There is a new plan, backed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to overhaul the sprawling agency that oversees New York City’s subway, buses and two commuter railroads.
A $4 million report by a consulting firm, AlixPartners, made a list of recommendations, such as centralizing human resources and creating a “chief transformation officer.” AlixPartners has advised struggling companies like Enron and General Motors.
The 37-page report released Wednesday is painfully dry reading. But the idea behind it is that the agency needs to cut costs and use the money it collects from riders and taxpayers more efficiently, especially now that state leaders approved congestion pricing — a toll to enter Manhattan’s busiest neighborhoods starting in 2021 that will pay for subway upgrades.
Cuomo, who controls the authority, initially praised the plan, though he raised doubts this week about whether transit leaders could complete the necessary reforms. Some rider groups were not impressed by the plan.
Here’s what you need to know:
What’s in the plan?
Cuomo has called the authority “a governmental Frankenstein created in the 1960s.” That’s a pretty accurate description.
It was created in 1968 to bring the subway, buses and railroads under one umbrella — along with key bridges and tunnels — in the hope that tolls from the bridges and tunnels could subsidize money-losing trains. The authority now has more than 70,000 employees working across various subdivisions.
The report suggests streamlining the agency, by centralizing all construction projects under one group and all support functions, like legal and procurement, under another group.
A “chief transformation officer” would implement the changes and the agency’s first “MTA accessibility officer” would focus on improving access for riders with disabilities. Transit officials believe the changes will save $500 million per year.
But transit groups say the report was put together hastily and could delay plans by Andy Byford, the subway’s leader, who has already improved the system.
Tri-State Transportation Campaign said: “A rushed, three-month process with no public input is a lesson in how not to do reform of the nation’s largest transit system.”
The plan could “slow down urgent improvements for transit riders that are already underway,” said TransitCenter, another advocacy group.
What does it mean for Andy Byford?
Byford has been popular among New Yorkers since he started running the subway a year and a half ago.
But Byford has quarreled recently with Cuomo, and some transit experts view the new structure as being a demotion for Byford.
Byford oversees New York City Transit, the agency that runs the subway and buses. Under the new plan, he would no longer be responsible for major construction projects to fix the subway. He would instead focus on operations, safety and maintenance.
Top officials at the authority say the reorganization is not intended to weaken Byford’s role and that he will continue to be involved in the implementation of his ambitious “Fast Forward” plan to fix the subway, which focuses on modernizing the antiquated signal system.
Byford hired a signals expert, Pete Tomlin, who has worked on transit systems in Toronto and London, to oversee the signal upgrades.
Tomlin will remain at the authority, according to officials.
The AlixPartners report credits the agency’s “subway action plan” for fixing the system — an $800 million effort by Cuomo to make improvements. But some transit advocates say Byford’s efforts to speed up service have been just as instrumental.
What does it mean for riders?
Most riders probably won’t notice the bureaucratic changes. But they will notice if the subway continues to improve or if more stations get elevators.
The subway has gotten better this year — the on-time rate has reached 80%, up from 65% during the summer of 2017, when the system fell into crisis. Byford wants to bring the on-time rate into the 90s, but it is unclear if he can enact his plans under the new proposal.
Cuomo has said Byford’s approach for upgrading signals is too slow, and he has pressed the agency to try new technology. Under the new plan, major projects, like signals, would likely be overseen by Janno Lieber, the head of capital construction.
The authority’s chairman, Patrick Foye, promised major improvements for riders.
“This transformation will allow us to finally give our customers the system they deserve, and prepares us to execute on what is likely to be the biggest capital plan in MTA history,” Foye said in a statement.
The authority’s board is expected to vote on the reorganization next week, and the public will have a chance to weigh in. Cuomo urged the board to tackle another issue as part of the overhaul: homelessness on the subway, a growing problem.
How many workers will lose their jobs?
The overhaul could lead to as many as 2,700 job cuts.
Transit officials say they hope to trim the work force through “attrition” and by not filling vacancies. They said layoffs were a last resort.
Any necessary cuts are likely to be made at the agency’s headquarters, and not from front-line workers like signal maintainers, who are fixing the system.
Transport Workers Union Local 100, the union that represents thousands of subway and bus workers, is currently negotiating a new contract with the authority. The union and Cuomo have been close allies, but they have disagreed recently over whether overtime abuse is a widespread problem at the authority.
The report recommends standardizing time and attendance procedures across all agencies to help tackle overtime abuse.
Cuomo sent a letter to the authority’s board on Tuesday criticizing transit leaders for their “chronic failure” as managers and union workers for not performing as well as outside contractors.
John Samuelsen, a union leader, responded that his workers had “held the subway together with toothpicks and band-aids” during a period of disinvestment that led to the transit crisis.
“We do far better than outside vendors ever could,” he said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.