NY MTA approves reorg. plan to improve service, end project delays

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board approved a reorganization plan that will prepare the agency to improve service, end project delays, and cost overruns. The recommendations for this reorganization — the first in the MTA’s 51-year history — were made following an extensive evaluation process conducted by consulting firm AlixPartners.

The MTA also released critical deadlines and milestones for several of the major initiatives to make the reorganization plan a reality.

In short, the report will institutionalize the success of the Subway Action Plan, which has proven to be working and has increased on-time performance to 81.5%, marking the first time it has crossed the 80% threshold in six years.

Key deadlines and milestones in the next month-plus include:

• The MTA announced a Homeless Plan/Task Force with the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) Commissioner, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the MTA Police Chief, and the MTA Chief Safety Officer to assist homeless individuals on MTA property. The Plan will include any additional MTA police officers necessary to assist the effort and an assessment of the effectiveness of the human service agencies currently employed by the MTA.

• The MTA commenced the Safety and Speed Task Force to review train speed limits and recalibrate signals to proper speed detection and improve speed in a safe manner throughout the system. TWU officials will be on the Task Force. The Task Force will recommend new limits and agree that all relevant speed signals will be properly calibrated. The MTA and its workforce will implement task force recommendations. The MTA and Task Force members will agree that trains will operate at the new speed limits upon completion of the recalibration, subject to track and other conditions in the interest of safety.

• The MTA will send a letter to MTA Bridges & Tunnels, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, New York City Transit, their agency heads, and procurement officials notifying them of the law and emergency regulation pertaining to debarment that has been promulgated and their legal responsibility and requirement to immediately begin enforcement of said law.

• The MTA Board, pursuant to law, approved a Reorganization Plan, and the Board will include specific timelines for accomplishment of each of the items contained therein.

• August 1, 2019 – Implement the Fare Evasion and Worker Safety Task Force, including the NYPD’s 200 additional police officers, the reassignment of existing MTA Police officers and retraining of the Bridge and Tunnels Officers to be deployed for fare evasion and worker safety protection.

• August 5, 2019 - The Chairman, on behalf of the MTA, to review the execution of the Subway Action Plan and assess the impact of related work rules. The Chairman to assess the means and methods used by independent contractors for successful execution. The Chairman will report to the Board on the same and he will determine whether collective bargaining will allow for the use of the necessary means and methods, or, if not, continue use of the independent contractors. Union negotiations are already underway.

• August 15, 2019 – The MTA will announce the Major Construction Review Unit.

• August 15, 2019 - The MTA will prepare a Preliminary after Action Report on the Subway Action Plan, including a description of the means and methods used to execute the plan and a plan to continue these means and methods using future available funding, either through independent contractors or union employees.

• September/October 2019 - The MTA will work with Cornell University and Technion University, in partnership with Empire State Development Corp., to organize a conference to explore new technology for train navigation and new vendors for the MTA. The conference is to be held at Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island.