For Immediate Release: August 26, 2020
Contact: Christie Foster (845) 494-0086
***Statement***
Senate and Assembly Majority Members Denounce MTA Talk of Eliminating West-of-Hudson Service
“While we understand no final decisions have been made - and fully appreciate the catastrophic financial impact of COVID-19 on the MTA system - the Senate's and Assembly's west-of-Hudson majority members stand in complete solidarity against the unthinkable proposition to eliminate service in Orange and Rockland counties.
“In partnership with the MTA, our delegation has diligently worked to close the value gap that nevertheless persists in our region: for every $1 our taxpayers and riders put into the system, we get about 70 cents returned to us in service. Eliminating service for the constituents who continue to rely on transit and the thousands more who will need it upon returning to work will confirm our worst fear: west-of-Hudson is simply expendable to the MTA.
“Should west-of-Hudson face disproportionate cuts relative to other branches of the MTA, we will begin taking the required steps to remove our counties - and tax dollars - from the agency and either initiate a public takeover of the system and/or contract directly with New Jersey Transit.
“While we are used to scratching and clawing for every item in the MTA's capital program and fighting for additional operations, it is unimaginable we are even having this conversation. The MTA would never in a million years consider a complete shutdown of LIRR or entire subway lines. We demand the same respect.”
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James Skoufis
Senator, District 39
David Carlucci
Senator, District 38
Jen Metzger
Senator, District 42
Ken Zebrowski
Assembly Member, District 96
Ellen Jaffee
Assembly Member, District 97
Aileen Gunther
Assembly Member, District 100
Jonathan Jacobson
Assembly Member, District 104
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 26, 2020
Contact: Mary Mueller, 914-980-1267; Mary.F.Mueller@gmail.com
**STATEMENT**
Senator David Carlucci on Potential MTA Cuts Impacting Rockland Commuters
“The federal administration needs to fund the MTA now and stop pointing fingers. The proposal to eliminate West of Hudson service will devastate Rockland's economy and make our area a commuter desert. If the MTA removes service, I will introduce legislation to allow Rockland to leave the MTA.”
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OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2020
Joint Statement from Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Rockland’s MTA Board Member Frank Borelli
We agree that the Federal government needs to step in to provide stimulus funding for MTA – that is abundantly clear. The proposal to eliminate West of Hudson rail service in New York, however, would be catastrophic to Rockland and Orange Counties. If our rail service were eliminated for a mere savings of $25 million per year, there would be no reason for Rockland and Orange to even be in the MTA anymore. There is already a $40 million annual value gap between what Rockland County pays into the MTA and what it gets back in service; this has been the case for decades. We understand the need for there to be cuts and reductions as we are dealing with the realities of this pandemic in our budgets as well, but MTA needs to find a way without the proposal to eliminate all West of Hudson service. We are outraged that MTA would even consider such a proposal.
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For Immediate Release
August 26, 2020
Contact Danny Pearlstein 917 862 0211 or Stephanie Burgos-Veras 347 260 9881
Riders Alliance Statement on Proposed MTA Service Cuts and Fare Hikes
Riders Alliance Organizing Manager Stephanie Burgos-Veras said:
"Time is running out and Congress must act now to save millions of riders who depend on trains, buses, and paratransit to get around. Letting the MTA fail would reverse the progress we've made toward recovery, leave millions of riders stranded and tank the national economic revival.
"Transit riders need Congress to come together and pass a COVID aid bill now. A fair and fast recovery means leaders in Washington must save the transit system that is the lifeblood of New York and the engine of access and opportunity for New Yorkers."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
**Media Statement**
Contact: Tomas Garita | 646-847-6714 | TGarita@council.nyc.gov
MTA Services Cuts & Fare Increases Will Disproportionately Impact low-income New Yorkers
"There is no doubt that the service cuts and fare increase the MTA could implement will disproportionately impact low-income, immigrant, Black, and Latino communities who are already facing many financial challenges. The ending of the gratuitous bus services and the overnight for-hire vehicle program has already worried many riders across the City. Midnight services are essential for New Yorkers who work into the late hours, especially folks working in hospitals, as first responders, and essential workers.
Additionally, with the start of the school year fast approaching, this drastic change in services could put many riders at risk, especially in communities where bus and train services are not as frequent. This "doomsday" like scenario needs to be taken seriously by all Federal legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Congress must act NOW to provide the funds necessary to keep services running at an efficient and reliable rate for New Yorkers. On the other hand, we need to see the MTA provide a plan for the return of overnight services or at the bare minimum, provide viable alternatives for riders. In the near future, I will hold a transportation hearing to discuss the state of our transit system. I sincerely hope that the MTA joins us at this upcoming hearing. I look forward to working alongside the MTA, the New York Congressional Delegation, and advocates to ensure that we secure the funds necessary to keep our public transportation system running and prevent fare increases."
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