Transit Funding

When Governor Cuomo smiled for the cameras to announce labor deals with the Transport Workers Union and Long Island Rail Road unions, he promised they wouldn't push already-planned fare hikes any higher. The unanswered question was: How much will this cost, and how is he going to pay for it? Now we know: The governor's MTA is moving money away from investments in the system's long-term upkeep, widening a $12 billion hole even as a panel of experts studies ways to pay for needed improvements.

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.

On Monday, Governor Cuomo announced that the state would provide $20 million for transit service across the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and is applying for a federal grant as well. While this first step is welcome news, there are still more questions than answers about what this money will pay for and how the rest of the project's bus system will be funded and operated.

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 won't be denied. Overriding proposals from the Assembly and State Senate, the governor continues to pick the pocket of New York City's transit system, diverting $30 million from the MTA in the state budget.

How much transit service could the MTA add if Governor Cuomo's proposed $40 million transit raid doesn't make Albany's final budget? Here's a taste, courtesy of the Straphangers Campaign and the Riders Alliance.

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.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver will look to block Governor Cuomo's $40 million transit raid, according to the Daily News.

It's crunch time for the state budget, and so far Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has not said a word about undoing the $40 million MTA raid in Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive budget, even though 32 Assembly members have called on Cuomo to restore the funds [PDF].