MTA calls for more funding following NYC subway performance improvement

New York City subway performance has improved since the launch of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Subway Action Plan in 2017, agency officials announced today. 

The subway logged its best on-time performance and the fewest number of delays in four years, they said in a press release.

For example, the subway system achieved on-time performance 76.7 percent of the time in January, compared with 58 percent in January 2018 — an improvement of 32 percent. Also last month, there were 42,348 weekday delays compared with 76,287 in January 2018. 

Weekend on-time performance last month also improved year over year, with 83 percent on-time performance compared with almost 65 percent in January 2018. There were 10,751 less weekend delays in last month compared with January 2018. 

Delay-inducing track fires caused by debris also are down as a result of an "aggressive" cleanup effort, agency officials said. Last month, there were 23 track debris fires compared with 42 fires in January 2018.

MTA officials also noted that the subway system is "dire financial position," with the operating budget deficit expected to reach $500 million as early as 2020 and growing to nearly $1 billion by 2022. MTA has no funding allocation for its next capital plan (2022-2024), they said.

As a result of the financial picture, MTA officials are calling for reoccurring revenue from the city and state, as well as additional revenue from congestion pricing. 

"Our concerted efforts are paying off in the form of fewer delays, less waiting, faster trips and an overall better experience for our customers," said MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford. "These are sustainable improvements resulting from the Subway Action Plan, but we're also limited by an aging infrastructure. In order to achieve the subway system that New Yorkers deserve and that transit employees are capable of delivering, we need sustainable, adequate funding through means such as congestion pricing."