TRANSIT Subway system won't be in good condition until 2067, report says

[R3216068E]

 

http://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-subway-system-won-t-be-in-good-condition-until-2067-report-says-1.10802527

Stations look horrible needs to do some serious maintenance on them

[bobtehpanda]

Are you going to give them the money for it?  ​ 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Are you going to give them the money for it?  ​ 

They get enough. They spent too much in one damn station. 

[MysteriousBtrain]

Psst hey queens, we're starting on the liberty line and I'm pretty sure more stations are comming up.

[Dj Hammers]

They get enough. They spent too much in one damn station.

the MTA actually deserves more capital funding. The subsidy per user of transit is much lower than it is for roads.

 

 

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa772.pdf

 

"On the other hand, the New York urban area—where 40 percent of all transit use takes place—received nearly $11.5 billion less than it would have received in 1991 through 2013 if federal funds were distributed proportional to ridership."

[fanrailerz]

LOL what will the fare be by then? 

[jon2305]

LOL what will the fare be by then? 

 

Who knows, by then I'll be 78 years old and probably want nothing to do with New York City.

 

Maybe CBTC will cover half of the entire subway system.

[Lance]

Ooh, another study that points out what we already know. Are we going to actually do something to fix this? No? Then all these studies, reports and other miscellaneous findings are pointless.

[B35 via Church]

Yeah, I read about this in amNY (the physical paper)..... This snippet was the only thing I took from it:

"At the MTA's current rate of progress, all its stops won't be in good repair until 2067....."

 

I paid less attention to the projected year, and more attention at the shot at how slow the MTA is, as far as maintenance goes.....

[LTA1992]

But at the end of the day, will it ever truly be fixed? Think if it like a home. Every time you fix something, another thing breaks right afterward. As it gets older, these fixes need to happen more often and what decides when things get done is how much you have in the bank.

[DetSMART45]

But at the end of the day, will it ever truly be fixed? Think if it like a home. Every time you fix something, another thing breaks right afterward. As it gets older, these fixes need to happen more often and what decides when things get done is how much you have in the bank.

Not necessarily, but I get your gist.

The problem lies in how fixes are applied.  In your example, let's say you've got roof leaks, nothing major but enough of a PITA.  You can approach it two ways after assessing the situation: Go around and put "band-aids" on or have the entire roof redone.  Granted, the most expensive option is the latter, however, by doing it you'll find any other potential leak areas waiting to happen, and you'll be good for 10, 15, 20 or more years.  If you go with the "cheaper" option, you'll more than likely be spending more overall, because every time a new flare-up happens, there's another service call (or you with a ladder and materials) -- and, as Murphy's Law goes -- it always seems to happen at the absolute worst of times.

I'm sure the MTA is also not the best at efficient fixing, where if a disruption is going to occur within a certain area, why not take care of the smaller problems at the same time as well.  It could be something like rehabbing a station with peeling paint problems, but an elevator there has been having repeated breakdowns or some steps are spalling as well -- but the work order is only for the paint rehab.  So forget the elevator and concrete, but then 6 months or a year later, "well, looks like we have these problems, guess we should fix them."  What happens then? Cause yet another disruption, due to lack of proper planning -- almost like a "make future work" type of approach.

You wouldn't fix your roof problems, yet leave a hole you notice in the soffit where critters could get access inside the building, but that's pretty much what seems to happen.  You've already got the ladder out, might as well fix that as well.  Or wait until winter when your ceilings are marked with stains, not from the roof problem, but the family of raccoons peeing inside their new home.