Report: Big MTA projects suffer from delays, overruns

Tuesday October 20, 2009 6:44 PM By Heather Haddon

A good government group Tuesday denounced the MTA’s handling of big transit projects, criticizing the agency for rampant delays and cost overruns.

The study by the Citizens Budget Commission also pinpointed widespread lapses in reporting for MTA projects like the Second Avenue Subway. Researchers were struck by the “persistence and magnitude” of the discrepancies, said Charles Brecher, a report author.

Study authors reviewing the MTA’s $19 billion, 800-project capital plan between 2005 and 2007 found:

- Of the five big subway construction projects, only the South Ferry Terminal has gone according to schedule.

- Reports about station renovations failed to track about a third of the stops the agency committed to overhauling.

- The delivery of 1,280 new subway cars was eight months late, and a contract to improve subway communication cables is five years behind schedule.

New MTA chief Jay Walder acknowledged many of the report findings during a presentation Tuesday, and promised to include a database on the status of system upgrades on the MTA Web site by year’s end.

Transit advocates praised Walder’s idea, saying it will add more detail to what is available in monthly MTA board reports, which don’t reflect when projects are scaled back.

“You can’t see what’s happened with the scope of a project,” said William Henderson, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. “You start out with a Rolls-Royce and end up with a Honda.”

hhaddon@am-ny.com

Union contract could cause MTA new financial woes

Monday August 10, 2009 5:59 PM By Heather Haddon

The MTA is poised to deliver handsome raises to transit workers, and straphangers might pay the price if the deal blows a hole in transit’s budget.

Union arbitrators are expected to settle Wednesday on annual raises of at least 3 percent across three years for subway and bus workers as part of a new contract, sources said.

But the MTA’s new budget only includes reserves for a 1.5 percent raise this year and about 2 percent in 2010, officials said last month. 

“This is a delicately balanced budget,” interim MTA chief Helena Williams said. “To the extent that any award comes in with numbers greater than that is a financial risk.”

The MTA will raise fares by 7.5 percent in 2011 and 2013, but officials said additional fare hikes or service cuts wouldn’t come to pass — unless certain doomsday scenarios occurred, including a larger-than-expected contract settlement.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday called the contract “worrisome.”

“The straphangers of today are going to pay for this increase,” Bloomberg said. “I don’t know how the MTA is going to make up the difference here.”

City Hall itself came under fire recently when the city provided annual raises of at least 4 percent for municipal employees and corrections officers.

Spokesmen for the MTA and Transportation Workers Union Local 100 declined comment.

The contract covering about 36,000 workers expired in January. It will include some union givebacks, which are still being negotiated, sources said.

The payout is similar to what MTA Bus Company workers won in June.

Jason Fink contributed to this report.

hhaddon@am-ny.com
 

C worst, No. 7 best in annual subway report

Monday July 27, 2009 4:45 PM By Heather Haddon

C train riders, you have plenty to kvetch about.

The Manhattan-Brooklyn line ranked dead last among 22 subway lines surveyed by the Straphangers Campaign. The annual report released Wednesday compared scheduled service, breakdowns, crowding and cleanliness.

“It's never working,” said George Williams, 40, a longtime C rider from Brooklyn. The line suffers from regular breakdowns and less frequent service, the State of the Subways survey found.

The C also has some of the oldest cars in the fleet, dating back to 1964, which may figure in the problems. The line probably won't get new digital cars until 2014, a NYC Transit spokesman said.

The No. 7, in contrast, arrived every two and a half minutes during rush hour and was spick-and-span, the report found. The L train also ranked high. Both lines have benefited from a new managerial approach, with one person in charge of each line, that has been implemented systemwide this week, said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign.

Overall, train breakdowns increased from last year's report. Transit recently had to cut back on maintenance because of its ailing budget, Russianoff said.

New cars rolling out throughout the system have dramatically improved train reliability from a decade ago, Transit said. The survey does not reflect car updates made on several lines this year.

Anastasia Economides contributed to this story.

Best overall: No. 7

Worst overall: C

Most scheduled service: No. 6,7,1

Least scheduled service: M,C,W

Least breakdowns: N,Q,No. 2

Most breakdowns: C,G,V

Least crowded: V,Q,B

Most crowding: L, No. 4,N

The worse the station, the more the fare hike moaning

Thursday June 25, 2009 6:36 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Dripping ceilings, peeling walls and a distinct smell of urine: This subway station doesn’t makes riders happy about a fare hike.

“It's just pretty terrible,” said Vram Melek, 32, as he waited in the shabby Court Street station on the R line Thursday.

Grumbling about the coming fare hike is near universal, but its the riders in renovated stations and better-served lines who seem to be taking the medicine better.

“We should pay double,” said Sam Simon, who frequently uses the gleaming South Ferry station on the No. 1 line. “Our lives are completely dependent on their infrastructure. You get what you pay for.”MetroCard machines, turnstiles and bus fare boxes will all change over to the new fares at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, NYC Transit said. Those who purchased a MetroCard prior must swipe it by July 6 to keep it active.

At the 46th Street station in Astoria, riders wished the fare increase came with better service. Weekend travel on the G has been intermittent in Queens for months.

“Might as well get a car,” said Marcia Roberts, 28, a G rider.

Others straphangers were just thankful that the doomsday service cuts didn't transpire.

“It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be clean. It just has to be efficient,” said Charles Fiore, 53, a Bay Ridge rider who uses the Court Street station.

The MTA declined comment for this story.

Anastasia Economides contributed to this story.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

1. Straphangers slow to catch on to coming $2.25 fares

2. MTA budget woes make for dirtier stations

3. Fare hike silver linings

4. City straphangers pay a hefty portion of subway fares

4. Transit workers gear up for fare hike fallout

No. 7 winner, R train looser in cleanliness survey

Thursday June 25, 2009 6:06 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Subway cars are looking less grimy these days, but don’t tell that to R train riders.

Only 25 percent of cars on the R, which serves straphangers from Bay Ridge to Forest Hills, are free of litter, dingy floors and sticky spots, according to an annual report released by the Straphangers Campaign Thursday, making it the dirtiest line in the system.

The survey of 2,200 cars last year also found:

- The No. 1, G, L, N and R trains looked dingier, with the L and N tanking compared to the year before- The No. 4, No. 5, A, B, D, E, J, M and V lines improved from the year before, with the D and J making big strides

- The No. 7 train received the system’s gold star due to an influx of cleaners on the Queens line

It would take 400 additional cleaners throughout the system to mimic staffing levels on the No. 7, an infusion that is “extremely unlikely” given the MTA’s budget woes, transit officials said. The MTA is slashing 43 of its 1,181 car cleaners next year to save money.

“It’s a question of priorities,” said Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign. “I strongly think (cleaners) are something the riders want.”

Next year, NYC Transit will begin taking cleanliness surveys through hand-held computers to deploy staff to dirty trains faster, the agency said.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

1. Straphangers slow to catch on to coming $2.25 fares

2. MTA budget woes make for dirtier stations

3. Fare hike silver linings

4. City straphangers pay a hefty portion of subway fares

4. Transit workers gear up for fare hike fallout

Transit workers gear up for fare hike fallout

Wednesday June 24, 2009 6:06 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Call it blaming the messenger.

NYC Transit workers aren't the ones who usher in higher bus and subway fares, but they often pay the price for the bad news.

“There are arguments, near fights,” said Harry Wills, a Brooklyn bus operator running for union office. “We get the flak for it.”

Signs about the fare hike have gone up throughout the subway system, and new price charts will surface in buses and token booths this weekend, transit officials said.

Still, passengers often don't read the signs, and then direct their angst at bus operators and station agents. They’re gearing up for more unwarranted tongue lashings starting on Sunday, when the fare hikes kick in.“They feel bitter,” said Brenda Davis, 50, a station agent at the 34th Street-Penn Station stop on the Broadway line. “It's easy for them to be mad at me.”

A Cornell University study conducted soon after the 2005 fare hike found that 81 percent of station agents and 71 percent of bus drivers had been verbally or physical threatened by a passenger in the past year.

This time around, station agents will also have to fumble with more quarters. Base fares rise by a quarter to $2.25.

Transit provided additional quarters to token clerks, workers said yesterday. Bulletins detailing the fare increase and potential customer questions went out to station agents in the past two weeks, a NYC Transit spokeswoman said.

Union officials said they could still use more help in dealing with irate passengers.

“You're strictly on your own,” said Andreeva Pinder, the union vice president for stations. “I tell [the clerks\ to keep their behinds in the booths.”

Anastasia Economides contributed to this story.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

1. Straphangers slow to catch on to coming $2.25 fares

2. MTA budget woes make for dirtier stations

3. Fare hike silver linings

4. City straphangers pay a hefty portion of subway fares

City straphangers pay a hefty portion of subway fares

Tuesday June 23, 2009 6:07 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

More than anywhere else, it seems, New Yorkers pay for the subway service they get.

Subway and bus fares cover 56 percent of NYC Transit’s operating expenses, one of the highest percentages among public transit systems in North America.

“You never see where your money goes,” said Cynthia Key, 56, a Bronx rider. “It’s always dirty, crowded.”

Transit experts saw both side of the MetroCard debate.

“We have features here that no other transit system in the country has,” said Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign. “But we also have (subway) crowding ... that would embarrass a cattle shipper.”

It takes a hodgepodge of fares, taxes and government subsidies to keep transit systems running. Throughout the United States, fares cover 34 percent of operating expenses on average, according to Federal Transit Administration figures.Unlike other systems, however, New York transit riders have to cough up money for the MTA’s $27 billion in debt. The agency is the fifth largest public debt holder in the nation.

City straphangers also shoulder the burden of 44 years with the nickel fare, said Robert Paaswell, director of the University Transportation Research Center at CUNY.

Additionally, city and state subsidies to the MTA have remained basically flat since 1990, according to a city Independent Budget Office report released last year. The calculations did not factor in the $1.8 billion in new taxes and fees approved by Albany last month.

Paaswell said the 25-cent fare hike coming Sunday is negligible. City transit riders pay less than they did 30 years ago when accounting for inflation, he said.

“It’s worth it,” said T. Walker, 55, of Canarsie. “It gets me where I need to go.”

The MTA declined comment.

Shayndi Raice contributed to this story.

The cost of a ride

Percent of day-to-day expenses at MTA agencies covered by fares:

56: New York City Transit

51: Metro-North

40: LIRR

15: Staten Island Railway

Percent of other transit systems’ day-to-day expenses covered by fares:

43: Chicago

40: Washington, D.C.

37: Philadelphia

26: Paris

Sources: MTA, University Transportation Research Center at CUNY

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

1. Straphangers slow to catch on to coming $2.25 fares

2. MTA budget woes make for dirtier stations

3. Fare hike silver linings

Straphangers slow to catch on to coming $2.25 fares

Sunday June 21, 2009 5:58 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Ready or not, here it comes.

With the $2 subway fare just days away from expiring, straphangers are having a hard time adjusting - if they know about the fare hike at all.

Only a handful of riders surveyed Sunday could say when the new fares were coming or what they will be. They were news to Richard Tillman, 61, of the South Bronx.

“Get out of here. Nobody's going to pay that,” said Tillman of the increase, which will take the base fare to $2.25 and monthly Metrocards from $81 to $89. “It just went up.”

Indeed, it’s the second hike in two years, and it has some straphangers considering commuting alternatives.

“Now I know what I'm going to do next week. I'm going to pull out the car,” said Angela Pacheco, 57, of Brooklyn.

Workers are making their final checks to MetroCard computers to gear up for the switch, NYC Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges said.The MTA voted to increase fares to $2.50 in March, but softened the blow after state lawmakers came through with $2.3 billion in additional funding last month. The tug-of-war over the bailout played out for weeks in Albany, leaving many riders confused about the end result.

“I think they definitely should have communicated [the new fares] a lot earlier,” said Edlin Cruz, 24, of Harlem.

The agency defended its outreach. White signs detailing the fares in several languages started going up in subway stations last week. Transit will finish posting the notices in subways and buses shortly, Fleuranges said.

Few riders stopped to look at the signs posted in station entrances and passageways Sunday. The signs typically were not located on platforms.

“They should post it on the pillars. It should be on the news - Channel 1, 5, 9, everything,” said Jaynea Braggs, 22, of Harlem.

A screen saver reminding riders about the change is being added to all MetroCard machines, Fleuranges said. Next weekend, fare decals on buses and subways will include the new prices, he said.

Anastasia Economides and Marlene Naanes contributed to this story

Fare bonuses

Straphangers who purchase Pay-Per-Ride cards will get a 15 percent bonus when they buy at least $8

- Single bonus fare comes with a $15 purchase

- Put $45 on a card to get 23 fares to avoid leftover balances

Poll: Straphangers feel safer with station agents

Wednesday June 17, 2009 6:42 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

Better safe than sorry.

Nearly two-thirds of riders polled said they felt safer with the red vested station agents roving the subways, according to an on-line survey of 630 passengers released Wednesday.

“People don’t want to be in a system without human beings. It’s scary,” said Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign, which conducted the survey.

The MTA is eliminating its 420 station agents through attrition to save $16 million by 2010. Agency officials said they must plug a $200 million hole remaining after state lawmakers allocated $2.3 billion in new funding.

Since 2005, station agents have provided directions and helped passengers navigate the subways. They also contact police and emergency responders in case of crime, medical problems or lost passengers.Last year, station agents summoned emergency command 171,370 times, nearly triple the number of incidences in 2000, according to data obtained by amNewYork.

“We’re there for their safety,” said Andreeva Pinder, a union representative for stations.

Transit officials, however, argue that the change will have “no adverse effect to station security or customer safety.”

At least one full-time token clerk will remain in all 468 stations at all hours, they said.

Transit union candidates speak out on service

Wednesday June 17, 2009 6:30 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

The race to lead the nation's largest transportation union has entered its final, heated stretch.

Curtis Tate, the acting president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, is running against union activist John Samuelsen. Voting concludes Monday, but the ballots won't be counted until December. The winners will represent nearly all subway and bus workers for three years.

Curtis Tate, 52

A train operator on the numbered trains for 20 years, Tate is the acting TWU 100 president, appointed to replace former president Roger Toussaint, and leader of the “United Invincible” slate

What would you do to improve service?

We are prepared to fight to keep service at its current level, or better. It's post 9/11, and we don't want to take people out of the system. We are fighting to keep station agents booths open and prevent service cuts.

Would you ever consider striking?

Strikes are never ever your first, second or third choice. I'm not looking to break the law.What would you do for transit workers if elected?

We need to make further improvements on worker child care and training. I'm interested in teaching the next generation in trade unionism. I'm also extremely invested in expanding our (assistance) to women workers.

John Samuelsen, 41

A track inspector for 17 years in Brooklyn, Samuelsen leads the “Take Back Our Union” slate

What would you do to improve service?

A key difference is that we would have launched an all-out fight to save the station agent jobs, and that would have benefited service. They are the first layer of protection for our riders.

Would you ever consider striking?

I'm not in favor of a strike. We intend to win gains at the bargaining table.

What would you do for transit workers if elected?

We would pressure the company to advance our wages and benefits. The union is at its weakest point in decades. That's why we teetered on the brink of unprecedented service cuts and layoffs. A strong union will maintain service and staff.

MTA missing 8 forklifts and 17 big batteries

Tuesday June 16, 2009 5:55 PM By Heather Haddon

By Heather Haddon

A band of subcontractors seemed to have made a serious run on the MTA’s supply closet.

A Brooklyn man and two Long Island residents were arrested Tuesday for pilfering eight MTA forklifts and 17 steel-cased batteries weighing a ton each.

The loot, worth tens of thousands of dollars, was trucked out of NYC Transit’s Maspeth mega-warehouse, whereupon the thieves allegedly hawked it at a nearby scrap yard for a fraction of its original cost.

“Now that the arrests were made, (we) intend to pursue any systemic weakness that would allow for this to happen,” said MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger, whose office worked on the five-month investigation in conjunction with the Queens District Attorney’s office and NYC Transit.

Those arrested worked for a private trucking company hired to repair and inspect NYC Transit equipment at its Maspeth storage facility. On three separate occasions last year, the team allegedly loaded up the equipment for off-sight repair on trucks, hauled it away and sold it for a total of $7,812.Transit inspectors noticed the missing goods during an audit last year and reported it to investigators, Kluger said.

The defendants — Bruce Lesniewski, 30; Darrin Pfaff, 42; and Kimberely Edwards, 57 — had not been arraigned by press time. They face six years of jail time if convicted on grand larceny and conspiracy charges.

Lawyers for Edwards and Pfaff said their clients would plead not guilty. An attorney for Lesniewski declined comment.