New York MTA Proposes 6-Point Plan to Reduce Subway Headaches

According to Emma G. Fitzsimmons, "officials announced a new plan to address soaring subway delays in New York City."

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a "six-point plan" to address the top causes of subway service delays. Included in the plan is a decision to restructure management "to separate the Chairman and CEO positions into two, to further strengthen the MTA’s leadership team and leadership structure," as described by an announcement on the MTA website.

According to Fitzsimmons, the plan will focus its efforts on 19 stations on the A,C, and E lines between 125th and Fulton streets, as well as two bottlenecks in the South Bronx. To address overcrowding, sick passengers, and track and signal problems, "the plan includes expanding rapid response teams to fix problems on the tracks; assigning EMTs at five crucial stations to respond when passengers need medical assistance; and directing riders to less crowded areas of a platform to make it easier for them to get on and off trains." 

According to Fitzsimmons, transit advocates are hoping to parlay the plan's focus on short-term issues into discussions of larger, systematic problems, like an antiquated signaling system.