John Petro

Governor Cuomo’s MTA Reinvention Commission met for the first time last week at the agency's midtown headquarters. Cuomo has charged the 22-member commission with developing a plan “to make our subways and our entire transit system ready for the challenges of the next century.” The commission’s recommendations are expected to shape the MTA’s next capital program -- its five-year plan for maintenance and expansion -- as well as the authority’s long-term planning and vision.

The MTA has made big strides in recent years to streamline its operations, but without political leadership from Governor Cuomo, the agency won't be able to tackle the high costs and inefficiencies that continue to hamper the city's transit system.

The MTA’s financial situation became much murkier yesterday as Governor Cuomo announced that retroactive raises will be part of a labor agreement between the transit authority and the Transport Workers Union.

I think most transit riders would laugh -- cynically -- at the idea that the MTA has more than enough funds to meet its needs. But this is exactly what the MTA’s chairman Tom Prendergast said when he learned that the state would be diverting $30 million from the MTA’s funding stream to balance the state budget.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing for $2 billion in tax cuts in his next budget, citing growing surpluses. But a new report on New York City’s infrastructure from the Center for an Urban Future makes it clear that there is no surplus -- the state is responsible for billions in unfunded infrastructure repairs to city subways.