Doomsday Arrives
MTA votes to scrap W, Z subway lines
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009 | Updated 7:43 PM EST
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Soon Mayor Bloomberg will have to come up with two extra quarters before getting on the subway.
Two dollars and a bunch of profanities aimed at the MTA won't get you on the subway this summer.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has voted to increase the cost of subway and bus fares from $2 to $2.50.
By a 12-1 vote, the board of the MTA adopted the fare increases to help close a $1.2 billion gap. The MTA said the fare changes will go into effect on May 31.
Under the plan, a 30-day MetroCard will cost $103, up from $81. The MTA plans to start re-programming Metrocard machines and changing signs immediately.
Fares on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North will rise an average of 23 percent. Tolls will also go up on the MTA's seven bridges and two tunnels by 30 percent for cash users and 26 percent for EZ-Pass customers.
The MTA Board also voted to eliminate 21 bus lines in New York City, and another 14 system wide, including Nassau County. Two subway lines will also be scrapped, the W and the Z.
Longer wait times should be expected for some trains at off-peak hours as a result of the service cuts.
Lawmakers in Albany still say when the state budget is done, an MTA rescue package could be enough to stop the planned service cuts.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in Albany Wednesday lobbying key lawmakers and Gov. David Paterson to reconsider major toll and fare hikes and service cuts.
"We need affordable mass transit," Bloomberg said. "Our city survives with that and can't survive without it. We are not going to close down mass transit. If it takes us to raise the fares to a level that really hurts people, the alternative of closing it down would be even worse. I do think it's the responsibility of Albany to come up with a plan. We had our plan ... Now it's up to the Senate to do something."
Bloomberg supports stalled legislation to impose a payroll tax in the greater New York City area and establish tolls over East River bridges. The legislation has run into opposition in Albany, especially among lawmakers from the city's outer boroughs.
Gov. Paterson said Wednesday that "today is a difficult day for the millions of New Yorkers who depend on our mass transit system."
"I know my colleagues in the State Legislature are equally committed to preserving New York's critical public transportation system, and we will continue to work together until we reach a final agreement."
Bloomberg called Tuesday for angry commuters to complain to state lawmakers about their failure to help the MTA.
The MTA is a state agency that runs New York City's subways and public buses, the Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road, the Long Island Bus system and several bridges and tunnels. It has $27 billion in debt.
