New York City Transit had a relatively good year in 2008. Despite starting the year with a small fare hike, the system saw some positive changes that included extending the hours on part-time trains and adding additional trains on severely crowded lines. A shipment of new trains also arrived, and they're making runs on some of the lettered lines.
But as the new year opens, New York transit riders aren't looking forward to the fare increases and service cuts the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to adopt if it can't find other income sources to solve its $1.2 billion deficit.
Given the state of the economy, it seems like the worst time for the MTA to announce its plan for fixing its billion-dollar deficit. A planned fare hike has ticked off commuters, but the bad holiday greeting does not stop there. If the changes proposed by the MTA go through, thousands of people will have to change their travel habits.
Spring 2009 marks the season when the MTA's proposed budget calls for the closure of two subway lines and major service reductions on several others. With passengers taking alternative lines due to closed service and with longer waiting times, there is no doubt that trains and platforms will be much more crowded. MTA subway riders have consistently ranked on the Subway Report Cards "adequate room on board at rush hours" and "reasonable wait times for trains" in their top 10 priorities for improvements. It looks like these two demands by riders will not be met this coming year.
The Z train, which runs from Manhattan and Queens will stop running and will be replaced by the J train, which follows the same tracks. The current skip-stop pattern where the J and Z lines stop at every other stop will end after 49 years of service and the J train will serve every station on the line. The W train, which runs only on weekdays to supplement local service on the Broadway Line will also face the chopping block. The N will replace the W by running locally above Canal Street, meaning that there will only be one Broadway express train line remaining.
The G and M trains will be truncated, with no more service to Forest Hills/71st and Brooklyn respectively.
Dozens of bus lines will be eliminated as well and others with major reductions in service.
Frequency along all subway lines during the late nights will increase from a train every 20 minutes to 30. Several lettered lines will see the intervals increase from 8 minutes to 10 during the weekends.
By June 2009, an inevitable fare hike will take place. The authority has proposed two plans, which will both raise fare revenue by 23%. One pushes the subway fare to $2.50. The second will raise the fare to $2.25 for Metrocard users, but cancel the 15% pay-per-ride bonus that is added to MetroCards when purchasing more than $7 in rides. In addition, under the same plan, cash fares on buses and single-ride paper tickets will rise to $3. Both will increase the price of an unlimited card, which could raise the 30-day pass to as much as $103.
Former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch suggested two alternative plans that includes new tolls on East River bridges and a tax on businesses. Instead of raising fare revenue by 23%, he calls for 8% revenue increase. One of his two plans includes raising the fare to $2.25 and giving a 20% bonus credit when adding more than $7.50 in fares. His other plan will keep fares at $2.00 as long as one uses a MetroCard (a single-ride cash fare will be $2.25). Passes will go up to $88 with the 30-day unlimited.
Before any of the proposed fare hikes take place, the MTA will host hearings in each of the five boroughs.
Photo by Flickr useer raketentim.*
