New York City Transit's on-time performance falls, audit finds

In 2014, MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) subway trains were on time 74 percent of the time, falling from 80.5 percent in 2013, according to an audit released yesterday by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

The audit examined on-time performance during 2013 through 2014. A train is considered "on time" if it arrives at its end terminal no more than five minutes after its scheduled time, according to the audit.

In 2013, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) expected 91.9 percent of trains to arrive on time, but in 2014, the agency decreased that goal to 75 percent.

"The MTA has actually lowered its own expectations for addressing subway delays," DiNapoli said in a press release. "We’re encouraged that MTA has put more money toward improving the ride for straphangers, hopefully it will help improve on-time performance."

More than half of the train delays were caused by "controllable" causes, the audit found. Subway car equipment problems, for example, caused 6 percent of the delays.

Other delays were caused by track work crews and inexperienced employees.

The audit recommended that MTA identify the underlying causes of recurring train delays and develop plans to address them. DiNapoli's report also suggested the agency require its subway managers to submit monthly feedback on actions they've taken to address train delays.

MTA officials disagreed with the audit, asserting that assessment of wait time between trains provides a better indicator of subway service, staffers from DiNapoli's office said.