New York to pump $51.5bn into transit

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has proposed investing $51.5 billion in the city’s subways, buses and railroads over the next five years. Janno Lieber, MTA chief development officer, says: “The proposed capital programme will be truly transformational – more trains, more buses, more service, more accessibility and more reliability.” The 2020-2024 Capital Plan would put $40bn into the city’s subways and buses and $6.1bn for 1,900 new subway cars to help mitigate delays. MTA also wa
September 25, 2019 Read time: 3 mins

New York’s 1267 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has proposed investing $51.5 billion in the city’s subways, buses and railroads over the next five years.

Janno Lieber, MTA chief development officer, says: “The proposed capital programme will be truly transformational – more trains, more buses, more service, more accessibility and more reliability.”

The 2020-2024 Capital Plan would put $40bn into the city’s subways and buses and $6.1bn for 1,900 new subway cars to help mitigate delays.

MTA also wants to spend $5.2bn on making stations better equipped for disabled riders so that they are no more than two stops away from an accessible station.

Additionally, the authority would utilise $2.5bn to replace more than 2,200 of the oldest buses and expanding the fleet size by more than 175 vehicles. It proposes investing $1.1bn to purchase 500 electric buses, including replacements and additions. The programme is expected to enable MTA to acquire only e-buses from 2029.

MTA says its proposal would provide the investments necessary for the development of the Long Island Rail Road by the planned December 2022 opening of the East Side Access project and the Main Line Expansion. East Side Access is expected to allow more than 160,000 commuters to travel to Grand Central Terminal, saving up to 40 minutes per day while the Main Line Expansion will add a third track on 10 miles of the Main Line corridor.

As part of the capital plan, MTA is hoping to secure $135m for the continuing reconstruction of the Henry Hudson Bridge and the implementation of open road tolling which it claims could reduce potential collisions by up to 41%.

Affiliate agency MTA Bridges and Tunnels is proposing a separate investment of $3.3bn to construct infrastructure for tolling in the central business district.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels president Daniel DeCrescenzo says the plan will help modernise links in the regional transportation network.

“The plan is integrated with other regional transportation programs to build upon the transformative changes and benefits of cashless tolling, and the continuous bus/HOV lane connecting Staten Island to the Gowanus/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway bus/HOV lane implemented in the 2015-2019 capital plan,” he adds.

The MTA board will review the proposed plan today (25 September). If approved, it will be submitted to the MTA capital review board for consideration and approval.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Thales builds on Canadian connection for transit R&D
    June 20, 2016
    The Canadian province of Ontario is continuing to benefit from its ongoing investment in transit R&D. David Crawford looks at the impact of new investment. Developing the next generation of urban rail signalling solutions worldwide, with the emphasis on transit security and efficiency, is the goal of a recently-created business partnership between the government of the Canadian province of Ontario and Thales Canada. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the France-HQ'd global defence, aerospace and transportation
    Read More
  • Monitoring during construction reveals benefits of new expressway
    June 6, 2014
    David Crawford reports on how the authorities in New Zealand are using Bluetooth technology to monitor the effects of a new expressway as it is being constructed. New Zealand Highway Agency (NZHA) is using Bluetooth-based vehicle detection to assess the impact of its biggest road building project as the various sections are completed. The large-scale deployment of a Bluetooth-based vehicle detection system is making substantial contributions to traffic data needs in progressing the new Waikato Expressway, a
    Read More
  • Øresund bridges the front line for border crossing traffic
    September 15, 2016
    Timothy Compston considers the challenges faced by the operators of the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the largest structure of its kind across Europe. In light of the concerns about the ongoing security threat and the unprecedented flow of migrants, many of the countries that make up the Schengen Area in Europe have re-introduced border controls. For its part, Sweden has rolled out ID checks for train, bus and ferry passengers from Denmark placing the landmark Øresund Bridge very much on the fr
    Read More
  • LAMetro and Via launch ride-sharing service at three metro stations
    February 8, 2019
    The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMetro) has partnered with Via to offer a ride-sharing service to and from three metro stations. The one-year pilot, supported by a $1.3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, is being trialled at Artesia, El Monte and North Hollywood. Daniel Ramot, CEO and co-founder of Via, says the company’s passenger matching and vehicle routing algorithm will connect customers with the three transit hubs in their communities. Rid
    Read More

Highlighted Content