Hochul and state lawmakers must fund the MTA capital plan
A diesel locomotive train on the LIRR’s Port Jefferson Branch, which needs electrification. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Seven years ago, Long Island Rail Road riders faced a winter of hell. Every day seemed to bring new trouble with switches, signals, rails, and cars. Diversions, cancellations, suspensions and delays, along with shortened and crowded trains, were the norm.
It’s not difficult to envision a return to those bad old days. Without keeping the LIRR in a state of good repair, the system will again falter. A failing public transit system would ripple through the economy, causing devastating consequences for riders, business owners and the region. That’s not the reality right now, but the system can quickly get derailed. And the only way to continue to improve it is by investing in it.
To do that, Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders, with help from New York City and Washington, must fully fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2025 to 2029 capital plan. It amounts to $68.4 billion in much-needed work, including $6 billion for the LIRR. That will pay for new cars, upgraded switches and signals, improved bridges and substations, and station renovations. It will keep the LIRR running smoothly and help improve accessibility. Another $800 million is budgeted for larger regional investments, like moving toward electrifying the Port Jefferson Branch and the Main Line to Yaphank and developing the promised new rail yard at the former Lawrence Aviation site.
When State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie torpedoed the capital plan in December, they promised to address it in the budget process. Here we are — and we still don’t have their answer. To start, the MTA must do its part by continuing to find cost savings in its own budgeting and project management. But the authority also needs help from the city, state and federal governments. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy so far has rejected requests for additional federal funding, and has threatened to stop congestion pricing, a key source of money. He suggested this week that “the state’s modernization plans say NOTHING about making transportation systems safer.” That’s wrong. The capital plan would allocate funds to security cameras and other safety improvements, along with modern subway turnstiles to prevent fare evasion. Starving the system won’t help; federal investment will. Duffy and President Donald Trump know that.
Even if federal, state and city dollars come through, there’s still a gap to close. State lawmakers are considering an expanded payroll mobility tax, which in the past has been controversial and convoluted. Using such a tax might make sense, as it can increase the authority’s borrowing power. But it should be limited to the largest corporations, most of which are in New York City.
No matter what, state officials must not consider a plan that cuts the LIRR’s capital funds. Seven years after a winter of hell, the trains are back on track. It’s up to Hochul and state lawmakers to keep them running.
MEMBERS OF THE EDITORIAL BOARD are experienced journalists who offer reasoned opinions, based on facts, to encourage informed debate about the issues facing our community.
