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Installation of modern subway signals along the busy Lexington Avenue line in Manhattan. The addition of elevators to 70 subway stations in a system where only a quarter of the stops are wheelchair accessible. Subway extension from Second Avenue to East Harlem.
This is one of the highlights of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $ 54 billion new project to renovate the metro and the rest of the city's transit system.
On Monday, the leaders of the public transportation sector released their proposal for the largest capital plan ever made by the agency, a critical document proposing a wish list for projects to be undertaken over the next five years. .
The price may seem overwhelming – $ 20 billion more than the latest capital plan – but it reflects an aging system with huge needs, from the subway to buses to suburban trains.
"At the end of this five-year period, New Yorkers will see a revitalized and modern system for the 21st century and beyond," said President Patrick J. Foye at 39, a press conference.
Now comes the toughest part: convincing state, city and federal leaders to provide huge sums of money to pay for everything.
The agency shares a better position than some other years. Earlier this year, Heads of State approved congestion pricing, a plan to charge drivers to the busiest areas of Manhattan. Congestion pricing and other new state revenues are expected to generate $ 25 billion for the capital plan.
But Foye said he needed $ 3 billion from Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been fighting Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for a long time to determine who is responsible for funding the subway. Mr Foye said that he was planning to meet officials at City Hall on Monday to inform them of the investment plan and solicit their help.
The spending plan includes many items that may appeal to New Yorkers and transit supporters: more than 1,900 new metro cars; 500 electric buses; the addition of a third lane on the main line of Long Island Rail Road; four new stations in the Bronx along the Metro-North Railroad; and improvements to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The highest expenses would go to the metro, which fell into crisis in 2017 after years of underinvestment. Officials want to spend $ 7 billion to upgrade six new subway signals, including Lexington Avenue Line 4, 5 and 6, and $ 5 billion for station accessibility, including the new lifts and ramps of 70 stations.
The capital plan is based on $ 2.9 billion in federal funding for the next segment of the Second Avenue subway, which would extend the Q line to 125th Street in Manhattan. Federal officials have not signed a funding agreement, although President Trump has recently announced posted on Twitter that he supported the project.
The leaders of the transit industry suggest that the rest of the funding comes from government debt, $ 3 billion from the state government and other sources. The authority already has a mountain of debts: it should reach 41.8 billion dollars by 2022, according to the state controller.
Metro Chief Andy Byford fought to make the subway signals a top priority, while sometimes speaking out against Mr. Cuomo, who controls the authority. On Monday, Byford said the investment plan "exceeded my wildest expectations" and warned Metro users that he would need patience when closing stations to improve the system. .
"I'm ecstatically happy," Byford told reporters.
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