MTA Officials: Subway On-Time Performance Hits Highest Level Since 2013
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Based on a glowing report released Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is boasting improved subway service and on-time performance.
But some riders told CBS2's Jessica Moore riding the train is as bad as it has ever been.
"What we're here to talk about is improved performance on the subway across every single metric that we've been tracking," New York City Transit President Andy Byford said Monday.
Byford touted new numbers that he said show a drastic improvement in subway performance city-wide.
Watch: New York City Transit President Andy Byford On Subway Service:
He said on-time performance registered above 80% for the past six months and the number of major weekday incidents decreased by nearly 50% from last November. The MTA said trains were on time only 58% of the time last year.
Byford credited the Subway Action Plan to improve infrastructure and the "Save Safe Seconds" campaign.
"That was about getting the basics right ... driving up performance, squeezing every ounce of performance out of the system," Byford said. "These are the changes that are now propelling us to the highest performance that this subway has seen since 2013."
Added MTA Chairman Patrick Foye: "The data doesn't lie. Subway service is demonstrably better."
And while the MTA said the data speaks for itself, riders Moore spoke with said their daily commutes tell a different story.
"It's pretty terrible. I mean it gets you from A to B, but it's not the best," said Jessie Poole of Inwood.
"Especially in the morning rush. It's impossible. People are squeezing in the trains. They don't come often enough. They're delayed," added Michelle Roy of the Upper West Side.
"I always try to keep in mind that they move a million people a day, but the trains are getting worse. I've lived here for 12 years. It's a slow decline," said Adam Kromelow of the UWS.
Other riders said improvements may be marginal, but at least the agency is trying.
"It's not horrible. It's about the same," said Nancy DeSimone of the Lower East Side.
"Nobody loaded this tin years ago, 11, 12 o'clock now the trains are packed, so they've gotten better," added Terry Weiss of Park Slope, Brooklyn.
The MTA has promised even more improvements and better service if its capital plan is approved in Albany.
If approved, the capital program would invest $51.5 billion in the region's subways, buses and commuter railroads over the next five years. Lawmakers in Albany have said the MTA needs to provide more details on how it would spend the money before they can approve the capital program.
