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MTA CEO Elliot Sander Discusses The MTA’s Financial Hardship

Posted by
on August 12th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

MTA CEO/Executive Director Elliot Sander sat down with NY1 Transit Reporter Bobby Cuza to discuss the financial hardship currently being felt by the MTA. Mr. Sander’s comments echo the same message we have heard for months which we all know is very grim. Here is a sample of Bobby’s report:

CEO Lee Sander says the moment of reckoning is approaching for the MTA transit agency. After borrowing billions and billions of dollars during Governor George Pataki’s administration to pay for system repairs, with no real plan for how to pay that money back, the bills are finally coming due.

“What is just most important is for New Yorkers to realize that the future of the city and the region is at risk,” said Sander.

Click here for the complete report.

Honestly this report did not break any grounds in terms of new news. This of course is no fault to Bobby who does a great job bringing transit news to the forefront. The sad part for me is just listening or reading Elliot’s thoughts on the current state of finances at the MTA. I sit there & wonder how long will it take to get out of this mess. I wonder if we actually can as it is hard to change a culture that has systematically led to this breaking point. While many will scream for the MTA to better manage their money, I will sit back & wish it was that easy to fix the current state of financial disrepair.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 08-08

Posted by
on August 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for this weekend plus next week (and beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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$210 Million Grant Approved For LIRR East Side Access Project

Posted by
on August 7th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Earlier today New York Senators Charles Schumer & Hillary Clinton announced the official approval of funding for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) East Side Access project. The funding will come in the form of a $210 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Steve Ritea of Newsday filed this brief report:

Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton on Thursday announced $210 million in federal funding for East Side Access, the $7.2-billion project to link the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal by 2015.

Although the funds — received through a grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation — were already anticipated, their final approval is nonetheless welcome news as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority wrestles with a fiscal crisis that forced the agency to delay a slew of other, smaller capital projects last month.

“East Side Access is a crucial mass transit project for New York City, and this funding means less crowded subways and buses, more convenient routes and less wear and tear on our rails and roads,” Schumer said.

“This is a wise investment in New York’s infrastructure that will improve transportation services for many New Yorkers and Long Islanders who are feeling the strain of the daily commute,” Clinton added.

The project, which still needs about $3 billion in funds, recently reached a milestone when one of the tunnels the LIRR needs between Queens and Grand Central was completed.

Also Thursday, Schumer announced the Federal Transit Administration has awarded $490,000 for upgrades at Long Island Bus, which serves Nassau County.

I am excited to see the federal government help fund our transit infrastructure. Sorry I can’t be more excited about it though as I’m not a big supporter of the East Side Access Project in terms of it being completed before more significant projects. I am happy to see Long Island Bus get some funds as that division could use a complete overhaul to be able to provide the service it should for Long Island residents.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Looking Into Station Sponsorships Again

Posted by
on August 7th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

The MTA is looking under every rock to find ways to bring more money in. Last month I wrote about their plan of looking to ads to add financial muscle. Today’s edition of AMNY features an article by transportation writer Matthew Sweeney which talks about the idea of selling station sponsorships to companies. Here is a brief sample of his article:

Imagine Mickey Mouse greeting passengers as they step onto the platform at a “Disney Times Square” station or “CitiStation” beneath Citigroup Center at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue.”

In the midst of a financial crisis, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is looking at corporate sponsorship of subway stations to help fill its massive budget gap.

“We’re looking to see what more we can do to raise revenue through station advertising,” MTA CEO Elliot Sander told amNewYork.

Sponsorship, little more than a sketch on paper at this point, could become the most visible component of the agency’s aggressive push to increase advertising revenue, which currently brings in a little more than $100 million a year.

Click here for the entire article.

I support this idea of sponsoring stations. The kind of revenue this could bring in if done right would be huge for the MTA. Major companies would not pass up an opportunity to target a subway system that moves millions of people around daily.

Outside of the money factor, I feel this would be a great way to help fund the complete cleanup & repair of stations throughout the system. Do you really think Disney for instance would spend millions on advertising & have their station look like utter garbage? I sure don’t think so.

As far as overdoing it is concerned, I don’t think that applies in this case. Riders see advertisements every single day so what would be different about this? It is not like the MTA will allow a company to turn a station into an amusement park. Riders should seriously look at the bigger picture instead of worrying about such inconsequential things. As far as Playboy is concerned, do you really think the MTA would allow them to advertise? People should think before saying something so stupid. Lets hope the MTA does not blow this golden opportunity to rake in the dough.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Gov Patterson Flexes His Veto Muscle

Posted by
on August 7th, 2008 at 7:45 pm

If you happen to keep up with Long Island politics, you would have heard about the battle over building a truck-rail yard in Brentwood. The proposed truck-rail yard is to be built on part of the property where the former Pilgrim State Hospital currently sits.

Gov. Patterson has supported this project as he sees it as a viable way to help decrease the reliance on trucks & the traffic they bring to the island. The bill he vetoed would have killed any plans for such a facility as it called for the property to be added to the Oak Brush Plains Preserve. Elizabeth Moore of Newsday has more on this story with the report she filed earlier today:

Gov. David A. Paterson has vetoed a bill that would have killed plans for a truck-rail yard on part of the former Pilgrim State Hospital property in Brentwood by adding the land to the Oak Brush Plains Preserve instead.

Paterson says he believes environmental reviews should continue on the proposed Long Island Truck/Rail Intermodal, or LITRIM, which would reduce truck traffic by 156,000 truck trips per year by shifting more freight to the rail lines. That would reduce carbon emissions by 3,448 tons, since trains use less fuel than trucks, he said.

“Enacting this bill would end this process and forever block the only opportunity to build LITRIM at Pilgrim, a project that may have enormous benefits for the residents of Long Island in improving congestion and air quality,” the governor wrote in his veto message, delivered to lawmakers Thursday.

Click here to read the entire article.

The battle over this project comes from your typical neighborhood residents crying about any sort of development. The mentality in many of the suburbs in the tri-state area is of the selfish kind. Once they find a neighborhood to call their own, damn to anyone who attempts to bring in anything that could help the overall population of a region. It is all about what it does or does not do for their desires. Yet one could safely bet that many of these same people are of the green mentality & wanting to help the environment. Well if that is the case, why go against a project that would clearly help out the environment? They can’t have it both ways….
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xoxo Transit Blogger

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