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MTA Doomsday Budget Revealed The W and Z trains could be elimated along with major late night and midday reductions

Updated 8:18 AM EDT, Tue, Nov 18, 2008

Think the subways are jammed now?  Better hope the MTA doesn't implement its "doomsday budget."
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Think the subways are jammed now? Better hope the MTA doesn't implement its "doomsday budget."

 

See ya later, W.  No, not the President. The train.

Faced with a $1.2 billion budget deficit that's growing by the day, the MTA is considering doomsday budget cuts that would eliminate W and Z trains, and cut G, J, M train service in half, the Daily News reported today.

Bus service also would be cut and straphangers would face longer waits for the train during midday and overnight, The News reported, citing sources familiar the proposal. The MTA also would eliminate 1,500 New York City Transit jobs. The plan will be unveiled at the MTA’s monthly board meeting tomorrow.

"It's a nightmare on weekends if trying to go to Queens as it is,” Zack Frank, 26, an actor from Queens told The News. "The MTA should worry about strengthening what it's got, not cutting it."

Under the plan, according to The News, the MTA would:

  • Shut down the W and Z lines.
  • Eliminate the J-train express service.
  • Cut the G, J, and M train service in half.
  • Eliminate dozens of bus routes overnight and on weekends.
  • Run subways less frequently between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
  • Increase the time between trains running between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Comments (19)

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  • Anonymous Thursday, Nov 20 at 7:49 AM FLAG COMMENT the MTA is run by a bunch of loony tunes. the G train is already slow now to cut in half?i rely on the G if the F train is slow or off scedule. eliminating bus routes is crazy. how can the elderly or disabled have access to train stations without handicapped access? the buses are needed. there must be other ways to cut costs. also cutting the clerks will be a bad idea since the metro card machines are always malfunctioning alo ... MORE >
  • Jen Tuesday, Nov 18 at 6:52 PM FLAG COMMENT The MTA is the most corrupt organization I've ever heard of. This is what happens without competition. The fat cats at the head of the organization get fatter while we pay more for less. The service never gets better; it only gets worse, and yet fares keep going up. Trains only come once every 45 minutes late-night... how often would they run now, every 2 hours? Might as well set up beds in the stations. Trains are too c ... MORE >
  • veronica Tuesday, Nov 18 at 5:37 PM FLAG COMMENT This is ridiculous. I'd understand if they were actually making improvements but all they are doing is taking and takng without giving anyhting of value in return. What will they do when everyone leaves NYC because it is too expensive to live here anymore? where will their revenue come from then?
  • EXNY Tuesday, Nov 18 at 5:20 PM FLAG COMMENT I RETIRED IN 2004 AND THE SERVICE WAS ALREADY SUB-PAR THIS BUDGET CUT WILL ONLY PROVE THAT THE MTA HEADS CAN'T RUN A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN A CITY LIKE NY. WHY NOT ASK THE UNIONS TO GIVE BACK SOMETHING OR BETTER YET CUT THE MTA MANAGEMENT SALARIES FOR SUB PAR MANAGING OF THE SYSTEM.
  • Alice Y Tuesday, Nov 18 at 4:37 PM FLAG COMMENT Millions of people ride the subways every day. Millions. So how the hell are they still at a deficit? They just raised rates and I hear they are going to raise it again. Seriously? The service already sucks to begin with. I take the L trains in the morning and more often than not, I have to wait till the 3rd train to get on because it is always packed, not to mention infrequent. Evenings and weekends are horrid as it takes abo ... MORE >

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