, Lieber subsequently confirmed, include fare-capping.</p> 687 688 689 690<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For the uninitiated, the concept of fare-capping is a simple one. If you take a certain
690number of paid rides in a given time period, once you reach the cap, every subsequent ride is free. Basically, if you hit the pay-per-ride cost equivalent of a time-based pass, you no longer get charged for additional trips during that time period. The Tube in London has implemented a daily cap reached on a rider’s fourth ride and weekly caps (which run from Monday to Sunday) generally reached on the 16th ride. </p> 691 692 693 694<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fare-capping is intended to take the guesswork out of buying a transit pass but more importantly, it opens up transit and time-based passes for those who may not be able to afford an initial outlay of $127 each month for that 30-day card. (Transit Center has <a href="https://transitcenter.org/fare-capping-formula-fairer-fares/">written more on how fare-capping promotes transit equity and use</a>.) Lieber <a href="http://nbcnewyork.com/traffic/transit-traffic/mta-explores-fare-capping-program-that-would-turn-single-rides-into-unlimited-passes/3361046/">spoke with NBC New York</a> about these benefits. “
694If you ride a certain number of rides, at some point the algorithm will tell you the best deal for you is to have an unlimited,” he said. “[OMNY] will give you the benefit of that.”</p> 695 696 697 698<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fare-capping has always been one of the promises of OMNY, and in a Tweet a few weeks ago, NYC Transit let slip the future potential. Since then, politicians and advocates have come out in favor of the move. The Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA <a href="https://www.pcac.org/news/pcac-statement-on-fare-capping-with-omny/">spoke glowingly in a statement</a> and urged the board to move fast: “Pairing OMNY with fare capping is the perfect match: itâs a marriage between technology and equitable fare policy. It will encourage people to get back onboard, and the more they ride, the sooner theyâll do it for free. Giving all riders the opportunity to, in essence, get a monthly or weekly transit pass without having to upfront costs will level the playing field and allow people of every income ability to take advantage of the benefits of unlimited access to the subways and buses.”</p> 699 700 701 702<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the State Senate, Andrew Gounardes isn’t waiting around for the MTA to act on its own. He recently introduced <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s7486">a bill</a> mandating that OMNY include a fare capping system, garnering praise from transit advocates. “It’s an unfortunate truth that while commuters who can afford to pay $127 a month upfront are rewarded with unlimited rides, lower-income transit riders who can’t front the cash often end up paying for more expensive single-fare rides each month,” Jaqi Cohen of Tri-State Transportation Campaign said. “Fare capping would ensure that all riders have access to the same unlimited fare option, whether they could afford to pay upfront or not.”</p> 703 704 705 706<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> 707<div class="embed-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, I introduced a bill to require the MTA implement fare capping technology on OMNY immediately.<br>That means once you tap your card enough times, youâll get unlimited rides (like a monthly metro card without having to pay it all upfront) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tri_State?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Tri_State</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RidersAlliance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RidersAlliance</a> <a href="https://t.co/eCL2AHclh6">pic.twitter.com/eCL2AHclh6</a></p>— State Senator Andrew Gounardes (@Sen_Gounardes) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sen_Gounardes/status/1453763710514876423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
707<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
707</div> 708</div></figure> 709 710 711 712<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of course this doesn’t mean fare-capping is coming to NYC tomorrow or next month, but the promise is there. The MTA Board is going to work with Transit staffers to understand how the system could be implemented and come up with a proposal that works for the agency and its bottom line and the riders. The questions to be answered include assessments of the time period, whether rolling or fixed to the calendar, and the dollar value of the cap. </p> 713 714 715 716<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Anything we do,” Lieber said, “involves reprogramming all those vending machines in the stations and working on the software and all of that, and we have not made a final decision exactly how this will work. And the board gets to decide. I don’t want to create expectations. We’re still studying this. We’re going to have to figure it out.”</p> 717 </div> 718 </div> 719 720 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 721 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 722 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-11-11T14:09:43-05:00">November 11, 2021</time></span> 723 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/11/omny-set-to-usher-in-the-age-of-fare-capping-in-nyc/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>35 comments</a></span> 724 </div> 725 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 726 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17601" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">9</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/11/omny-set-to-usher-in-the-age-of-fare-capping-in-nyc/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20OMNY%20set%20to%20usher%20in%20the%20age%20of%20fare-capping%20in%20NYC%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/11/omny-set-to-usher-in-the-age-of-fare-capping-in-nyc/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=OMNY%20set%20to%20usher%20in%20the%20age%20of%20fare-capping%20in%20NYC&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/11/11/omny-set-to-usher-in-the-age-of-fare-capping-in-nyc/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 727 </div> 728 </div> 729 730</article><article id="post-17597" class="post-17597 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-panynj tag-laguardia-airtrain"> 731 732 733 734 735 736 <div class="header-standard"> 737 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/panynj/" rel="category tag">PANYNJ</a></span></div> 738 739 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/10/14/laguardia-airtrain-on-pause-as-hochul-gears-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-cuomo-era-vanity-project/">Laguardia AirTrain on ‘pause’ as Hochul gears up to pull the plug on Cuomo-era vanity project</a></h2> 740 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 741 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 742 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-10-14T00:56:27-04:00">October 14, 2021</time> </div> 743 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 744 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on October 14, 2021</span> 745</div> 746 </div> 747 748 <div class="standard-content"> 749 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 750 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 751 752<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/LGAAirTrain-2048x1092.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>The Laguardia AirTrain, a pet project of Andrew Cuomo’s, is now on life support as the Port Authority begins a new review.</figcaption></figure> 753 754 755 756<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The much-maligned Laguardia AirTrain may be on its last legs as the Port Authority has paused work on the project following an order by Governor Kathy Hochul to re-examine the plan. The decision doesn’t quite kill former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s crowning symbolism of his top-down, ‘me-first-and-only’ approach to transit planning, but facing lawsuits and criticism on all sides, the days are clearly numbered for the Willets Point-based backwards airtrain, as they should be. </p> 757 758 759 760<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This week’s pause had been in the works since Hochul took over. Sensing blood in the water, a strange coalition of East Elmhurst residents, environmentalists and transit advocates as well as all local politicians had banded together to press the new governor to halt the old governor’s flawed project, and the new governor sort of obliged. </p> 761 762 763 764<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Following seven weeks of lobbying by Queens politicians, Hochul announced, well, something on October 4. In a statement, she asked the Port Authority to look into “alternative mass transit solutions.” It wasn’t a pause, but it wasn’t a ringing endorsement of the AirTrain. She said:</p> 765 766 767 768<blockquote><p>“New Yorkers deserve world-class transportation to world-class airports. I have asked the Port Authority to thoroughly examine alternative mass transit solutions for reducing car traffic and increasing connectivity to LaGuardia Airport. We must ensure that our transportation projects are bold, visionary, and serve the needs of New Yorkers. I remain committed to working expeditiously to rebuild our infrastru
768cture for the 21st century and to create jobs – not just at LaGuardia, but at all of our airports and transit hubs across New York.”</p></blockquote> 769 770 771 772<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For a week or so, it wasn’t clear what Hochul’s ask meant. Was she canceling the AirTrain? Was she permitting it to move forward? Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority, indicated that his agency planned to keep pushing forward on the AirTrain, and the project seemed to exist in a political limbo until the Port Authority released its own unattributed statement this week, just a few days before a deadline to respond to the Riverkeeper lawsuit, announcing the pause: </p> 773 774 775 776<blockquote><p>âAt Governor Hochulâs request, the Port Authority is undertaking a thorough review of potential alternative mass transit options to LaGuardia Airport. The agency will work in close consultation with independent experts and stakeholders, and will complete its work as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the need for the review to be thorough and rigorous. During the review, the Port Authority will pause further action with respect to the LaGuardia AirTrain project.â</p></blockquote> 777 778 779 780<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The AirTrain isn’t dead, but it’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZw35VUBdzo&ab_channel=Cinematheia">pining for the Fjords</a>. I’d be shocked if another minute of work happens to advance the Willets Point plan, and it seems the projects myriad opponents have won. Though what they’ve won remains to be seen, and the next few steps will determine if this is a real victory or just a Pyrrhic one.</p> 781 782 783 784<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As readers of my site know, I will not mourn the death of the AirTrain. As I wrote back in 2015, it was <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2015/01/29/a-postmortem-for-now-on-cuomos-laguardia-airtrain-plan/">a bad project from the start</a>, one with murky origins no one could pinpoint. One day, the Governor showed up a meeting and demanded the Port Authority and MTA find a way to justify the Willets Point plan even as analysis showed that it would save few people any time at all. It wasn’t worth the original $500 million budget, a figure the Port Authority later admitted they made up to placate Cuomo, and it certainly isn’t worth the current $2.1 billion price tag. To justify the project, the Port Authority <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2020/01/08/how-the-port-authority-rigged-its-alternative-analysis-in-favor-of-cuomos-airtrain/">rigged the alternatives analysis</a> and environment impact statements to heavily favor only Cuomo’s plan rather than more useful subway connections or a simpler dedicated bus lane. When Riverkeeper, Guardians of Flushing Bay and the Ditmars Boulevard Block Association sued over the obviously flawed environmental studies, the writing was on the wall. </p> 785 786 787 788<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At the same time, numerous politicians used the void created by Cuomo’s resignation to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/plans-for-airtrain-to-laguardia-other-new-york-projects-in-doubt-with-andrew-cuomo-departure-11632398492">finally speak out against the project</a>. We can debate the political courage (or lack thereof) of waiting until Cuomo was out of office to jump, but once he left, jump they did. Those politicians who had been critics while Cuomo was still in power welcomed the new allies, but the upcoming fight over what’s next is a harder one that will fray the tenuous peace behind neighborhood groups that stray toward NIMBYism and transit advocates who want to see a real solution. </p> 789 790 791 792<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So far, in fact, that’s all that we’ve won: The right to keep fighting. It took six years from conception until the AirTrain was nearly ready for ground-breaking, and that was with a strong-willed governor willing to strong-arm the project through. That’s one of the reasons why the RPA, for instance, pushed against canceling the AirTrain even while knowing about the project’s dubious transit value. </p> 793 794 795 796<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now, the governor will have to find a better plan and overcome skepticism in Queens. For example, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris <a href="https://www.qgazette.com/articles/n-train-extension-to-lag-scrapped/">objected to an extension of the N train back in the early 2000s</a> while promoting the Willets Point plan then but now rightly objects to the Willets Point plan. He told <em>Gotham Gazette’s</em> Ben Max that he is open to the idea of a Laguardia subway extension over the Grand Central Parkway (skip to minute 42 of <a href="https://www.gothamgazette.com/state/10725-max-politics-podcast-michael-gianaris-andrew-cuomo-resignation-new-york-politics">this podcast</a>), but a plan that avoids temporary neighborhood disruptions won’
796t add subway access to residential and commercial areas without it. To me, that’s the wrong to right here. </p> 797 798 799 800<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The best way forward involves a combination of outcomes. In the immediate future, providing a dedicated bus connection from Jackson Heights and a dedicated bus lane through Laguardia would pay dividends while political leaders lay the groundwork for a subway connection to the airport, one that improves access through East Elmhurst and connects Laguardia to the subway. It won’t be an easy fight, and it will require coalition-building and a governor willing to fight the NIMBYs who will emerge. But it’s the right way forward. </p> 801 802 803 804<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I put canceling the AirTrain as number four on Hochul’s <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/">transit to do list</a>, and she’s on the verge of doing it. But the second part is not letting this opportunity go to waste. If nothing comes of this other than six years of planning and no new plan for a better rail connection, all of this will have been for naught, and we’ll be in the same position we were two decades ago when the city scraped the N train extension, only this time we’ll have a nicer Laguardia no more accessible than it is today. </p> 805 806 807 808<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s a fate Hochul says she wants to avoid. “âWe will offer world-class mass transit opportunities to get from LaGuardia to the city. Iâll get that done,” the governor promised on Wednesday, “but I want to take some breathing room to assess whatâs been done in the past, what ideas were rejected and how we ended up with AirTrain in the first place.â</p> 809 810 811 812<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The next round of actions will speak louder than her words. </p> 813 814 815 816<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 817 </div> 818 </div> 819 820 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 821 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 822 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-10-14T00:56:27-04:00">October 14, 2021</time></span> 823 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/10/14/laguardia-airtrain-on-pause-as-hochul-gears-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-cuomo-era-vanity-project/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>29 comments</a></span> 824 </div> 825 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 826 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17597" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">11</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/10/14/laguardia-airtrain-on-pause-as-hochul-gears-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-cuomo-era-vanity-project/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20Laguardia%20AirTrain%20on%20%27pause%27%20as%20Hochul%20gears%20up%20to%20pull%20the%20plug%20on%20Cuomo-era%20vanity%20project%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/10/14/laguardia-airtrain-on-pause-as-hochul-gears-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-cuomo-era-vanity-project/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=Laguardia%20AirTrain%20on%20'pause'
826%20as%20Hochul%20gears%20up%20to%20pull%20the%20plug%20on%20Cuomo-era%20vanity%20project&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/10/14/laguardia-airtrain-on-pause-as-hochul-gears-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-cuomo-era-vanity-project/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 827 </div> 828 </div> 829 830</article><article id="post-17595" class="post-17595 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-mta-politics"> 831 832 833 834 835 836 <div class="header-standard"> 837 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/mta-politics/" rel="category tag">MTA Politics</a></span></div> 838 839 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/">#HochulsMTA: A Transportation To-Do List for the New Governor</a></h2> 840 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 841 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 842 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-29T23:51:38-04:00">August 29, 2021</time> </div> 843 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 844 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on August 29, 2021</span> 845</div> 846 </div> 847 848 <div class="standard-content"> 849 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 850 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 851 852<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7_PXt6WEAEOj-7.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Kathy Hochul took the subway from midtown to Harlem earlier this month because it was the quickest way to go, her comms team said. (Photo via <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanLesswing/status/1423084031634288653/photo/1">Bryan Lesswing</a>)</figcaption></figure> 853 854 855 856<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With Andrew Cuomo out of the picture and his <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-andrew-cuomo/">infrastructure legacy</a> receding with him, our attention turns to Kathy Hochul. The new governor hails from Buffalo and is the first Upstater to live in the Executive Mansion since the 1920s. This may be a blessing for the NYC region as Hochul doesnât come with a long history of, say, MTA animosity or the auto-centric policies of some suburban politicians. </p> 857 858 859 860<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After years of heavy-handed, ego-driven interference with MTA operations from Cuomo, New Yorkers are looking for signs from Hochul that change is on the way, and so far, the new governor has been saying all the right things. âThe MTA is going to be far more liberated,â Hochul said to NY1âs Errol Louis during Thursdayâs <em>Inside City Hall</em>. âI will not be filling positions with political allies because there’s a lot of talent out there and I want a diverse population, representing the riders, which is a diverse population.â</p> 861 862 863 864<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But words are just promises that need to be fulfilled. Itâs only the first week of the Hochul Administration during the doldrums of August, and the new governor is still getting her sea legs. Plus, Hochul may be only a steward for the next year. She’ll be in office for only 12 months before facing a wide-open primary next year, and the jockeying for a four-year term may limit her power. So with politics in New York very much up in the air, Hochulâs first actions on transportation are still to come.</p> 865 866 867 868<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the meantime, I have my own thoughts on what she could do. So without further ado, a ‘to do’ list for the new governor. </p> 869 870 871 872<ol class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Pledge MTA Leadership Stability</strong></li></ol> 873 874 875 876<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To say turnover was high at the MTA during Gov. Cuomo’s time in office is an understatement. I put together a list of all the people to serve as either MTA head or New York City Transit President during the ten years, seven months and 23 days of Cuomo Administration, and
876you can see why leadership continuity and righting the MTA’s ship have often felt impossible over the past decade. </p> 877 878 879 880<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>MTA Chair & CEO</strong></td><td><strong>New York City Transit President</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Janno Lieber (Acting)</td><td>Craig Cipriano (Interim)</td></tr><tr><td>Pat Foye</td><td>Sarah Feinberg (Interim)</td></tr><tr><td>Fernando Ferrer (Interim)</td><td>Andy Byford</td></tr><tr><td>Joe Lhota</td><td>Phil Eng (Acting)</td></tr><tr><td>Fernando Ferrer (Interim)</td><td>Tim Mulligan (Acting)</td></tr><tr><td>Tom Prendergast</td><td>Darryl Irick (Interim)</td></tr><tr><td>Fernando Ferrer (Interim)</td><td>Ronnie Hakim</td></tr><tr><td>Joe Lhota</td><td>James Ferrara (Interim)</td></tr><tr><td>Jay Walder (nominated by Paterson)</td><td>Carmen Bianco</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Tom Prendergast (nominated by Paterson)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> 881 882 883 884<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The MTA has careened from one leader to the next with few spending enough time to implement reform or long-term strategic planning. For her part, Hochul should commit to stability atop the MTA. She should swiftly move to install Janno Lieber as the permanent head of the MTA, as she has indicated she is likely to do, and she should consider <a href="https://pedestrianobservations.com/2021/08/10/new-leadership-for-new-york-city-transit-and-the-mta/">Alon Levy’s advice</a> in hunting for agency heads: Look outside the U.S. for leadership; consult with Andy Byford on potential NYC Transit presidents;
884 and give a good, long look to candidates outside of the Anglosphere.</p> 885 886 887 888<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Again, she’s saying the right things. In an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/nyregion/kathy-hochul-interview.html">interview with <em>The New York Times</em></a>, Hochul discussed her relationship with the MTA and struck a different chord than Cuomo’s heavy-handed interference. “Authority doesnât have to be concentrated in me when Iâm hiring outstanding professionals who know their jobs,” she said, in a veiled reference to the failed Byford-Cuomo relationship. “I will be there if thereâs something thatâs not following what I want. But I also know that day to day, theyâre the ones that have to be accountable. Accountable to the riders, accountable to me. But I also know that granting more freedom allows them to rise.”</p> 889 890 891 892<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But even here, Hochul may not be able to bring the stability the MTA needs to chart a multi-year course. She almost immediately has to face an election campaign, and while she will enjoy an incumbency advantage, she’s going to have to beat more well-known candidates to earn her own term. If she loses, the next governor will likely want to appoint his or her own MTA heads, thus continuing this leadership upheaval in the short term. Anyone who fits Levy’s bill or may be inclined to take on the task of leading New York City Transit may not want to do so until the gubernatorial election is settled. Still, if Hochul can commit to stability and a proper relationship with her MTA heads, that’s a step in the right direction. </p> 893 894 895 896<ol class="wp-block-list" start="2"><li><strong>Clean House at the MTA Board: Get Rid of the Cuomo Holdovers</strong></li></ol> 897 898 899 900<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/styles/biography_photo/public/2019-12/lawrence-schwartz-headshot.jpg?itok=eMi_1thF" alt="" width="261" height="326"/><figcaption>The MTA Board will be much better off when Larry Schwartz and other Cuomo holdovers are removed.</figcaption></figure></div> 901 902 903 904<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While we all acknowledge the governor of New York controls the MTA and can do with the agency as he pleases, the way Andrew Cuomo interacted with his own MTA heads sometimes sounds unbelievable. Cuomo would name his own agency heads and then appoint Board members whose main responsibilities involved inserting themselves into day-to-day MTA operations, essentially as the Governor’s enforcers/spies to undermine the agency heads. The worst of this was the Larry Schwartz/An
904dy Byford dynamic, and it led to animosity among MTA leaders and fear among the rank-and-file that the governor’s right-hand man would show up with demands out of left field, usually unreasonable. </p> 905 906 907 908<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The next MTA Board meeting isn’t until late September, and not a single one of Cuomo’s appointees should still be on the Board for that meeting. Already, Linda Lacewell, Cuomo’s former head of the Department of Financial Services, stepped down from the Board when she resigned from her position, but Cuomo’s other appointees remain. Jamey Barbars (one of the few Cuomo Board appointees with actual transportation experience), Haeda Milhaltses and Robert Mujica have said nothing, but Schwartz has <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/08/26/cuomo-aide-larry-schwartz-says-he-wont-resign-from-mta-board/">defiantly said he’ll stay on the Board</a> until Hochul kicks him off. </p> 909 910 911 912<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Claiming he did nothing wrong (despite being named in Tish James’ report numerous times and separately being accused of threatening county leaders to support Cuomo or risk their vaccine supply), Schwartz told <em>The Post</em> he will not leave “on my own.” </p> 913 914 915 916<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Iâve been looking for over two years to get off, so Iâm not looking to stay on,â he said. âBut I will do the right thing. If they feel I can be a help short term, or long term, we can talk about it. Iâll do whatever the new administration wants. Theyâre aware.â</p> 917 918 919 920<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Schwartz has constantly used his Board position to bolster Cuomo and undermine those willing to show an ounce of independence so the claim he’s been looking to leave for two years doesn’t pass the smell test. Either way, he may soon get his wish. </p> 921 922 923 924<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âIâm committed to ensuring that the people named in the attorney generalâs report will no longer serve in my administration,â Hochul said when asked last week about MTA Board holdovers. âIâve asked for a 45-day period. Some individuals will be gone sooner than that. Many have already been removed or left on their own because they knew they were not going to be in my administration…I<meta charset="utf-8">âll be naming a whole slate of new people to fill those soon-to-be vacant positions and make sure entities like the MTA are free from interference, from political influences and also to make sure we have the best talent. So I would just say, stay tuned.”</p> 925 926 927 928<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stay tuned we will, but if Schwartz and Co. are at next month’s MTA Board meeting, something will have gone horribly wrong. </p> 929 930 931 932<ol class="wp-block-list" start="3"><li><strong>Speed up congestion pricing</strong></li></ol> 933 934 935 936<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The MTA recently announced a rather lengthy review process for congestion pricing that could delay implementation of the fee for nearly two years. The agency first must conduct public hearings, scheduled to begin in September, prepare the Environmental Analysis and then bid out the infrastructure required to toll Manhattan’s Central Business District. Meanwhile, congestion has made New York City worst-in-the-nation traffic grind to a halt, affecting air quality, productivity and safety. The Mayor’s advise was to “improvise,” and congestion pricing is a key hope to untangling the roads while funding the MTA’s capital plan.</p> 937 938 939 940<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another two-year delay after the initial two-year delay represents a failure to respond to the crises of climate change, gridlock and MTA funding. Here, Hochul’s hands may be tied, and congestion pricing could become a hot button issue among suburban primary voters next year. But the new governor has vowed to do what she can to speed up the process, and she can use her bully pulpit to push the MTA and feds on reducing the timeline for review. It’s absurd on its face for an environmental review process for something clearly designed to help the environment to take two years. The mayor has <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/08/17/de-blasio-to-mta-16-month-congestion-pricing-environmental-review-is-ridiculous/">made noises about the lengthy timeline</a>, and advocates are <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/08/24/dear-gov-hochul-move-fast-on-congestion-pricing/">pushing hard</a> for a shorter timeline. But Hochul has not yet taken any steps to exercise the power she has. </p> 941 942 943 944<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âThe mayor and I spoke about congestion pricing…We had a very good conversation and there are certain legal requirements in place that have to be followed,” Hochul said earlier this month while still Lieutenant Governor.” I have supported congestion pricing. But in terms of the timing, I have to follow whatâs in place right now, but itâs very much on my mind. Iâm also meeting with the MTA to find out our financial situation to see how long we can go without the money we anticipate from congestion pricing.â</p> 945 946 947 948<ol class="wp-block-list" start="4"><li><strong>Ditch the LGA AirTrain</strong></li></ol> 949 950 951 952<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My views on the backwards Laguardia AirTrain are <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=kabak+laguardia+airtrain&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS857US859&oq=kabak+laguardia+airtrain&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160l2j33i299.2904j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">well documented</a>: It’s a project with no transit utility pushed through because Gov. Cuomo came up with the idea, and the EIS appears to have been heavily weighted, perhaps illegally so, to ensure the Willets Point connection was the only viable option. At the least, Hochul should halt the AirTrain project and order a review to assess the level of Cuomo’s political interference into the environmental review process. At best, Hochul should push for a true transit connection that extends the subway from Astoria to give a subway desert a station while providing a useful connection to the airport.</p> 953 954 955 956<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So far, Hochul has been mum on this project. She supported it as Lieutenant Governor but has yet to address it since taking her new job. Many advocates have urged her to reassess the project while the RPA continues to ignore the transit analysis in favor of Looking Strong On Infrastru
956cture. I do not have high hopes here that we’ll end up with a better connection to Laguardia Airport, but Hochul could rescue this project from becoming a $2 billion boondoggle. </p> 957 958 959 960<ol class="wp-block-list" start="5"><li><strong>Untangle the Gateway/Penn Station South mess Cuomo created.</strong></li></ol> 961 962 963 964<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Throughout the Trump years, Cuomo spent a lot of time and energy arguing for the feds to pony up their share of the dollars for the Gateway Tunnel. The agreement forged in the waning months of the Obama Administration would have had New Jersey and New York each paying a third with the feds picking up the final part of the tab. But Trump stonewalled the deal and never intended to pass an infrastructure bill. So Cuomo could hammer him on Gateway while scoring political points in true blue New York.</p> 965 966 967 968<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Once Biden took over and Gateway with its steep price tag suddenly become that much closer to a reality, Cuomo mysteriously pulled an about-face. He started making noises about halting Gateway or not contributing New York’s share to the project, much to the confusion of, <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/06/01/amtrak-and-gateway-leaders-we-love-that-andrew-cuomo-hates-this-project-now/">well, everyone</a>. As I wrote last week, this type of political shenanigans was typical Cuomo, and Hochul can walk it back pretty easily. Recommit New York to Gateway, and figure out if Cuomo’s Vornado hand-out at Penn Station South has any merit. These projects should get the level of attention they deserve under a Hochul administration paying lip service to giving the experts a say but could fall to political gridlock as well. This is the toughest of the tasks Hochul has to face and may fall victim to the looming primary season. </p> 969 970 971 972<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So that’s that. The top five for the incoming governor will fill up her plate for the remainder of her term. It’s a chance for a new start for New York’s beleaguered transportation and transit policy makers, and as the post-Cuomo Era dawns, for the love of all thatâs holy, please add <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/01/10/some-thoughts-on-moynihan-train-hall-and-designing-public-spaces-with-nowhere-to-sit/">some seats to Moynihan Station</a>. </p> 973 974 975 976<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 977 </div> 978 </div> 979 980 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 981 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 982 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-29T23:51:38-04:00">August 29, 2021</time></span> 983 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>15 comments</a></span> 984 </div> 985 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 986 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17595" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">10</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20%23HochulsMTA%3A%20A%20Transportation%20To-Do%20List%20for%20the%20New%20Governor%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=#HochulsMTA:%20A%20Transportation%20To-Do%20List%20for%20the%20New%20Governor&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/29/hochulsmtaa-transportation-to-do-list-for-the-new-governor/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 987 </div> 988 </div> 989 990</article><article id="post-17592" class="post-17592 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-mta-politics category-public-transit-policy"> 991 992 993 994 995 996 <div class="header-standard"> 997 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/mta-politics/" rel="category tag">MTA Politics</a><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/public-transit-policy/" rel="category tag">Public Transit Policy</a></span></div> 998 999 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-
999andrew-cuomo/">A Robert Moses Wannabe: Inside the Transportation Legacy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo</a></h2> 1000 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 1001 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 1002 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-22T23:57:08-04:00">August 22, 2021</time> </div> 1003 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 1004 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on August 22, 2021</span> 1005</div> 1006 </div> 1007 1008 <div class="standard-content"> 1009 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 1010 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 1011 1012<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/335/31870074682_f5a2b265c5_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Gov. Andrew Cuomo celebrated the opening of the Second Ave. Subway during a flashy New Years Eve party as 2016 turned in 2017.</figcaption></figure> 1013 1014 1015 1016<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a little over 24 hours, Andrew Cuomoâs reign over New York State will officially be over. Call it whatever kind of reign you want – a reign of terror, a reign of narcissism, a reign of exhaustion – but whatever name it gets, itâs over. At 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, August 24, #CuomosMTA becomes #HochulsMTA, and all of the problems Andrew Cuomo, through the sheer force of his aggressive control over the state, swept away will become Kathy Hochulâs. An MTA struggling to emerge out of the pandemic, bleeding talent and with yet another round of interim leaders will be Hochulâs to sort out as Cuomo exits stage left. </p> 1017 1018 1019 1020<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As he leaves, I wanted to assess his transportation legacy and the effect he had on the New York City region in particular. Cuomo has spent the last few years talking non-stop about infrastructure in New York. He clearly viewed it as a way to show how Government with a strong executive leader can Get Things Done, and he was nothing if not a strong executive. He fancied himself a modern-day Robert Moses, warts and all, but came across more as the Bad Robert Moses who refused to listen to experts or dissent and did only what he wanted rather than the Good Robert Moses. </p> 1021 1022 1023 1024<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In more recent year, as Cuomo took a more vested interest in transportation policy, it was impossible to divorce the personality of Andrew Cuomo from the politics and the policy. What Andrew Cuomo wanted Andrew Cuomo got, and he couldnât stand any potential challengers to his iron rule. If you worked from Cuomo, you had to make him look good, and if you highlighted flaws in past approaches and tried to fix them, well, that made Andrew Cuomo look bad and you became a political liability. Leaders were dismissed; agencies and environmental impact studies manipulated to deliver on Cuomoâs desired proposals. He was in charge, and his voice was the first and only one that counted. This quasi-dictatorial approach may not be inherently bad unless Cuomoâs ideas were bad. So were they?</p> 1025 1026 1027 1028<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a<a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/08/18/a-prolific-builder--cuomo-s-infrastructure-legacy-will-be-felt-for-rest-of-century--expert-says"> news piece assessing Cuomoâs infrastructure legacy</a>, Michael Herzenberg of<em> NY1</em> spoke with Mitchell Moss, and the NYU professor showered praise on the outgoing governor. âThere hasnât been a governor who has done as much to improve, modernize and strengthen the state in probably 50 to 80 years,â Moss said. âHe took on jobs that had been ignored.â </p> 1029 1030 1031 1032<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moss meant this as praise, but to me, itâs damning praise at best. Cuomo is able to say he did the most because his predecessors all did so little. While itâs true that, for instance, Laguardia Airport is nicer now than it was ten years ago, a better airport simply helps a small number of people exiting and entering New York City have a more pleasant experience. It does nothing for Cuomoâs constituents waiting 30 minutes for a bus that crawls through city streets or a subway that hasnât grown much since the 1930s. </p> 1033 1034 1035 1036<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And airports were easy. Cuomo exploited his ability to direct airport money back into airports to act like Robert Moses. He didnât have to wage a political fight for limited transit funding or swat down NIMBY concerns over lengthy construction timelines. He simply reinvested money that could be used only for airports back into those airports. It was a political coup, and when faced with tougher transportation decisions – as with the Willets Point AirTrain –
1036 he backed options that will save no one any time rather than improving transit through underserved areas because the political fight would have been tougher. Is that leadership or cowardice? </p> 1037 1038 1039 1040<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7405/27676260995_79bc4b774c_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Pat Foye, then head of the Port Authority, celebrated the Laguardia groundbreaking in 2016.</figcaption></figure> 1041 1042 1043 1044<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So sure, Cuomo deserves credit for forging ahead on Laguardia Airport, but when you look at the AirTrain path – and the political pressure, if not corruption applied during the EIS process – itâs hard not to be disappointed. That doesnât even begin to grapple with the question of whether we should be promoting air travel at the time of climate change or whether keeping Laguardia open in the first place was even a good idea. New York City has a nicer airport, one that isnât the laughingstock of the country, and thatâs probably the best thing one can say about Cuomoâs transportation legacy. </p> 1045 1046 1047 1048<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Outside of the airports, I view Cuomoâs infrastructure and transportation legacy through five other lenses. Itâs hard not to start with Andy Byford and the subways, but to understand that dynamic, itâs best to start with the Second Ave. Subway. Launched in earnest during the Pataki Administration and commenced during the early days of the Spitzer Administration, Andrew Cuomo had the good fortune of being in office when construction wrapped. He didnât have to do the heavy lifting on the planning or on the funding to earn credit for opening the subway. He just had to show up for his own New Years Eve party. </p> 1049 1050 1051 1052<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But the Second Ave. Subway was a Cuomo speciality and a Cuomo mess all rolled into one. Until it became clear that the MTA was not going to finish the Upper East Side subway extension without heavy-handed political intervention, Cuomo seemed disinterested in MTA politics. He never rode the subways before the extension had opened and hardly has since then, using it as a bogeyman and a punching bag instead. For its part, in the early part of the Cuomo years, the MTA was struggling to rebuild after the damage from Superstorm Sandy, and Cuomo was very hands off for better or worse. With the MTA blowing deadline after deadline and construction stretching into the infinite future, Cuomo slowly realized he had a transportation policy nightmare on his hands, and he had to step in heavy and hard.</p> 1053 1054 1055 1056<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As meticulously detailed in Philip Plotchâs book <em>The Last Subway</em>, Cuomo made the MTA âfinishâ the Second Ave. Subway by December 31, 2016, no matter the cost, and the costs were high. Using the leadership style weâve come to know lately – yell loudly and demand the world – Cuomo forced the MTA to divert operations resources to the Second Ave. Subway construction effort, and subway reliability tanked. The governor enjoyed his champagne toast – EXCELSIOR screamed the new subway station – but the schlubs of New York City had to deal with signal malfunctions and subway delays exacerbated by the governor, the very man in charge of making sure the subway was supposed to run. </p> 1057 1058 1059 1060<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/799/41376392032_49a13907c9_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Andrew Cuomo and Andy Byford toured the 9th Ave. Subway station in Brooklyn in April 2018. It was one of the few times the two would be seen together in public. </figcaption></figure> 1061 1062 1063 1064<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The collapse of subway service due to Cuomoâs machinations under Second Avenue led Albany to look to Toronto for a new leader. Enter Andy Byford. This saga we know through and through. Byford was the most respected and most competent leader to guide New York City Transit in a generation. Importantly, he knew how to recognize talent within the bureaucracy and get the most out of people he worked with. He also didnât need Cuomoâs patronage, and after two years, the relationship between the two men soured. Cuomo couldnât stomach Byford getting praised in a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/can-andy-byford-save-the-subways">William Finnegan article in <em>The New Yorker</em></a>. For his part, Cuomo tried to minimize Byford by stacking senior management above him with yes men, refusing to elevate Byford within the MTA, and pursuing an MTA reorganization plan with the main goal of sidelining the New York City Transit president. </p> 1065 1066 1067 1068<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the end, it became personal. When Byford quit for good in January of 2020, he <a href="https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/03/06/exclusive-andy-byford-marcia-kramer-interview/">blamed Cuomo</a> in an interview with Marcia Kramer that had the misfortunate of airing a few days before the pandemic settled in. Cuomo tried to co-opt Byfordâs Fast Forward plan, but he wasnât fooling MTA watchers. Cuomo ultimately could not led the experts he picked solve the problems he caused. Itâs a legacy New York City will be trying to escape for years, if not decades. </p> 1069 1070 1071 1072<p class="wp-block-paragraph">
1072And what of everything else? What of congestion pricing? Moynihan Station? The Gateway Tunnel? Penn Station South? How do we apportion credit for things that havenât happened and may not?</p> 1073 1074 1075 1076<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Congestion pricing is the perfect Cuomo project. He came to it with his back to the wall and the MTAâs needs evident. He never really understood how congestion itself is a major problem for New York City and viewed it only as a revenue generator for transit. But as he leaves office, we still donât have congestion pricing, and the MTA – Cuomoâs MTA – says weâll be waiting two more years before implementation is complete. Ultimately, Cuomo was content to take credit for passing congestion pricing while the Trump DOT stonewalled it. Now, he never has to deal with the tougher politics of implementation. Itâs the perfect Cuomo âaccomplishment.â</p> 1077 1078 1079 1080<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Moynihan Station, Gateway and Penn South all fall into this same political morass. We have a nicer station for Amtrak now, but thatâs all we have. Cuomo spent ten years not addressing the trans-Hudson capacity problems, and despite agreeing to fund Gateway during the end of the Obama administration and subsequently complaining about Trumpâs stonewalling of the project, Cuomo recently started throwing a whole bunch of cold water onto the Gateway Tunnel itself, to <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/06/01/amtrak-and-gateway-leaders-we-love-that-andrew-cuomo-hates-this-project-now/">much confusion among the cityâs transportation experts</a>. I donât even really know how to make sense of this. Cuomo spoke a lot about Gateway, did nothing to advance, and then, when given an opening to start the project, seemed to want to stop it. He didnât think of first; it wasnât going to open any time sooner; and ultimately, it didnât suit his needs. This is the personality from which it is impossible to divorce policy or accomplishments. </p> 1081 1082 1083 1084<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/2883/34180927351_486238bbd8_b.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>In 2017, Cuomo launched âNew York Harbor of Lightsâ but the $106 million LED bulbs have sat in storage for years. </figcaption></figure> 1085 1086 1087 1088<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I know Iâm forgetting projects that fell by the wayside. I havenât talked about the $106 million LED lights for NYC bridges that remain in a storage locker; the Kosciusko Bridge rebuild that ignored concepts of induced demand (let alone climate change); the $30 million Cuomo demanded be spent on blue and yellow tiles for the Battery Tunnel. It all just bleeds together in the end, a tortured legacy of doing things that donât matter without improving anyoneâs commute. </p> 1089 1090 1091 1092<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Is your commute better today than it was in 2009? Is anyoneâs other than those who drive across the new Tappan Zee Bridge, the one monument to Cuomo in New York that still bears the family name for now? On one level, replacing the old bridge had to happen before it collapsed, but on the other, itâs a sprawl-inducing, car monstrosity without promised transit provisioning that was plagued by its own construction scandals. It looked good, and Cuomo had a chance to drive his mom across the new span as it opened. A flashy new span for cars without substance was ultimately what it was all about. If thatâs the best we can say about the governor credited as doing the most in five or eight decades, what kind of legacy is that anyway? And which Robert Moses was he exactly – the one everyone praised or the one everyone ultimately just wanted to see leave?</p> 1093 </div> 1094 </div> 1095 1096 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 1097 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 1098 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-22T23:57:08-04:00">August 22, 2021</time></span> 1099 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-
1099andrew-cuomo/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>36 comments</a></span> 1100 </div> 1101 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 1102 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17592" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">13</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-andrew-cuomo/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20A%20Robert%20Moses%20Wannabe%3A%20Inside%20the%20Transportation%20Legacy%20of%20Gov.%20Andrew%20Cuomo%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-andrew-cuomo/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=A%20Robert%20Moses%20Wannabe:%20Inside%20the%20Transportation%20Legacy%20of%20Gov.%20Andrew%20Cuomo&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/22/a-robert-moses-wannabe-inside-the-transportation-legacy-of-gov-andrew-cuomo/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 1103 </div> 1104 </div> 1105 1106</article><article id="post-17588" class="post-17588 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-mta-politics"> 1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 <div class="header-standard"> 1113 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/mta-politics/" rel="category tag">MTA Politics</a></span></div> 1114 1115 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/01/lieber-replaces-foye-feinberg-departs-transit-as-n-y-senate-fails-to-act-on-cuomo-mta-plan/">Lieber replaces Foye, Feinberg departs Transit as N.Y. Senate fails to act on Cuomo MTA plan</a></h2> 1116 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 1117 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 1118 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-01T23:20:52-04:00">August 1, 2021</time> </div> 1119 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 1120 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on August 1, 2021</span> 1121</div> 1122 </div> 1123 1124 <div class="standard-content"> 1125 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 1126 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 1127 1128<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/styles/biography_photo/public/2020-04/LieberJ_.jpg" alt="" width="316" height="395"/><figcaption>Janno Lieber now leads the MTA as its interim CEO and Chair.</figcaption></figure></div> 1129 1130 1131 1132<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Uncertainty and political paralysis has gripped the MTA since early June, and making heads or tails of the situation hasnât been easy. The story unfolded when an Andrew Cuomo ploy late in the legislative session to split the MTA CEO and Chair role into two faltered late in in the face of a New York State Senate unwilling to do the governorâs Eleventh Hour bid
1132ding. In its aftermath, Janno Lieber is now the interim MTA CEO and Chair as Pat Foye moved to the New York State Economic Development Corporation. Sarah Feinberg, who had been serving as NYC Transitâs interim president since Andy Byford left last February, has left her post too, and a transit agency struggling to make it through the pandemic has to face yet another period of leadership turnover and tumult. </p> 1133 1134 1135 1136<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The latest machinations arose in early June when Cuomo announced a <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-sarah-feinberg-nominated-mta-board-chair-janno-lieber-appointed-ceo">new plan for MTA leadership</a>. Foye was to leave at the end of July (as he did) and replacing him would be a two-headed leadership team. Feinberg would move from Interim NYC Transit President to Chair of the MTA while Lieber, then the head of MTA Construction & Development, was pegged to be the CEO of the entire agency. The governorâs press release spoke of it as a done deal, but there was one problem: Cuomo couldnât split the MTA leadership role into two without Senate approval, and the Senate wasnât keen to rush through what many viewed as another gubernatorial power grab.</p> 1137 1138 1139 1140<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The back-and-forth began immediately with various deals on and off the table and an aborted attempt in the Senate to vote on Cuomoâs plan during the waning hours of the legislative session in June. When the Senate adjourned, Cuomoâs plan hadnât been approved, and the Senate never reconvened in July to hold a special session to take up the measure. In effect, the Senate vetoed Cuomoâs plan. </p> 1141 1142 1143 1144<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It wasnât immediately clear why Cuomoâs plan faltered or what the future holds for it, and Iâve tried to get to the bottom of this. At first, it seemed as though the bill died when Cuomo tried to remove the CEO from the purview of Senate approval. As first conceived, the Senate would vote on only the (unpaid) Chair role and have no ability to approve the person tasked with running the $17 billion transit agency. When the Senate and labor leaders objected, Cuomoâs team revised the bill to allow the Senate to approve both the CEO and the Chair nominees, but this too went nowhere. </p> 1145 1146 1147 1148<p class="wp-block-paragraph">From various conversations with State Senate sources, I have learned that a variety of factors were at play. Some lawmakers simply did not want to do a damaged Governorâs last-minute bidding. They felt that major changes at the MTA required a more public airing than a rushed vote as the legislative session expired and werenât keen to approve personnel moves put forward by a governor currently under Senate investigation. </p> 1149 1150 1151 1152<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Others raised some concerns with Feinbergâs nomination specifically, noting that a spring press release with her name on it included a reference a variety of mayoral candidates who had been supportive of the MTA’s call for more police officers in the subway system. The MTA has acknowledged they intended the reference to be on background, and agency officials have said it was inserted without Feinberg’s knowledge while she was out of town. Still, a few State Senators viewed this as a political step too far for an agency that is supposed to be outside the realm of city electoral politics. </p> 1153 1154 1155 1156<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That said, no one I spoke with said this alone was the main reason Cuomoâs bill or Feinbergâs nomination died. Some State Senators were keen to question Feinberg generally about her time at the MTA (though they obviously have not yet gotten the chance to do so). Furthermore, Feinberg has offered multiple times to brief State Senators interested in speaking with her, and she and Lieber have offered to appear at public hearings on Cuomo’s plan. The Senate, on the whole as a legislative oversight body, has not yet taken either of them up on these offers. </p> 1157 1158 1159 1160<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Itâs also not clear why Foye went along with the governorâs plan (or why he was asked to). Sources I spoke with indicated that Foye had been happy as the head of the MTA and that leaving wasnât his idea. But as a loyal member of Cuomoâs inner circle, Foye seemed to understand that the personnel shuffle was, in part, about leadership structures and in part keeping a narrowing circle of confidants close at hand. Foye, some believe, went along with the move because not rocking that boat is Pat Foyeâs nature. </p> 1161 1162 1163 1164<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Others close to the matter believe the brewing mess around Penn Station is the driving force behind both Foyeâs departure and the newly-proposed power structure. I havenât found any who disagree with that assessment either.</p> 1165 1166 1167 1168<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> 1169<div class="embed-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cuomo is dividing the MTAâs power structure and installing all of his top loyalists to ensure that he maintains a firm grip on the MTA and ESD, which has to do with ensuring Empire Station Complex is done HIS wayâin spite of significant community opposition.</p>— Liam Blank (@LiamBlank) <a href="https://twitter.com/LiamBlank/status/1420918895301513224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
1169<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
1169</div> 1170</div></figure> 1171 1172 1173 1174<p class="wp-block-paragraph"> Meanwhile, the MTA had hoped the Senate would give the bill a proper hearing in July and the governor reiterated those hopes in the press release he sent out this week about <a href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-janno-lieber-serve-mtas-acting-board-chair-and-ceo">Lieberâs new role</a>. The new bill and Feinbergâs nomination, the Governor noted in the present tense, âawaits approval from the State Senate.â </p> 1175 1176 1177 1178<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even without immediate action on the horizon, Feinberg echoed Cuomoâs optimism. âAs we wait for the State Senate to return to session,â she said, âthe Governor, Janno and I agree that this is the best path forward to provide stability and continuity of leadership at the MTA. While I am disappointed in the Senate’s delay in taking up deliberations of our nominations, I have no doubt Janno will do a tremendous job in the acting role.â</p> 1179 1180 1181 1182<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yet, Albany is in no rush to respond, and the MTA must move forward. So Feinberg is out, replaced by Craig Cipriano, current head of buses, on an interim basis, and Lieber is in the interim head of the entire shebang. For an agency with a huge budget deficit struggling through the pandemic, leadership turnover and another round of interim leaders, even if familiar faces and old pros, adds another level of uncertainty to an uncertain time. The MTA needs firm direction and leadership. Instead, it is embroiled in yet another political brouhaha. </p> 1183 1184 1185 1186<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite the castle intrigue element to this story, I have found myself asking whether Cuomoâs plan is really all that bad. Richard Ravitch, in 2009, proposed one CEO and Chair role instead of two as two seemed to lead to a diffuse power structure. But as some within the MTA had told me, these are two roles with a lot of responsibility, and asking one person to lead the MTA Board while also serving as operation head of an agency with over 70,000 employees is a tall task. </p> 1187 1188 1189 1190<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âFor three years now, I’ve been advocating that that job should be split,” Feinberg <a href="https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/07/29/mta-to-get-new--acting--chief-as-agency-undergoes-leadership-shakeup">said to NY1âs Dan Rivoli</a>. âIt should be a CEO and a board chair, and the reason is this: It’s a multibillion-dollar agency. It’s a 72,000-person workforce. On its best day, it is big, it is unwieldy, and it is multiple challenges on every front.”</p> 1191 1192 1193 1194<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Plenty of transit agencies have bifurcated power structures, and there is no real right answer here. I ultimately think The LIRR Todayâs point in the tweet embedded below is the right one: It doesnât matter because we all know Andrew Cuomo – or whoever is governor of New York – is the ultimate power atop the MTA. </p> 1195 1196 1197 1198<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> 1199<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">An independent MTA is likely the best setup, but we all know that's not likely to happen. So it probably doesn't make that much of a difference if we give full control instead of continuing to pretend.</p>— The LIRR Today (@TheLIRRToday) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLIRRToday/status/1419771079959121921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
1199<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
1199 1200</div></figure> 1201 1202 1203 1204<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So what comes next for the MTA and for its interim leadership? At this point, the immediate future is clear: Janno Lieber will be the interim head of the agency, a position he can hold for up to six months, and Sarah Feinberg will not become the first woman to head the MTA Board. New York City Transit will have its second interim president since Byford left 17 months ago, and the agency will continue to muddle through the endless pandemic, hoping ridership and leadership stabilize soon. Iâll give Byford, who spoke to Rivoli last week, the last word for now.</p> 1205 1206 1207 1208<p class="wp-block-paragraph">âI’m sure it will work out, but it’s certainly not ideal from where I sit,” Byford said from his perch in London. “The danger it brings is that it encourages, if not deliberately, it kind of encourages short-term thinking because you know that maybe you don’t have the long-term tenure that a substanstive person would haveâ¦My advice would be, get through the politics and make a decision because the MTA is such an important part of New York,” he said.</p> 1209 </div> 1210 </div> 1211 1212 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 1213 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 1214 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-08-01T23:20:52-04:00">August 1, 2021</time></span> 1215 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/01/lieber-replaces-foye-feinberg-departs-transit-as-n-y-senate-fails-to-act-on-cuomo-mta-plan/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>67 comments</a></span> 1216 </div> 1217 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 1218 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17588" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">9</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/01/lieber-replaces-foye-feinberg-departs-transit-as-n-y-senate-fails-to-act-on-cuomo-mta-plan/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20Lieber%20replaces%20Foye%2C%20Feinberg%20departs%20Transit%20as%20N.Y.%20Senate%20fails%20to%20act%20on%20Cuomo%20MTA%20plan%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/01/lieber-replaces-foye-feinberg-departs-transit-as-n-y-senate-fails-to-act-on-cuomo-mta-plan/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=Lieber%20replaces%20Foye,%20Feinberg%20departs%20Transit%20as%20N.Y.%20Senate%20fails%20to%20act%20on%20Cuomo%20MTA%20plan&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/08/01/lieber-replaces-foye-feinberg-departs-transit-as-n-y-senate-fails-to-act-on-cuomo-mta-plan/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 1219 </div> 1220 </div> 1221 1222</article><article id="post-17586" class="post-17586 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-east-side-access-project"> 1223 1224 1225 1226 1227 1228 <div class="header-standard"> 1229 <div class="penci-standard-cat"><span class="cat"><a class="penci-cat-name" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/category/east-side-access-project/" rel="category tag">East Side Access Project</a></span></div> 1230 1231 <h2 class="penci-entry-title entry-title entry-title"><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/06/07/inside-east-side-access-18-months-before-the-new-terminal-opens/">Inside East Side Access, 18 months before the new terminal opens</a></h2> 1232 <div class="penci-hide-tagupdated"> 1233 <span class="author-italic author vcard">by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a></span> 1234 <time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-06-07T00:16:19-04:00">June 7, 2021</time> </div> 1235 <div class="penci-meta-author author-post byline"> 1236 <span class="author vcard">written by <a class="url fn n" href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/author/bkabak/">Benjamin Kabak</a> on June 7, 2021</span> 1237</div> 1238 </div> 1239 1240 <div class="standard-content"> 1241 <div class="standard-main-content entry-content"> 1242 <div class="post-entry standard-post-entry classic-post-entry blockquote-style-1"> 1243
1244<div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"><div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"><ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17580" data-id="17580" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5809F578-B7B6-4C15-86D8-4BAEAF39D033.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Andrew Cuomo leads the scrum atop East Side Accessâ 182-foot escalators. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17577" data-id="17577" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-683x1024.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-400x600.jpeg 400w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646-585x878.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A95F7356-3C54-455D-869A-7AA4E4F26646.jpeg 1154w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Gov. Andrew Cuomo surveys the down escalator underneath 45th St. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17576" data-id="17576" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CC1CC855-8E2C-4DBB-BF24-D7A65285840F.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
1244<figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Looking down the escalators. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17565" data-id="17565" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/068EDECE-2700-434C-85C9-CADA99175227.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Going up. The 182-foot escalators will be the longest in the MTAâs system. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17562" data-id="17562" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A2660747-29E0-4242-B520-BF767095BBB3.jpeg 1740w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Inside East Side Access, the passageways are reminiscent of the TWA Flight Center. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17566" data-id="17566" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/0837B4E3-A223-4F25-B3EC-D97D14F11551.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
1244<figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Major construction on East Side Access has been completed, but finishes and system testing are yet to be done. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="682" height="1024" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17570" data-id="17570" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-682x1024.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-682x1024.jpeg 682w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-400x600.jpeg 400w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4-585x878.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/80C73450-7588-43DB-A13D-75FED42C7CA4.jpeg 1095w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Looking south toward a dead end underneath Park Ave. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17569" data-id="17569" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/5B248390-31CA-45D4-9DA4-4672DA98B39C.jpeg 1767w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Tunnels are dug; tracks are laid; but walls remain bare with 18 months before passengers arrive. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17571" data-id="17571" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/949F2E45-581B-4572-85BE-4D2E148ED277.jpeg 1735w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
1244<figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">A view down the tracks. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17574" data-id="17574" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-683x1024.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-683x1024.jpeg 683w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-400x600.jpeg 400w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C-585x878.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/DBF35F85-AF97-478F-88CC-9EC897AB620C.jpeg 1154w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Signage points the way to street level, anchoring commuters on the Manhattan street grid above. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17572" data-id="17572" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C8EB8B01-AD6D-41ED-AE1D-B59BDFF62364.jpeg 1705w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">East Side Access in progress. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="768" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17578" data-id="17578" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-1024x768.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-600x450.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-1170x878.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9D90A22C-DA30-445E-AE1F-C994BE51D692-585x439.jpeg 585w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
1244<figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">An arched passageway underneath Grand Central but above the LIRRâs new tracks. With bright walls and familiar marvel, the new station is evocative of Grand Central itself. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17581" data-id="17581" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/15A3810A-6917-4D9A-82BD-B372A23121D9.jpeg 1740w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Much work remains to be completed. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17582" data-id="17582" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/B6AEC87B-3571-4C1C-B573-4A92EEB18042.jpeg 1740w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">East Side Access will connect commuters directly with the subways. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-17579" data-id="17579" src="http://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-1024x683.jpeg" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/7C03C86E-E339-4F27-BD0A-FE96A8751B60.jpeg 1771w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
1244<figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Ceci nâest past une departure board. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure></li></ul><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a><div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div></div></div> 1245 1246 1247 1248<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The last time I had been down into the East Side Access cavern far beneath Grand Central Terminal feels like eons ago. It was 2015, a time when New Yorkers commuted daily to their midtown offices, and the cavern was very much just that â a large, dark, very unfinished, damp cave that barely resembled a train station. </p> 1249 1250 1251 1252<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I took a trip down to the LIRRâs new midtown home two weeks ago, and after six years, I can confidently confirm there is a new Long Island Rail Road terminal deep in the ground below Grand Central. New York has successfully built a train station underneath another train station. The occasion for the trip was celebratory as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his MTA had just announced that morning, though not for the first time, that the 350,000 square foot terminal will open on time by the end of 2022. It seemed oddly fitting for this long-delayed project thatâs taken 20 years and $12 billion to construct that itâs big announcement came amidst a pandemic that has shaken commuting patterns to their very core and has left the future of Midtown Manhattan up in the air, but regardless of the oddities of the times, the Long Island Rail Road will serve the East Side in 18 months or so.</p> 1253 1254 1255 1256<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Prior to the press tour of the new terminal, Cuomo hosted one of his famous/infamous pandemic press conference. This was the first one Iâve had the opportunity to sit through, and the Governor spoke a lot, often extemporaneously, making news here and there (particularly about the <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/06/01/amtrak-and-gateway-leaders-we-love-that-andrew-cuomo-hates-this-project-now/">Gateway Tunnel</a>), and he spoke at length about the challenges of completing East Side Access. “Thanks to the hard work of the so many people, major construction on this transformative project is now complete and we are proud to announce East Side Access will open up next year,â Cuomo said, âsignificantly cutting travel times and easing the commute into Manhattan for countless travelers. I’ve been through a lot of difficult infrastructure projects during my time in government, and while this project may have been one the most difficult to get accomplished, its completion will have a huge impact on New York’s economy and vibrancy for generations to come and serve as yet another example of what New Yorkers can do when we put our minds to something.”</p> 1257 1258 1259 1260<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Cuomo said a lot of eyebrow-raising statements, including claims that the project had stalled out prior to his personal review of it in 2018, and he never mentioned the follow-up <a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2019/04/15/far-too-late-cuomo-orders-l-train-experts-to-review-east-side-access/">L train-inspired review</a> he ordered in April of 2019. He also vowed that the projected 160,000 passengers per day – a relatively paltry total for the billions spent – would be back in their offices by the end of 2022. Maybe heâs right; maybe the world will clamor for the commute and the companionship of the office after 15 months (and counting) of an isolating pandemic. Or maybe the ultimate irony of the East Side Access project will be an opening into a changed world and a changed New York, where we spent countless billions on an under-used deep-bore dead-end terminal underneath Grand Central that never should have been built in the first place. We wonât know this future for a few more years, but this project will never realize full bang for its buck. </p> 1261 1262 1263 1264<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-17568" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-1024x683.jpeg 1024
1264w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ABD45186-8811-47C3-9FFA-2AADF4A9F407.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Gov. Andrew Cuomo chats with reporters during a tour of the East Side Access project. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure> 1265 1266 1267 1268<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Cuomoâs promise to open the station next year come hell or high water set off some familiar alarm bells. When he last made this promise for Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway, he opened the subway before systems testing had been complete, and he drove the opening date by diverting massive MTA resources away from subway maintenance. The subway crisis, which lead to the Subway Action Plan and Andy Byfordâs Fast Forward plan, grew out of Cuomoâs push to open the Second Ave. Subway, and Cuomo then later tried to take credit for solutions to the crisis he created. Will this drive to open East Side Access â in a similar state of completion â lead to a repeat of recent history? Iâm holding my breath. Neither the city nor the MTA can afford that fate at this moment.</p> 1269 1270 1271 1272<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But outside of these concerns and my own long-documented skepticism toward this project and the way the cavern beneath a Metro-North terminal not under capacity highlights the lack of inter-agency cooperation with the MTA, I wanted to offer a few observations about the terminal now that Iâve seen it in its near-finished state. It is, first and foremost, very much an Andrew Cuomo Transit Project. While EXCELSIOR isnât yet plastered all over the place, the main focus on East Side Access is about getting into and out of New York City, and it does very little to improve getting around NYC. Janno Lieber, the head of MTA Construction & Development, could not answer if the agency planned to further rationalize fares to allow Queens commuters rationally-priced access to LIRR. Cuomo himself spoke at length about how East Side Access will free up space at Penn Station for Penn Station Access, another commuter rail-based project designed to facilitate easier access into and out of NYC (though one with more benefits to Bronx commuters than East Side Access will, on Day One, deliver to Queens). </p> 1273 1274 1275 1276<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thus, the only state-funded project finished under Cuomoâs watch to increase transit capacity in NYC will be Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway (and maybe Phase 2 if Cuomo gets another two terms and it moves forward). Meanwhile, the state has spent or will spend billions on Moynihan Station and the Penn Station South/Empire Station complex, the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, the airport overhauls and new AirTrain and both East Side and Penn Station Access. New York City, with its transit system run by Andrew Cuomo, continues to get the short shrift. </p> 1277 1278 1279 1280<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On the physical side, the most evident element of East Side Access is how deep it is. During the press conference, Cuomo tried to sell the depth as a marvel. The new terminal will, he bragged, have 17 high-rise escalators, each 182 feet in length to bring commuters up from 140 feet below Grand Central to the surface. With entrances along Park and Madison Avenues up to around 48th Street, East Side commuters wonât be as far from their offices as they could be, but the depth adds time. The escalators werenât on during the press tours, but officials said the rides will take 2 minutes at a stand still. These will be the MTAâs deepest escalators, which could spell trouble for an agency with a shaky track record when it comes to escalator maintenance. </p> 1281 1282 1283 1284<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1AC
1284B74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-17573" srcset="https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-600x400.jpeg 600w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-1170x780.jpeg 1170w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-585x390.jpeg 585w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333-263x175.jpeg 263w, https://secondavenuesagas.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AA1ACB74-3F18-4C71-9859-81FE84580333.jpeg 1776w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Will all of these ticket windows ever be fully staffed? (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)</figcaption></figure> 1285 1286 1287 1288<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The station feels deep in other ways as well. The visual design of the station is very reminiscent of Grand Central itself with similar typefaces and marble used throughout. In an era of OMNY and digital ticketing, there is, for some reason, a massive ticket hall, but I canât imagine all of the windows ever being staffed. Still, despite bright lights and arching ceilings, the station feels deep. The ceilings are lower than they would be, and there is no sense of place or direction that far underground. When completed the station will feature ample directions, including street signs, to anchor travelers on the Manhattan street grid. Still, it will be bright and clean in the vein of Grand Central when it opens. Itâs very deep. Long escalators and low ceilings, despite a generally pleasant, if sterile, aesthetic. </p> 1289 1290 1291 1292<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And finally, East Side Access will be another transit mall â which is fine, though it also relies on a return of pre-pandemic commute volumes. The MTA plans to lease out 25 new retail spaces in the terminal, which will give NYC itâs fifth train station/mall and fourth new one this century. Unlike the Grand Central retail spaces, which are a part of the street level attraction, the new retail spaces will be deeper underground and out of the way. Some will be in the passageways at the top of the 182-foot escalators and some will be in the halls connecting to 1 Vanderbilt. But these spaces will be geared far more toward LIRR commuters than the malls in the PATH Oculus, Grand Central itself or Moynihan Station are. </p> 1293 1294 1295 1296<p class="wp-block-paragraph">All of this leads me to wonder how East Side Access will work and what it means for it to work? Itâs nearly unique among massive train stations and will rely heavily on a return to the old in an era of the new. Itâs a project conceptualized in the 1960s, designed in the 1990s and opened, if on time, in 2022. </p> 1297 1298 1299 1300<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p> 1301 </div> 1302 </div> 1303 1304 <div class="penci-post-box-meta"> 1305 <div class="penci-box-meta"> 1306 <span><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-clock-o" ></i><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2021-06-07T00:16:19-04:00">June 7, 2021</time></span> 1307 <span><a href="https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/06/07/inside-east-side-access-18-months-before-the-new-terminal-opens/#comments "><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-comment-o" ></i>607 comments</a></span> 1308 </div> 1309 <div class="penci-post-share-box"> 1310 <a class="penci-post-like" data-post_id="17586" title="Like" data-like="Like" data-unlike="Unlike"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-heart-o" ></i><span class="dt-share">16</span></a> <a class="post-share-item post-share-facebook" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/06/07/inside-east-side-access-18-months-before-the-new-terminal-opens/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-facebook" ></i><span class="dt-share">Facebook</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-twitter" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Check%20out%20this%20article:%20Inside%20East%20Side%20Access%2C%2018%20months%20before%20the%20new%20terminal%20opens%20-%20https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/06/07/inside-east-side-access-18-months-before-the-new-terminal-opens/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-twitter" ></i><span class="dt-share">Twitter</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-pinterest" data-pin-do="none" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" onclick="var e=document.createElement('script');e.setAttribute('type','text/javascript');e.setAttribute('charset','UTF-8');e.setAttribute('src','//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r='+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e);"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-pinterest" ></i><span class="dt-share">Pinterest</span></a><a class="post-share-item post-share-email" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="mailto:?subject=Inside%20East%20Side%20Access,%2018%20months%20before%20the%20new%20terminal%20opens&BODY=https://secondavenuesagas.com/2021/06/07/inside-east-side-access-18-months-before-the-new-terminal-opens/"><i class="penci-faicon fa fa-envelope" ></i><span class="dt-share">Email</span></a> </div> 1311 </div> 1312 </div> 1313 1314</article> 1315 </div> 1316 <div class="penci-pagination penci-ajax-more penci-ajax-h
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1609 November 2014 </option> 1610 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/10/'> October 2014 </option> 1611 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/09/'> September 2014 </option> 1612 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/08/'> August 2014 </option> 1613 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/07/'> July 2014 </option> 1614 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/06/'> June 2014 </option> 1615 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/05/'> May 2014 </option> 1616 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/04/'> April 2014 </option> 1617 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/03/'> March 2014 </option> 1618 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/02/'> February 2014 </option> 1619 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/01/'> January 2014 </option> 1620 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/12/'> December 2013 </option> 1621 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/11/'> November 2013 </option> 1622 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/10/'> October 2013 </option> 1623 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/09/'> September 2013 </option> 1624 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/08/'> August 2013 </option> 1625 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/07/'> July 2013 </option> 1626 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/06/'> June 2013 </option> 1627 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/05/'> May 2013 </option> 1628 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/04/'> April 2013 </option> 1629 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/03/'> March 2013 </option> 1630 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/02/'> February 2013 </option> 1631 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2013/01/'> January 2013 </option> 1632 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/12/'> December 2012 </option> 1633 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/11/'> November 2012 </option> 1634 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/10/'> October 2012 </option> 1635 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/09/'> September 2012 </option> 1636 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/08/'> August 2012 </option> 1637 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/07/'> July 2012 </option> 1638 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/06/'> June 2012 </option> 1639 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/05/'> May 2012 </option> 1640 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/04/'> April 2012 </option> 1641 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/03/'> March 2012 </option> 1642 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/02/'> February 2012 </option> 1643 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/01/'> January 2012 </option> 1644 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/12/'> December 2011 </option> 1645 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/11/'> November 2011 </option> 1646 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/10/'> October 2011 </option> 1647 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/09/'> September 2011 </option> 1648 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/08/'> August 2011 </option> 1649 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/07/'> July 2011 </option> 1650 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/06/'> June 2011 </option> 1651 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/05/'> May 2011 </option> 1652 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/04/'> April 2011 </option> 1653 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/03/'> March 2011 </option> 1654 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/02/'> February 2011 </option> 1655 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2011/01/'> January 2011 </option> 1656 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/12/'> December 2010 </option> 1657 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/11/'> November 2010 </option> 1658 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/10/'>
1658 October 2010 </option> 1659 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/09/'> September 2010 </option> 1660 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/08/'> August 2010 </option> 1661 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/07/'> July 2010 </option> 1662 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/06/'> June 2010 </option> 1663 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/05/'> May 2010 </option> 1664 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/04/'> April 2010 </option> 1665 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/03/'> March 2010 </option> 1666 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/02/'> February 2010 </option> 1667 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/01/'> January 2010 </option> 1668 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/12/'> December 2009 </option> 1669 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/11/'> November 2009 </option> 1670 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/10/'> October 2009 </option> 1671 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/09/'> September 2009 </option> 1672 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/08/'> August 2009 </option> 1673 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/07/'> July 2009 </option> 1674 <option value='https://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/'> June 2009 </option>
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