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MTA to host town halls in Queens, Manhattan on the Fast Forward transit plan

At the first Fast Forward town hall in August, NYC Transit president Andy Byford lays out details of the transit revitalization plan and takes questions from the audience.
At the first Fast Forward town hall in August, NYC Transit president Andy Byford lays out details of the transit revitalization plan and takes questions from the audience. Photo Credit: noah_fecks

The MTA said on Tuesday the agency will hold two town halls this month in Queens and Manhattan to hear feedback on the Fast Forward plan. 

The events will allow residents to ask questions and voice concerns to NYC Transit president Andy Byford, who announced the still-unfunded  Fast Forward plan in May. The plan includes installing new signal and track infrastructure within five years, updating subway cars and buses, and a plan to increase subway accessibility so that, within five years, riders are never more than two stops from a wheelchair-accessible station.

"Public transit is the engine of New York City, and anyone who takes the subway, a bus or paratransit has a personal stake in the future of New York City Transit, which is why it is so important for all of our customers to get to know what the Fast Forward Plan means to their commutes,” Byford said in a statement. “The plan will be a monumental task to implement and we absolutely want every stakeholder to have a say in how we will achieve our goals.”

Funding for the $40 billion plan has been a major point of contention between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The town halls will be held on Oct. 10 at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center in St. Albans, and on Oct. 11 at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. 

In August, Byford held the first hearing at Queens’ York College.