MTA

How does the MTA deal with snowstorms? Jet engine-powered snow blowers

LIRR jet snow blower at Jamaica. Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 26, 2026

How does the MTA deal with snowstorms? Jet engine-powered snow blowers

New York City's biggest snowstorm in several years brought nearly a foot of snow to Central Park this weekend, with a mix of snowfall and sleet hitting all five boroughs and the broader region. While a travel advisory remains in effect through Monday, the city's subways, buses, and commuter rail services are running, although with some delays, thanks to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fleet of super-powered snow throwers, jet-powered snow blowers, and specially designed de-icing cars.
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Second Avenue Subway to expand west on 125th Street with three new stations

A view of the tunnel under construction for the Second Avenue Subway’s second phase. Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 14, 2026

Second Avenue Subway to expand west on 125th Street with three new stations

By Aaron Ginsburg

The next phase of the Second Avenue Subway, originally planned to continue down Manhattan’s Second Avenue, will instead run west along 125th Street, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday. The announcement, delivered during Hochul’s 2026 State of the State address, marks a major departure from the century-old plan to extend the Second Avenue Subway all the way to lower Manhattan. Instead, the Q train will be rerouted west along 125th Street, adding three new stations and ending at Broadway in Morningside Heights.
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MTA is looking into using AI to monitor transit system cameras

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

January 8, 2026

MTA is looking into using AI to monitor transit system cameras

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started exploring how artificial intelligence could be used to monitor the system's more than 15,000 cameras to detect and predict unsafe behaviors, identify weapons or other dangerous objects, and recognize unattended items. As first reported by The City, the MTA said there's been "interest across the board" from tech firms following a request for information issued by the agency in early December.
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Policy

It’s the end of the line for the MetroCard

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

December 31, 2025

It’s the end of the line for the MetroCard

By Aaron Ginsburg

The MetroCard, the iconic fare payment method for New York City’s public transit system, is now officially a thing of the past. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) retired the card, ending the era of the signature transit payment method that replaced tokens and became a cultural icon since its debut in 1994, and marking a major step in the MTA's transition to the tap-and-go OMNY system.
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MTA to add spikes and paddles at most NYC subway stations to curb fare evasion

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

December 17, 2025

MTA to add spikes and paddles at most NYC subway stations to curb fare evasion

By Aaron Ginsburg

Almost every New York City subway turnstile will soon feature protective fins, sleeves, and spikes to prevent fare evasion, the MTA said Monday. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow told the MTA board that the agency plans to spend $7.3 million to install the technology at 129 additional stations by January, adding to the 327 of the city’s 472 subway stations that already have it. According to Crichlow, stations equipped with the technology, designed to make it harder to hop or slip around a turnstile, have seen fare evasion drop by up to 60 percent.
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MTA puts 350,000 square feet of air rights in Lower Manhattan up for sale

Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin on Flickr

December 15, 2025

MTA puts 350,000 square feet of air rights in Lower Manhattan up for sale

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is selling over 300,000 square feet of landmarked air rights in Lower Manhattan. As first reported by The Real Deal, the MTA issued a request for proposals (RFP) on Friday seeking a buyer for up to 350,000 square feet of air rights tied to the Fulton Center and the neighboring Corbin Building. Buyers must acquire the rights either through City Planning Commission certification or a zoning lot merger with an adjacent property.
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Real Estate Trends

MTA boosts weekday service on A and L subway lines

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

November 4, 2025

MTA boosts weekday service on A and L subway lines

By Aaron Ginsburg

A and L line riders should see shorter wait times as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority boosted weekday service on Monday. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the upgraded service, providing more frequent trains and shorter waits for the more than 100,000 weekday riders of both lines.
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MTA to spend $1.5B on new fleet of modern subway cars

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

November 3, 2025

MTA to spend $1.5B on new fleet of modern subway cars

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will buy nearly 400 new subway cars as part of its ongoing effort to modernize New York City’s fleet and signal system. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced that the MTA Board approved a $1.5 billion contract for 378 R268 subway cars for the system’s "B" Division, featuring signals compatible with the agency’s transition to Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology. Funded through the MTA’s 2025–2029 Capital Plan, the new trains are expected to begin arriving in fall 2028.
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MTA completes five-year Grand Central-42nd Street station upgrades

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

October 29, 2025

MTA completes five-year Grand Central-42nd Street station upgrades

By Aaron Ginsburg

After five years of work, the MTA has completed its long-awaited rehabilitation of three subway stations beneath 42nd Street in Midtown. The MTA on Tuesday announced the completion of the Grand Central–42nd Street Circulation Improvement Project, an effort that upgraded the Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central subway stations to improve accessibility and ease congestion for roughly 400,000 daily riders. Enhancements include new and widened staircases, additional escalators, and a 20 percent expansion of mezzanine floor space.
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Judge orders $34M in counterterrorism funds for NYC subway be restored

Credit: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

October 17, 2025

Judge orders $34M in counterterrorism funds for NYC subway be restored

By Aaron Ginsburg

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to release nearly $34 million in counterterrorism and transit security funding for New York City’s subway and regional rail systems that it had been withholding. In the ruling, the judge described the withholding of funds as “arbitrary, capricious and a blatant violation of the law,” issuing a permanent injunction that requires the government to release the money to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to the New York Times. Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Attorney General Letitia James sued to restore the funding, which the MTA was slated to receive from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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Interborough Express enters environmental review process

By Aaron Ginsburg

The environmental assessment for the transformative Interborough Express (IBX) has officially begun, bringing the long-anticipated transit connection between Brooklyn and Queens one step closer to reality. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced the start of the review process under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), marking another major milestone for the project after it entered the preliminary engineering and design phase in August. The MTA will host two in-person public meetings to outline the project scope and review process on October 29 and November 6, followed by a virtual session on November 12.
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MTA unveils tribute to late Zabar’s owner at 79th Street subway station

Credit: MTA on Flickr

October 15, 2025

MTA unveils tribute to late Zabar’s owner at 79th Street subway station

By Aaron Ginsburg

The subway station at 79th Street now honors an Upper West Side icon. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority unveiled a tribute to Saul Zabar, the owner of the famed Zabar's deli, who passed away last week at the age of 97. The agency has put up vinyl posters of Zabar in his signature white coat along the 1 train platform. The deli recently collaborated with the MTA to celebrate the subway’s 120th anniversary and Zabar’s 90th birthday.
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Transit

Hochul criticizes Trump for withholding $34M in counterterrorism funds

Credit: Governor Kathy Hochul on Flickr

October 10, 2025

Hochul criticizes Trump for withholding $34M in counterterrorism funds

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday criticized the Trump administration for withholding $34 million in transit security funding for New York City’s subway and regional rail systems. According to a press release, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had been slated to receive the funds through the federal Transit Security Grant Program, established after 9/11 to support critical counterterrorism and transit security operations. But the agency was notified last week that it would be the only one among 21 applicants nationwide to be denied funding.
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NYC subway and bus fare to increase to $3

Photo by Felicity Tai from Pexels

October 1, 2025

NYC subway and bus fare to increase to $3

By Aaron Ginsburg

It will officially cost you 10 more cents to ride New York City subways and buses starting in January. On Tuesday, the MTA Board voted 11-0, with two abstentions, to approve fare hikes raising the base fare from $2.90 to $3. Reduced fares will go up from $1.45 to $1.50 and express bus fares from $7 to $7.25. The agency did scale back increases to its 7-day fare-capping program from $36 to $35 in response to rider feedback.
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F and M trains will swap routes between Manhattan and Queens

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 30, 2025

F and M trains will swap routes between Manhattan and Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

Subway riders traveling between Manhattan and Queens should prepare for changes to their commute come December, when the MTA swaps the F and M lines to ease notorious delays at Queens Plaza. Starting December 8, the F and M lines will trade East River tunnels, separating express and local service and eliminating a bottleneck at Queens Plaza that delays up to 20 percent of rush-hour E, M, and R trains, the agency announced on Monday. The changes will apply on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., improving trips for the 1.2 million riders who use the lines each day.
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MTA looking into cooling subway stations with geothermal technology

181st Street Station. Photo by Famartin via Wikimedia

September 29, 2025

MTA looking into cooling subway stations with geothermal technology

By Aaron Ginsburg

The MTA is exploring a new way to cool sweltering subway stations: geothermal technology. According to a request for information (RFI) published last week, the agency is considering a system that would use the Earth’s subsurface to transfer heat out of stations and store it elsewhere, to keep platforms between 82 and 85 degrees on hot days. As first reported by The City, the MTA is targeting the 1 line’s 168th Street and 181st Street stations, which rank among the system’s hottest because of their depth.
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MTA revises proposed fare hikes, following public feedback

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 29, 2025

MTA revises proposed fare hikes, following public feedback

By Aaron Ginsburg

The MTA is scaling back part of its planned fare hikes in response to feedback from riders, transit advocates, and elected officials. On Saturday, the agency announced that after a six-week public outreach period that collected nearly 1,400 comments, the fare cap for seven days of unlimited travel on subways and buses will go up by $1, to $35, instead of the originally planned $36. After 12 trips in any seven-day period, customers get unlimited free rides the rest of the week. The cost of a single ride, however, is still expected to increase from $2.90 to $3.
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NYC subway saw 26.8 million riders last week, a new post-pandemic record

Credit: MTA / Trent Reeves on Flickr

September 17, 2025

NYC subway saw 26.8 million riders last week, a new post-pandemic record

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's subway system surpassed 26 million riders in a single week, setting a new post-pandemic record, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday. Between September 8 and 14, the system recorded 26.8 million riders, the highest weekly total since the pandemic. The subway also carried more than four million riders every weekday last week, another post-pandemic first.
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MTA expands bus lane camera enforcement to four more routes

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 15, 2025

MTA expands bus lane camera enforcement to four more routes

By Aaron Ginsburg

Don't block the bus. Four more bus routes in Queens and the Bronx will now have automated camera enforcement, with a 60-day warning period for drivers improperly using busways or blocking stops starting on Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced. After the warning period is up, the MTA will issue summonses ranging from $50 for a first offense to $250 for repeat violations.
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LIRR strike: Here’s what riders need to know

Image via WikiCommons

September 12, 2025

LIRR strike: Here’s what riders need to know

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 300,000 Long Island Rail Road riders could face disrupted commutes as early as next Thursday, as unions threaten the agency’s first strike in nearly 30 years. Unions representing over 3,000 workers, or roughly half of the railroad’s workforce, could walk out on September 18 unless they receive higher raises than those already negotiated with the MTA, which says half of the workforce has already accepted the deal. Even a partial strike would halt all LIRR service, since striking employees include engineers, signalmen, and other essential staff.
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NYC subway delays fueled by aging cars and equipment, report says

Credit: Matthew LeJune on Unsplash

September 10, 2025

NYC subway delays fueled by aging cars and equipment, report says

By Aaron Ginsburg

Aging subway cars and equipment are causing increasing delays for New York City commuters, according to a report released Wednesday by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Of the 2.7 million scheduled subway trips in 2024, 486,614 arrived late, with infrastructure and equipment failures responsible for 31 percent of those delays—up from 24 percent in 2023. The report also found that over a quarter of subway cars are past their 40-year lifespan, and major service disruptions linked to car issues nearly tripled, from 27 to 77 in the first six months of 2025.
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17.6 million fewer vehicles have entered Manhattan since congestion pricing launched this year

Photo by Koon Chakhatrakan on Unsplash

September 10, 2025

17.6 million fewer vehicles have entered Manhattan since congestion pricing launched this year

By Aaron Ginsburg

Congestion pricing is (still) working. According to Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA officials, 2.7 million fewer vehicles entered Manhattan below 61st Street in August, a 14 percent drop that matched June for the largest reduction recorded so far in 2025. The positive data comes about a month before a scheduled federal court hearing in October, where the Trump administration’s attempt to end the tolling system will be decided. Since the program began in January, the number of vehicles entering the zone is down 12 percent, with 87,000 fewer trips each day and 17.6 million fewer vehicles compared to last year.
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Tracks Bar opens in Grand Central Madison

Credit: Ray Raimundi/MTA on Flickr

September 3, 2025

Tracks Bar opens in Grand Central Madison

By Aaron Ginsburg

Penn Station's popular Tracks Raw Bar & Grill has found a new home in Grand Central Terminal. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday that the eatery opened on the concourse level of Grand Central Madison, Long Island Rail Road's new east side terminal, becoming its first restaurant. Tracks will keep its current West 31st Street location and is also preparing to open a new location inside Penn Station.
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Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

Photo by Don Ramey Logan on Wikimedia

August 28, 2025

Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction on the long-delayed revamp of Penn Station will start in late 2027, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said proposals will be accepted starting in October for the redevelopment of the busy train hall, with a goal to start construction in two years. The news comes after the feds put Amtrak in control of the project over Gov. Kathy Hochul in April. It's unclear how much the project will now cost under the updated timeline and possibly new design, but previous estimates from the MTA listed a $7 billion price tag.
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Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

Retrofitting the platform at the Broadway Junction L train station. Photo courtesy of MTA/Megan Armas on Flickr

August 20, 2025

Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration is once again threatening to withhold funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Tuesday accused the agency of using "flawed analytical approaches" in a safety plan and said it fails to reflect actual safety risk to subway workers. The FTA required the MTA to develop a new safety plan after a subway track worker was struck and killed by a train in 2023 and another worker was seriously injured the following year. The feds are threatening to withhold up to 25 percent of the financial assistance given to the MTA if safety is not improved for workers.
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