BY GIANCARLOS ASENCIO
With the midterm elections resulting in a Democratic win in the House and Senate, significant changes may be coming to the millions of people who commute by bus and train. More specifically, the MTA may be receiving the support it’s been seeking.
Under the Trump administration, there have been several attempts to withhold funding from the MTA, and with a new Republican Party bill proposed before the election shake-up, the MTA seemed to be in bleak shape. As MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said in an MTA meeting, “The version that is circulating right now would significantly cut funding from what we’ve received in the past, hitting us for about $250 million a year in formula funding,” as reported by StreetBlog NYC.
However, since the Democratic Party has taken back control of Congress, the MTA has felt a bit more hopeful it will receive enough funding to continue upgrading its systems. According to Gothamist, the MTA wants to prioritize funding for projects such as vital accessibility signal upgrades and building the Interborough Express, a light rail line connecting Brooklyn and Queens, which is currently half-funded.
The MTA also hopes to move ahead with a project to extend the Second Avenue Subway west to Broadway and 125th Street. This project aims to enhance accessibility to other transfers and reduce crowding.
The MTA has a 2025-2029 capital plan to upgrade lines and stations across the city, and any funding it receives would go a long way toward continuing the agency’s progress.
Democrats had an impressive showing in last week’s midterm elections, turning some red states blue and taking control of both houses of Congress. At press time, Democrats had won 55 of 100 Senate seats, with one election still not called, and had taken 255 seats in the House, compared with 169 Republicans and several races too close to call.
“The Democrats winning back control should be a good thing for the MTA, as they are more likely to give funding to them to focus on their upgrades,” said Kalia Asencio, a Brooklyn resident. “This benefits MTA riders even more because we’ve been wanting the MTA to make changes for a long time, so this should help push that in the right direction.”