MTA Has Objections To Report Saying Station Repairs Will Take Until 2067 To Finish
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A recent report said it will take more than half a century to repair all the problems in the city's subway stations, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reiterated Thursday that it disagrees with the group's recommendations.
As CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported, corroding stairs and platforms indeed are not hard to find at many city subway stations. And the report by the Citizens Budget Commission said the way things are going, the Summer of Love, the movie "The Graduate" and the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album will all be reaching their centennials when the MTA finally brings all the stations up to good condition.
"Basically at the current pace, there isn't a foreseeable future in which all the subway stations are in a state of good repair," said Citizens Budget Commission research associate Jamison Dague.
The MTA assessed the condition of its 468 subway stations, rating appearance and overall structural safety. Based on those numbers, and recognizing that the system is constantly in use, the commission believes the MTA will need until 2067 to get all the repairs done.
"That's a lot of years," said Miguel Alarcon of Woodside, Queens. "Hopefully, you know, it'll get all nice and all for our kids and all that."
The commission's report said the goal of having all the stations in the subway system in good repair has continually eluded the MTA, and the proposed 2015-2019 Capital Plan will not even fix the problem at full funding.
The group invoked an ancient myth about futility to make its point.
"In Greek mythology the gods condemned King Sisyphus to push a boulder up a hill repeatedly, only to have it roll down to the bottom as he approached the top," the report said. While he deserves no such punishment, Thomas Prendergast, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), must identify with Sisyphus' fate as he prepares the agency's capital program, particularly when it comes to rehabilitating and repairing 467 subway stations."
The group identified 33 stations on various lines around the city as having more than half of their total structural components in a state of disrepair.
Stations in all four boroughs in which the subway runs made the list, but a disproportionate number were in Queens.
"Most of the worst stations are actually in Queens, along the Astoria Line, which is served by the N and Q trains, and also the Flushing Line – that's the 7," Dague told 1010 WINS on Wednesday.
The commission made several recommendations on speeding up the pace of station repairs – primarily diverting expansion funds
But the MTA disagreed.
"At a time when growing ridership is leading to crowding and delays, we must pursue expansion projects that will accommodate more customers as well as provide new connections and opportunities for our customers," said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
One rider agreed, saying, "They should repair what they have instead of expanding."
The MTA said a big part of the problem is that their proposed program to fix the subway stations is underfunded, and the city has not responded to the growing need for repairs and increased its contribution.
The MTA also said it has recently invested millions of dollars to repair stations specifically in Queens -- including 10 stations in the Rockaways – as well as a new signal system on the No. 7 train and the Queens Boulevard line.
