New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared an MTA state of emergency after yet another track problem outside Amtrak's East River Tunnels stranded hundreds of Long Island Rail Road riders for hours and caused crippling delays into Penn Station all morning Thursday.
The declaration will expedite procurement and cuts red tape, the governor says.
Cuomo has also ordered new MTA chair Joe Lhota to assess all capital needs -- including cars, tracks, signals -- within 60 days,
The New York State Public Service Commission has also been ordered to assess Con Edison's supply of power to the subways, to be completed within 90 days.
Cuomo made the announcement at a planned news conference on the MTA Transit Challenge, a competition that will award three $1 million "genius" awards, paid by the state, for the best ideas on how to fix the aging subway system.
In addition to declaring the MTA state of emergency, Cuomo is adding $1 billion to the MTA capital plan, he says, marking a drastic about-face from two years ago, when he described the MTA's capital request as "bloated."
He said adding Wi-Fi to all the subway tunnels will also speed up high-tech signal replacement.
The governor's order comes less than two weeks before Amtrak is set to begin overhauling the infrastructure at Penn Station following months of especially widespread derailments and breakdowns.
Photo Credit: AP
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