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MTA Releases 6-Point Plan To Improve Subway Service, Including Delivery Of New Cars

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- After a series of recent delays and disruptions, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched a new plan to improve subway service.

The plan calls for:

• Reorganizing the MTA leadership structure, with a separation of the chairman and chief executive officer positions.

• Expediting the delivery of 300 new subway cars with the first due this fall and improving maintenance – with new inspectors focusing on doors, heating and air condition, and master controllers. The agency notes that breakdowns occur 25 times per month on the Eighth Avenue line and cause delays of 19 minutes.

• Improving tracks and signals with a new inspection system, rapid response teams, track design enhancements and technology-based track cleaning;

• Mitigating delays associated with sick passengers and police activity. On the particularly affected Eighth Avenue line, the MTA will hire or train new EMTs and place them at 125th Street, 59th Street-Columbus Circle, 14th Street, West 4th Street, and Fulton Street. Police will also be made more available at several key stations.

• Streamlining passenger entry and exit in stations so as to reduce the time trains must stay put.

• Targeting bottlenecks where trains are slowed down.

On Tuesday of last week, signal problems caused delays on several subway lines during the morning rush. Massive delays were also seen on the subway system back on April 21. Power problems were blamed in both of the latest instances.

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