Tuesday morning transit news:
Labor groups ask Bay Area agency to use capital funds to prevent layoffs
A coalition of labor groups are asking the agency which coordinates transit planning in the San Francisco Bay Area to set aside $100 million to prevent layoffs to hundreds of employees. The Marin Independent Journal reports the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees transit in a nine-county area, will meet on Dec. 16 to consider the proposal. Nearly 60 labor unions and supporter groups have requested the money be diverted from funding normally used for capital projects.
MBTA sees signs of further decrease in ridership
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ridership dropped in October from September levels, raising concerns that use of the transit system is decreasing or at best leveling off. The Boston Globe reports that at Monday’s meeting of the Fiscal and Management Control Board, MBTA general manager Steve Poftak said average daily subway ridership had dropped from about 140,000 in September to the 110,000-120,000 range, while daily bus ridership has declined from 185,000 to about 160,000. Overall, the agency — which has proposed major service cuts — is now handling about 330,000 trips per day, compared to about 1.26 million before the pandemic.
NYC subway track project to be finished two weeks early
A track replacement project on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s E subway line in Queen will be completed by Nov. 30, two weeks ahead of schedule. The project to replace and install more than 6,300 feet of track and 9,800 feet of third rail at the end of the E line will also be completed on budget. The repairs address an area where 46 incidents involving track conditions have resulted in 713 delayed trains. More information is available here.
