The MTA could restore service that was cut to 10 subway lines, create 16 new bus routes and put more commuter trains on the rails — if the final state budget doesn’t siphon off $40 million in transit funds from the authority, according to an analysis done by transit advocates.
Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget redirects the cash to fund unspecified state government operations. The pool of money was generated by taxes that were enacted decades ago specifically to support mass transit operations.
The state Senate and Assembly, meanwhile, have drafted counterresolutions directing that money to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority coffers.
With negotiations heading into their final week, two rider advocacy groups have put together a list of service restorations or enhancements that the MTA could deliver — if the legislators can protect the agency’s funds.
The Straphangers Campaign and the Riders Alliance on Monday will send the analysis to top elected officials, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos (Nassau), Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx), Assemblyman James Brennan (D-Brooklyn) and Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), the advocates said.
The “$40 million could make a real difference in the commuting lives of hundreds of thousands of transit riders,” said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign. “They are hoping that Albany will come to their aid.”
The benefits the MTA could fund, according to the analysis, include:
—Restoring midday, nighttime and weekend service that was reduced on the 1, 7, A, F, J, L and M lines in 2010, creating shorter waits for nearly 600,000 weekday and weekend riders. Cost: $3.1 million.
—Adding 20% more rush hour service on the “notoriously infrequent and crowded” C train. ($1 million).
—Restoring G-train service to Forest Hills-71st Ave. in Queens ($1.5 million) and the W train from Astoria, Queens, to lower Manhattan ($3.4 million).
—Creating 16 additional bus routes — at least three in each borough. ($23.5 million).
—Adding six new Long Island Rail Road rush-hour trains weekdays and 10 off-peak trains ($2.6 million).
—Extending the length of Metro-North trains with additional cars to reduce crowding ($2.7 million).
“We could argue over which train to add or which bus to restore, but the point is that many improvements will only be possible if the Assembly and the Senate stand strong and protect transit riders from this raid on dedicated funding,” said John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance.