The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has prepared a tough cost-cutting proposal for consideration at Thursday’s meeting which includes entire subway lines and bus routes disappearing and more than a thousand workers laid off.
NY1 reports that officials are proposing dropping the W and Z lines completely as well as cutting more than 1,500 station agent and administrative jobs.
The plan also calls for the G and M lines to be essentially cut in half and express service on the J train would be eliminated.
Overnight trains would be scheduled to run every 30 minutes instead of every 20. Midday service would also be cut back.
Dozens of bus routes with low ridership would be eliminated during late nights and weekends.
Straphangers say they are already dealing with slow service and the increased cuts will hurt both their commutes and their wallets.
Agency officials say the drastic measures may be necessary if the state does not step in with a bailout plan to help close a projected 2009 budget shortfall of more than a billion dollars.
The MTA is also proposing to raise fares next year.
(Source: NY1)
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3 Responses
I DON’T UNDERSTAND HERE THEY TELL US DON’T USE YOUR CARS USE MASS TRANSIT SO WHAT HAPPENS THE PRICE OF GAS DROPS NOW THE WANT TO CUT TRAIN SERVICE SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN PEOPLE WILL START USING THE CARS AGAIN SO THE GAS PRICE WILL GO UP
NOW SINCE THE RIDERSHIP ON TRAINS WILL BE LESS THE PRICEFOR MESS TRANSIT WILL HAVE TO GO UP SO WE ARE BACK TO SQUARE 1
Right but the problem is twofold. First of all the MTA fares are incredibly low compared with anywhere else and a fare hike is like pulling teeth. So the MTA cannot make enough from the fares. Second of all they have tremendous debt from promising their employees lots of retirement and healthcare perks. All of this is prhobitively expensive, which is why congestion pricing to pay for mass transit was a great idea.
Read carefully- This won’t be affecting the price, or amount of commuters very much- they’re cutting the less popular routes only. Even those are only at nights and weekends, when they don’t affect people going to work.