After eating a bowl of cereal, brushing my teeth, and getting ready for school, I use the same transportation system as most students in this school: the New York City Subway! For over a hundred years, the New York City subway system has been the lifeblood of commuters in New York City. It has been referenced in countless media, from the renowned TV show Friends to the iconic movie series Men in Black. Without it, over a million people, from mom-and-pop-shop owners to Wall Street traders, would not be able to commute efficiently every day. New York City is one of the largest financial centers in the world, and its workers rely on public transportation. The New York City subway system is essential to the local community, and must be as safe and productive as possible for the benefit of said community. However, all is not well within the New York City subway system.
Almost every HSMSE student reading this can surely remember a time where they have faced one of the countless issues with the New York City Subway system. These issues include poor sanitation, outdated equipment, high station temperatures, car instability, and electrical issues. They are incredibly frustrating and can result in delays that prevent people from getting to school on time. In the bigger picture, the consequence of subway issues isn’t just late students, but also financial burden for people unable to get to their jobs on time. From this perspective, it’s obvious that the problems facing the New York City Subway system must be taken very seriously.
But first, where did these issues come from? The MTA was created by the New York State government as a state-run agency to oversee the city’s subway system. In the early 1970s, the subways fell into disrepair, and remained in a poor state of repair until 1989. There were large amounts of graffiti, and the trains couldn’t go at full speed on many sections of track, even after the NYCTA, the MTA’s direct predecessor, raised the subway fare from 20 cents to 30 cents. Afterwards, the New York State government gave the MTA more funding, thus allowing for replacement subway cars, such as the R62(A)s, which were the first fully silver subway cars. The subway system became efficient, clean, and modern, hitting its peak in the 1990s. This was a massive net positive for New Yorkers. But in his first year in office, Mayor Rudy Giuliani cut the budget of the MTA by four hundred million dollars. The governor at the time, Governor Pataki, followed suit. This kick started a trend of New York City mayors and governors cutting the MTA’s budget. Meanwhile, half of the MTA’s entire budget came from issuing bonds to the U.S. Treasury and other groups. The state government charges the MTA every time they issue a bond, leading the MTA into a cycle of ever-increasing debt. Reduced MTA maintenance contributes to the current sorry state of the subway, which is marred by delays, sanitation issues, outdated equipment, and overheated stations. Increasing funding would solve these problems. Remember that this has already proven to be effective: just look at the 90s!
A myriad of people rely on the New York City subway system, but what are the exact numbers? According to the MTA statistics page, 1,697,787,002 rides were recorded in 2019. According to a poll done by the NYC Comptroller (an independently elected government official that makes sure government agencies serve the needs of the people) released in October 2017, over 70 percent of riders report significant problems or delays at least half of the time they use the system; only one percent report no issues. Assuming that the sample size is representative of what the average New Yorker experiences, over a billion subway rides had problems. This is concerning, as New York City’s public transportation system is essential to the local economy and if commuters can’t get to work on time because of a delay, it could have far-reaching negative impacts. Even more concerning, the New York City Independent Budget Office states that subway delays get worse year after year. The average number of delays per month has increased dramatically, from about 20,000 a month in 2012 to more than 67,450 in May 2017. The average number of passenger hours lost during the morning rush also grew by 45 percent to almost 35,000 hours from 2012 to May of 2017. This is bad news for us students because we rely on the subway system for transportation! What are we supposed to do if it’s not working? We won’t just be toast, we’ll be a whole toast sandwich!
To put it lightly, the New York City subway system has seen better days. It currently battles regular power outages, heating problems, and constant delays. The solution? More funding. Keep on pushing for more funding, and one day, the New York City Subway will be one that serves future generations in a clean and efficient manner. We can already see some level of improvement in the subway system, such as the new R211 trains, which are more efficient than previous subway cars. However, there is still much room for improvement in the subway system, which would increase the overall efficiency of the system and benefit people who use trains.
How can you help support the trains and direct more funding to the MTA? You can always contact government officials by sending a letter! Repeated contact from large numbers of people helps government officials understand the importance of funding the MTA and getting the people of New York City the transportation that they deserve.