Slower Subways Will Cost New Yorkers $1.4 Billion This Year

[tripleeye49]

 

“By denying responsibility for his transit system,” Brad Aaron wrote here last Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo “is perpetuating a charade that has real consequences for New Yorkers.” That’s for sure. But can we express those consequences in dollars and cents? Can we estimate how much the ongoing degradation of transit service is costing us?

 

I believe we can. I’ve made a calculation of the cost of slower subways, and the number I’ve come up with, expressed on an annual basis, is $1.4 billion a year.

 

Most of that represents lost time — straphangers’ time waiting on platforms and inside stalled and slowed trains, of course, but also drivers’ time as wretched subway service motivates more driving, further worsening road congestion. And with more vehicles come environmental costs: more tailpipe emissions, and fewer opportunities for New Yorkers to safely walk and bike.

 

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[Via Garibaldi 8]

 

“By denying responsibility for his transit system,” Brad Aaron wrote here last Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo “is perpetuating a charade that has real consequences for New Yorkers.” That’s for sure. But can we express those consequences in dollars and cents? Can we estimate how much the ongoing degradation of transit service is costing us?

 

 

I believe we can. I’ve made a calculation of the cost of slower subways, and the number I’ve come up with, expressed on an annual basis, is $1.4 billion a year.

 

 

Most of that represents lost time — straphangers’ time waiting on platforms and inside stalled and slowed trains, of course, but also drivers’ time as wretched subway service motivates more driving, further worsening road congestion. And with more vehicles come environmental costs: more tailpipe emissions, and fewer opportunities for New Yorkers to safely walk and bike.

 

Read More

 

No comments on this though, other than poor we need to throw more money at the problem.

[tripleeye49]

It's almost becoming chicken / egg scenario now.  Both the mayor and the governor fighting for more control instead of cooperating to make sure the problems the MTA has, especially with its subways gets fixed.  Even worse since you have a New Yorker as President who has plainly stated that he will fix the infrastructure in the United States, and the subways are literally crumbling before our eyes.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's almost becoming chicken / egg scenario now.  Both the mayor and the governor fighting for more control instead of cooperating to make sure the problems the MTA has, especially with its subways gets fixed.  Even worse since you have a New Yorker as President who has plainly stated that he will fix the infrastructure in the United States, and the subways are literally crumbling before our eyes.

The Union has a lot to say, but they never have anything to say about working with the to improve service. Now that would be a thought huh...

[MHV9218]

No comments on this though, other than poor we need to throw more money at the problem.

 

Actually, yes, we do need to throw more money at the problem. You can't whine and bitch about service without acknowledging that the way these problems are resolved is with appropriate funding to repair, replace, and renew. And don't rag on the employees now. 

 

It's almost becoming chicken / egg scenario now.  Both the mayor and the governor fighting for more control instead of cooperating to make sure the problems the MTA has, especially with its subways gets fixed.  Even worse since you have a New Yorker as President who has plainly stated that he will fix the infrastructure in the United States, and the subways are literally crumbling before our eyes.

 

It's not even a fight. The mayor doesn't have control. The governor does. The governor leaned on the mayor for the most money the city has ever contributed, and the mayor gave it. You get the sense straphangers will be standing outside the governor's office with pitchforks soon enough.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Actually, yes, we do need to throw more money at the problem. You can't whine and bitch about service without acknowledging that the way these problems are resolved is with appropriate funding to repair, replace, and renew. And don't rag on the employees now. 

 

If we have to spend 1 billion PER subway station, then no, we don't need to throw more money into the black hole that is the .  The (MTA)'s idea of budgeting and lowering costs is to cut service, but they can't seem to get a handle on the out of control spending for what amounts to beautification projects.  We need the monies to go to infrastructure.  Nobody cares about pretty mezzanines when the system is falling apart. Their priorities are out of whack.  As for your other comments, I don't have to do that.  Everyone knows the deal.

[MHV9218]

If we have to spend 1 billion PER subway station, then no, we don't need to throw more money into the black hole that is the .  The (MTA)'s idea of budgeting and lowering costs is to cut service, but they can't seem to get a handle on the out of control spending for what amounts to beautification projects.  We need the monies to go to infrastructure.  Nobody cares about pretty mezzanines when the system is falling apart. Their priorities are out of whack.  As for your other comments, I don't have to do that.  Everyone knows the deal.

 

It's true that the SAS was a misdirected project with costs far too high, but an investment in infrastructure like that isn't a bad thing by itself. What we really need is money to repair and replace, and that's the sort of unglamorous, unpleasant work that nobody wants to get behind. The cost of the work is not the problem--the fact that it's not getting done is.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

It's true that the SAS was a misdirected project with costs far too high, but an investment in infrastructure like that isn't a bad thing by itself. What we really need is money to repair and replace, and that's the sort of unglamorous, unpleasant work that nobody wants to get behind. The cost of the work is not the problem--the fact that it's not getting done is.

I don't know how you can say that it isn't.  The high costs are indeed a problem, especially when you look at how fast the work deteriorates.  For the kind of money being spent, the quality of work and the materials is shoddy.

[Lance]

I actually have to agree with Via G in a way. You are right that we do need to spend money on maintenance and upgrades to the existing system MHV. There's no doubt to that and there's no way around that fact. However, the problem lies in the costs, specifically the ever growing costs of well, everything, from new stations to regular maintenance work. Similar expenditures cost way less in other transit systems around the globe, so why does it cost so much for the same thing here in New York? Thing is, there doesn't seem to be any effort to actually drive down costs in any meaningful way. Cuomo will mention it in passing, most recently to tout his station renewal plan, but in the grand scheme of the entire agency, there seems to be no real push for any kind of significant change on that front.

[tripleeye49]

Actually, yes, we do need to throw more money at the problem. You can't whine and bitch about service without acknowledging that the way these problems are resolved is with appropriate funding to repair, replace, and renew. And don't rag on the employees now. 

 

 

It's not even a fight. The mayor doesn't have control. The governor does. The governor leaned on the mayor for the most money the city has ever contributed, and the mayor gave it. You get the sense straphangers will be standing outside the governor's office with pitchforks soon enough.

 

Yes, the governor is the one who is ultimately in control, but I know that the mayor has complained a bunch of times about that fact, and that he would like to take control away from the governor.  It is Cuomo's responsibility that all of this is happening.  He is now grandstanding by now calling it a state of Emergency.  Metro North is the only subsystem that is working with any amount of decency.  LIRR and NYCT right now are a disaster.

[Wallyhorse]

I actually have to agree with Via G in a way. You are right that we do need to spend money on maintenance and upgrades to the existing system MHV. There's no doubt to that and there's no way around that fact. However, the problem lies in the costs, specifically the ever growing costs of well, everything, from new stations to regular maintenance work. Similar expenditures cost way less in other transit systems around the globe, so why does it cost so much for the same thing here in New York? Thing is, there doesn't seem to be any effort to actually drive down costs in any meaningful way. Cuomo will mention it in passing, most recently to tout his station renewal plan, but in the grand scheme of the entire agency, there seems to be no real push for any kind of significant change on that front.

The problem is if they try to change it, there likely are concerns in some cases of losing their fifedoms.  That is to me a real problem I have seen for too long in Horse Racing (people more worried about protecting their fifedoms to do the greater good).  

[CenSin]

I actually have to agree with Via G in a way. You are right that we do need to spend money on maintenance and upgrades to the existing system MHV. There's no doubt to that and there's no way around that fact. However, the problem lies in the costs, specifically the ever growing costs of well, everything, from new stations to regular maintenance work. Similar expenditures cost way less in other transit systems around the globe, so why does it cost so much for the same thing here in New York? Thing is, there doesn't seem to be any effort to actually drive down costs in any meaningful way. Cuomo will mention it in passing, most recently to tout his station renewal plan, but in the grand scheme of the entire agency, there seems to be no real push for any kind of significant change on that front.

I’m surprised that nobody has (so far) brought up the excuse: “but, it’s New York! That’s just how it works.” I really think outside consultants are needed to solve this problem—someone with teeth and the balls to say “well, that’s not the way it ought to be done.”

 

Slightly off-topic: among other things, once the infrastructure isn’t total crap, they should be moving full speed ahead with CBTC. Slower subways are sometimes the effect of huge variations in train operator ability and conductor temperament.