The MTA Must Fix Subway or Lose Funding

By Y.M. Lowy

The Trump administration is turning up the heat on the MTA, demanding better subway safety or they’d need to cut federal funding.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to the MTA, calling for a plan to crack down on subway crime, fare evasion, and risky stunts like train surfing. 

The deadline is March 31. If the MTA doesn’t deliver a plan by then, federal money could be withheld, though it’s unclear how much is at risk.

MTA officials say they’re already making progress. Subway crime is down 40% compared to early 2020, and fare evasion dropped 25% late last year after spiking during the pandemic. Governor Kathy Hochul’s office highlighted other safety efforts, like adding over 1,000 extra police officers to the subways and making sure every overnight train has two NYPD officers on board.

But the MTA is also struggling to fund critical upgrades to the transit system. On top of that, the feds are trying to shut down the agency’s congestion pricing toll program, which was supposed to help raise money for transit improvements.