New York MTA unveils Capital Program Dashboard

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York unveiled a new on-line Dashboard that will enable the public to track the progress of the MTA's various capital projects. This new web tool will feature a user-friendly interactive system that will provide information on project scopes, budgets, and schedules, all easily accessible on the MTA's web site, www.mta.info.

The public will be able
to search the Dashboard for specific projects and follow their progression from
inception to completion. This information will be available for every project
in the 2010-2014 Capital Program and selected projects still underway in the
2005-2009 program.

"The Dashboard
provides an unprecedented level of detail and information on our capital
projects," said Jay H. Walder, MTA Chairman and CEO. "From station
improvements to the purchase of equipment, signal improvements to updates on
the Second Avenue Subway, the Dashboard will allow anyone to monitor the MTA’s
new approach to capital projects designed to keep the 2010-2014 Capital Program
on schedule and on budget — all with a few clicks of the mouse."

As the agency continues
to transform how it does business, the Chairman added that the Dashboard would
promote further transparency and reinforce the agency’s commitment to provide
information to customers that is more concise and easier to understand.

The Capital Program
Dashboard will enable anyone to search for a project in the 2010-2014 Capital
Program by keyword, project category, by MTA agency, project phase (planning,
design, construction, or complete), or by location where an interactive map,
powered by Google, will list projects within a geographical area. Additional
project information will be accessible by clicking on the link that will
provide a more detailed project description. The Dashboard can be used to check
if the scope of a project has changed, when the project started, and whether or
not it is still on schedule and on budget. Project milestones and budget data
that break down project funding by year will be readily available as well.

The Dashboard will also
encapsulate the entire Capital Program providing a thorough "Plan
Review" that includes figures on the number of projects in the Program,
how many are on budget, and the number of projects that are on schedule, ahead
of schedule, or behind schedule.

In addition, the
Dashboard will also include projects in the 2005-2009 Capital Program that are
under construction but not completed and with budgets over $20 million.
Information will also be available for projects funded by the federal stimulus
(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), as well as projects contained within
the Second Avenue Subway, East Side Access, and 7 line Extension projects.

The $26.3-billion 2010-2014
Capital Program reflects a nearly $2-billion reduction as the result of a
comprehensive review and a new MTA focus on cost effectiveness and efficiency.
The program aims to benefit customers by maintaining the high levels of service
reliability and safety provided today; improve service on the existing system
with new technology; and complete critical expansion projects to ease crowding
and support growth. The full plan and an executive summary are also available
online.