Latest news with #InterboroughExpress
New York Post
30-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
MTA now ready to find $3B in savings after NYS budget falls short of massive $68B proposal: ‘Welcome the challenge'
It's $3 billion in chump change. MTA honcho Janno Lieber isn't sweating the mammoth state budget deal not giving the transit agency its full $68 billion ask for its ambitious capital plan. The deal leaves the plan with a $3 billion shortfall that Lieber contended Wednesday the MTA will, 'in effect, self fund' by finding savings — and avoid cutting any of its sweeping projects. Advertisement 'What we're doing is being responsible, saying Albany's now given us an assignment, which is to find $3 billion in savings,' he said during the MTA's board meeting. 'We welcome the challenge that the legislature and the governor put to us to do projects faster, even faster, even better and even cheaper.' 3 MTA boss Janno Lieber said the agency will find 'savings' to make up for a $3 billion shortfall in its capital plan funding. Robert Miller Advertisement Lieber's blasé attitude over $3 billion arguably raises the question of why the MTA didn't pursue the undefined 'savings' in the first place — especially as New Yorkers keep sacrificing tax dollars to fund the troubled agency, said Andrew Rein, executive director of the Citizens Budget Commission. Rein said the MTA already has $500 million in savings or efficiencies listed in its budget, which could easily be doubled to $1 billion. 'It's possible to get $3 billion in savings,' Rein said. The record-breaking $254 billion state budget deal settled months of suspense over how — and whether — Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers would fund the MTA's capital plan. Advertisement The plan aims to replace decrepit subway cars and buses, update century-old signals, make stations accessible for people with disabilities and create a light rail connection called the Interborough Express between Brooklyn and Queens. Backroom negotiations by Hochul and lawmakers ended up settling on a payroll mobility tax hike on big businesses that would fund the plan to the tune of $65 billion — a tidy sum that still fell short of the $68 billion sought by the MTA. 3 Gov. Kathy Hochul reached a $254 billion budget deal that mostly funds the MTA's ambitious capital plan. James Messerschmidt 3 The capital plan calls to replace decrepit subway trains, replace outdated signals and more. Stephen Yang Advertisement Lieber still called it a 'historic victory.' He said the savings could be achieved 'just by redoing the scope of some of the engineering strategy and the procurement strategies.' 'I can't tell you exactly how we're going to do it just this minute,' Lieber said. Meanwhile, Rein argued the Transportation Workers Union 100 has not yet come to the table to produce massive savings through modernization. One move that could save more than $200 million would reduce the number of workers on each train to one, down from the conductor and driver-operator, he said. 'The business community is contributing with a higher payroll tax. Drivers are paying through tolls and congestion pricing. Taxpayers are giving more,' he said. 'We are asking labor to be more efficient, to modernize.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MTA Capital Plan included in record $254B NY budget
NEW YORK (PIX11) — On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that a general agreement was reached on the $254B Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. Transit in the New York City metropolitan area was a major focus of the budget, as Governor Hochul announced that the State of New York will fully fund the proposed $68 billion MTA Capital Plan. More Local News This plan includes the construction of the Interborough Express, which aims to connect underserved areas of Brooklyn and Queens. 'We are fully funding the MTA Capital Plan to advance critical projects, including the Interborough Express, new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, faster service in the Hudson Valley, and critical repairs to avoid another summer of hell,' said Hochul. Hochul added that the State will also take $1.2 billion previously allocated for Penn Station and use it to fund safety improvements and stop fare evasion. This announcement comes just hours after the MTA announced that fare gates will replace turnstiles at 20 subway stations across the city this year. The agency expects to install fare gates at 20 more stations in 2026 and 150 subway stations in total by 2029 as part of an ongoing effort to curb fare evasion. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State The New York Building Congress has been pushing for a fully funded plan for improvements, calling it 'an investment in a future-proof, modernized, safer, faster, and more accessible transit system for the region.' Carlo A. Scissura, President & CEO of the New York Building Congress released a statement following Hochul's announcement that reads in part: 'We sent thousands of letters to our elected officials, who clearly heard what we needed to build our way forward, and we thank them for stepping up when New Yorkers needed them most.' The legislature still needs to vote on budget bills. Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Queens residents get first look at MTA's Interborough Express plan
The Brief The MTA held its first open house in Queens to share updates on the Interborough Express, a planned light rail connecting Brooklyn and Queens without passing through Manhattan. The 14-mile route would link Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights, connecting with 17 subway lines and the LIRR, and serving an estimated 115,000 weekday riders. Despite funding concerns tied to congestion pricing, the MTA says the project is moving forward, with engineering selection nearing and more public meetings planned. NEW YORK - The Interborough Express is a light rail project that would connect Brooklyn and Queens without traveling through Manhattan. On Thursday night, the MTA held the first of several open houses to explain the project to the public. What we know The MTA held its first open house on Thursday evening to discuss the Interborough Express—known as IBX—a light rail project that would connect Brooklyn and Queens using a 14-mile freight corridor. The line would run from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights, Queens, using underused tracks currently owned by the Long Island Rail Road and CSX. The IBX would provide connections to 17 different subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road, potentially impacting 115,000 daily commuters. The MTA says it is close to selecting an engineering firm and that the project remains on track, despite legal disputes over congestion pricing that could affect funding. "We are focused on the capital program that the MTA is presenting to legislative leaders in Albany, and this project is one of the projects in that capital program," said Charlie Gans, project executive for the MTA. "We're hoping for a good outcome. Hoping that the capital program money comes through, we can basically take off like a rocket." The backstory Governor Kathy Hochul approved the start of the environmental review process for the IBX in 2022. Since then, the MTA has advanced planning and analysis, identifying light rail as the preferred mode for the project. The line would preserve the Bay Ridge Branch's role as a freight corridor while providing a new rapid transit option for communities that currently lack convenient rail access. The route is expected to serve close to 900,000 residents and 260,000 workers who live and work along the corridor. Weekday ridership is estimated at 115,000, and end-to-end travel times are expected to be less than 40 minutes. Local perspective At the open house, Queens residents said the project would drastically improve their commutes. "I work in the neighborhood, and to take mass transit from Astoria to here is a train, a bus, and a 20-minute walk to my office," said Jim, a commuter from Astoria. Stephanie Plachy-Feinstein of Glendale said the IBX would cut her travel time by more than half. "I work in Bushwick, which would be like two stops on the IBX. I'm excited about the prospect of actually being able to commute, rather than just driving," she said. Other attendees said the project would bring relief to so-called "transit deserts" in both boroughs. "We are in a transit desert," one resident said. What's next The MTA says additional open houses will be held in both boroughs. The next is scheduled for April 3 at South Shore High School in Brooklyn. The Source This story was written using information from and FOX 5 staff and crews.
