By Bryan Davis
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled their five-year capital plan for 2020-2024 last month that plans to invest $51.5 billion dollars to fix six different subway lines.
“This proposed 2020-2024 Capital Program – the most ambitious capital plan in the agency’s history – builds on the success of the Subway Action Plan, and with new tools such as Design-Build and the reorganization that is underway we’re certain we can deliver for our customers,” said MTA Chairman & CEO, Patrick J. Foye, in a MTA press release.
The plan aims to replace the 1930s train signals, generally improve stations, and make stations more accessible. The MTA also plans to add new subway cars, buses and commuter rail cars into active service. They plan to extend the Second Avenue Line by adding three new stations up until 120th Street in Harlem, too.
“This plan expands service, increases reliability, speeds up the system, and delivers the world’s largest ever investment in accessibility, for both NYC Transit and the MTA’s commuter railroads, and at the end of this five-year period, New Yorkers will see a revitalized and modern system for the 21st century and beyond,” said Foye.
The MTA is also expecting to New York City to shell out an additional three billion dollars for the five-year plan which Mayor de Blasio has greenlit. He states, “New York City stands ready to contribute to an MTA capital plan, as it has done in the past.”
A notable line that is planned to be fixed is the 5 line, which stops here at Brooklyn College. The plan should help students like Hunter College student Camilo Ramirez get to class more reliably.
“It’s about time the MTA is doing something about its service. New Yorkers have been paying so much for a system that’s not running to the capacity that it should, given all the hikes and pay increase. You’d think it would have a transportation system that we can happily rely on to get us around,” Ramirez said. Students like Ramirez are hoping for a better future for train service.
“I don’t trust the government agencies or city ones either. They are modern day monopolies.” said Brooklyn College student, Daniela Alba, who lives on the L line and has to work through the L Train Tunnel Project. “It’ll be used to make small petty changes that wouldn’t make the quality any better for the consumers or riders. I think it would take about 10 years. Kind of like the 2nd Ave line did, remember that? All those years for a poor service and all the MTA can brag about is a nice big train station,” she continued.