(The following appeared at NY1.com on February 27.)
NEW YORK — As the MTA unveils its new five-year capital rebuilding program today in Manhattan, there’s word completion of the long-awaited Second Avenue subway is being delayed again.
NY1 has learned that while the Second Avenue subway and several other big expansion projects are moving forward, they are increasingly over budget and behind schedule.
The first leg of the 2nd Avenue subway, originally scheduled for completion by 2012, is now expected to take until 2015 to complete. The same goes for East Side Access – the plan to bring the Long Island Railroad into a new terminal at Grand Central.
“What we are going to be proposing to do is to extend the schedule a little bit just so we can bring the bid prices a little bit lower,” said MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot “Lee” Sander. “We think we could probably save the schedule, but to save money, we think [it’s better] to expand one by six months, a year for the other.”
Other projects being planned include: computer-driven trains on the Number 7 line, which will help increase rider capacity; bringing Metro-North trains to Penn Station; and beginning Phase 2 of the 2nd Avenue Subway, which will run from 96th Street up to 125th Street.
The program also includes basic repairs like track replacement, and plans to renovate some 44 subway stations and buy new subway cars and buses, which will help absorb those extra riders should Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan become reality.
“[Congestion pricing] will certainly have the effect of improving mass transit,” said Sander.
Sander says about two-thirds of the funds have been identified.
With subway and bus fares set to go up March 2nd, the MTA will be offering some oddly-priced MetroCards it hopes will spare riders from doing some tricky math.
The Daily News says the MTA will roll out ten and 30-trip MetroCards.
They’re designed to help riders avoid trying to figure out how much money to add to their cards to wind up with an even number of trips.
Currently, when you buy a Metrocard you get a bonus. But as part of the coming fare increase, the bonus is being cut from 20 to 15 percent, and that makes for some odd numbers. You either buy an odd number and end up with an even number — or buy an even number and end up with spare change leftover on your cards. The 10-trip card will cost an awkward $17.39. The 30-trip card will cost $52.17.