MTA proposes $32 billion five-year capital plan

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released its proposed 2015-2019 Capital Program, which details its plan to ensure safe and reliable service for a growing region by investing in the subway, bus, commuter railroad, bridge and tunnel network.

 

The proposed $32-billion Capital Program is designed to renew, enhance and expand the MTA network, which moves 8.7 million customers every day. It includes vital investments to protect the safety and reliability of transit service, improve service quality and the customer experience and expand the MTA network with new lines and connections.

“The MTA Capital Program is our single most important effort to ensure we can keep the New York metropolitan region moving, so people can get where they need to go, businesses can thrive and the quality of life here can continue to improve,” said MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast. “The MTA network is a $1-trillion asset,and it needs constant investment so it can serve everyone who relies on it now and can grow to serve more people in the future.”

The largest element of the 2015-2019 Capital Program is safety and reliability projects worth $22.2 billion to renew the MTA’s transportation network. This includes buying new subway cars, Staten Island Railway cars, commuter railroad cars and buses; improving tracks, signals, power supplies, stations and support structures; renewing and enhancing the MTA’s seven bridges and two tunnels and installing Positive Train Control on commuter railroads and Communications-Based Train Control on subways for safer and more reliable service.

The Capital Program also proposes investing $4.3 billion in new technology, communications systems and railroad infrastructure to enhance the MTA and benefit customers throughout the region.

The Capital Program also includes $5.5 billion to expand the MTA network through major investments. This includes $1.5 billion to begin the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway from 96th Street to 125th Street, $2.8 billion to complete funding for the East Side Access project that will bring the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central Terminal and $743 million to begin the Penn Access project to bring Metro-North New Haven Line service into Penn Station and build four new stations in the Bronx.

The 2015-2019 Capital Program is scheduled to be presented to the MTA Board for approval at its September 24 meeting. The portions of the Capital Program that cover New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and the MTA Bus Company, including the network expansion projects, total $29 billion and must be submitted to the state Capital Program Review Board by October 1. The remaining $3.1 billion of the Capital Program funds MTA Bridges and Tunnels projects and does not require approval by the Capital Program Review Board.

The MTA has identified $16.9 billion worth of funding sources for the proposed 2015-2019 Capital Program, including more than $6 billion in federal funding, $6 billion in bonding and $3 billion in funding from MTA sources. The MTA will work with its funding partners and other stakeholders to develop proposals to bridge the $15.2 billion funding gap.

 

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