The MTA Insists Subways Are Improving — Do Harlem Commuters Agree?
By Dalia Saavedra
It’s been a little over a year since Governor Andrew Cuomo launched the Subway Action Plan in July 2017. The city and the state granted the MTA $836 million after it was declared in a state of emergency. And the influx of cash seems to be making a difference: According to a report published in September, the New York City Transit has since hired 1,000 more workers, sealed 2,000 leaks, sealed 1,300 signal defects, cleaned 285 miles of track, and 1,600 cars received maintenance. “The statistics show that we are turning the corner where we need to turn it,” Andy Byford, NYC Transit President stated at last month’s MTA board meeting.
Harlem commuters are much more skeptical. “You’re kidding right?” says Rosario Castellanos, an employee at Duane Reade as she headed out of the 135th st station in Harlem on her way to work. “I come to Harlem all the way from Brooklyn and the train almost never fails to stop at President Street for several minutes because of train traffic and signal problems. I’m really tired of making it late to work. It’s going to take more than fixing signs and leaks to improve the system.”
Despite the complaints, the MTA has improved for some Harlem commuters. Last month the 110th Street B/C train station was renovated after being closed for about five months. It now has new railings, benches, an extended mural, and several large digital information screens. “The station is beautiful now, but I wish the MTA would focus on fixing problems that go beyond the station’s aesthetic,” says Blanca Sosa, a student at The City College of New York, as she waited for the C train at 135th St. She remembers reading the awful news of the falling ceiling at a Brooklyn station, as she was heading to school one morning. “I understand that change isn’t going to happen from one day to another, but New Yorkers aren’t too well known for being patient.”
Arturo Medina, a high school teacher in Harlem, is aware of the renovations in stations and lines across the city, but suggests that the overall problems of the MTA — delays, crowded trains, dirty stations — outweigh many of the upgrades. “I don’t think a lot of people see that because we all take different lines,” says Medina.
He primarily rides the 4,5, and 6 train — and he’s taken these trains his whole life and doesn’t think they’ve gotten worse. “Construction takes time and I know they can’t do everything at once,” he says. “Renovating one line will obviously cause delays in another. However, it’s only been a year, it’s hard to decide whether the $836 million were put to use in the right way.”
Byford of the MTA continues to advocate for his Fast Forward Plan. This initiative would upgrade the subway’s deteriorated signals which contribute to most of the delays New Yorkers often experience. Governor Cuomo supports his plan but has not yet figured out a way to fund it. At the board meeting Byford vowed, “It will get better, it is getting better.”
