MTA Receives $2 Million Federal Grant
Earlier today, the MTA announced it received a $2 million federal grant for the installation of centrally controlled 3rd rail heaters. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me by the MTA:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced today it has received $2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds to install approximately 350 wireless control points linked to rail heaters system-wide. The project will allow these 3rd rail heaters to be remotely monitored and turned on and off from a central control location depending on weather conditions, thus minimizing electricity use and eliminating wasted energy. The new system is expected to reduce energy consumption by at least 23,000 megawatt hours saving the MTA $1.6 million annually.
This year’s federal stimulus legislation appropriated $100 million for Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER), a new discretionary grant program for public transportation projects that reduce a transit system’s greenhouse gas emissions or result in a decrease in a transit system’s energy use.
MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder said: “The MTA is one of just a handful of transit agencies to receive TIGGER funding. This project is part of the MTA’s overall commitment to lower energy costs and reduce our carbon footprint while putting more people to work as we continue to modernize our infrastructure.”
Currently, in order to prevent icing of ground level exposed 3rd rail in the subway system, New York City Transit manually activates nearly 1,000 3rd rail heaters in the fall of each year. The heaters are then left on throughout the fall, winter, and early spring, regardless of whether or not icing conditions exist, resulting in substantial energy waste. The wireless control points should all be in place by January 2012.
The MTA submitted its proposal to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in May 2009. Competition for TIGGER funds was fierce. The FTA received over 200 proposals containing approximately 524 projects, with an estimated total value of $1.2 billion.
The TIGGER funds will be used to cover a portion of labor costs. The total budget for the project is $8.32 million.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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