Testimony to MTA Board: Gov. Hochul Must Veto Two-Person Train Operator Bill
Gov. Hochul Must Veto Wasteful, Politically-Motivated Bill Requiring Two Train Operators
Good afternoon. I am Rachael Fauss, Senior Policy Advisor for Reinvent Albany. We advocate for a more transparent and accountable New York government.
In the coming weeks, Governor Hochul must decide whether to sign or veto legislation that would take away the MTA’s ability to make decisions about how best to deploy the MTA’s train operators. We believe this is an easy choice: the Governor must veto this bill.
We think train operations should be left to you: the MTA Board and management, working together with labor. Unfortunately, our state legislators have reached way too far into micromanaging the MTA by passing this misguided and outdated legislation that as the New York Daily News Editorial Board noted, “has been rattling around the Capitol for 30 years.”
An important new report by the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management’s Transit Costs Project, “How Many People Does it Take to Operate a Train?”, found that less than 6% of the world’s biggest 400 transit lines use two or more train operators. Of the 94% that use one or fewer operators, many are completely automated – like the JFK Airtrain – and the trend globally is clearly towards automation as modern signal systems are installed.
Reinvent Albany agrees with the transit experts at the Marron Center and we – and others like Citizens Budget Commission, Regional Plan Association, the Partnership for New York City, and the NY Daily News Editorial Board – have asked Governor Hochul to veto the bill. We oppose it because it will do nothing to improve subway service, and instead will add costs that will ultimately be paid by transit riders. The MTA already uses one train operator on the A, G, M, 5, and all of the shuttle services; requiring two would cost $10 million/year.
The MTA Board has approved billions in capital spending to modernize subway signals, including $5.4 billion in the 2025-29 capital plan, and $5.7 billion in the 2020-24 plan. Let’s not squander this investment. By taking full advantage of modern signals, the MTA can run existing trains more efficiently, and put those savings directly into increased service: a win-win for riders, and transit workers.
Thank you for your consideration.