Those 9 Seconds You Saved Waiting For The Subway? Thank The MTA

There's two weeks until the state budget is due, two weeks for the MTA to make the case that giving it more money through congestion pricing would allow them to prevent the subway system from bottoming out. So, on Monday, the MTA carted out the brass—and a new podium sign—to show how much the agency has accomplished through the $800 million Subway Action Plan.

The MTA bragged that the number of delayed trains are down 17 percent from last year. In tangible real world numbers, that means riders saved nine seconds on the platform, and 25 seconds on the train to reach their destination.

“Those seconds might not seem like much,” Senior Vice President of subways Sally Librera said. “Those seconds add up to minutes, hours, time people can spend with their families and friends rather than waiting on platforms riding on trains.”

In other stats, the MTA’s weekly on time performance (which translates to how often a train gets to the terminal on time) went from 62 percent in 2018 to 76 percent this year, which is a good indication of the system’s overall performance. But many systems around the world boast a 99 percent on time rating.

“The improvements are real, tangible and they're growing,” MTA President Pat Foye said Monday. “Promises, made promises kept.”

The number of total trains delayed in February 2019 was 37,119, down from 60,466 February 2018. But looking at the 12 month average year, “major incidents” caused by signals, subway cars, and “other” reasons, are up.

Byford said Monday his goal of reducing incidents that cause delays by 10,000 a month has been so successful that he’s upping the goal to 18,000. His operating principle so far at the MTA has been “getting the best out of the existing infrastructure with all of its limitations,” he said Monday. “By investing massively in our capital plan we can create the subway of tomorrow.”

The MTA notes that the operating deficit of $500 million next year, and $1 billion by 2022, and with Byford’s $40 billion Fast Forward plan languishing without funding, it’s congestion pricing or bust. Although, even with congestion pricing pumping a projected $1 billion a year into the MTA, it’s not nearly enough to cover all these costs.

"The MTA is doing good work with the tools it has at its disposal, at his service,” John Raskin Executive Director of the Riders Alliance told Gothamist. “The reality is it's using a century old signal technology and cars from the 1960s. Until we solve those problems the MTA is still fighting with one hand tied behind its back. That's why passing congestion pricing is so urgent."

Stephen Nessen is the transportation reporter for WNYC. You can follow him on Twitter @s_nessen.