Passenger Trains > NY MTA: We'll try to be more transparent...

as construction estimates for the East Side Access project to bring Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central continue to escalate, and the board finds itself blind sided again.

The cost of the still unfinished ESA has risen to more than $11 bn, up from an original $4.3 estimate and likely to go much higher. The board is looking to get some clarity on the matter, review controls, etc. As one rep of the Governor says, "we're in it, we've got to finish it".

The board also learned the MTA quietly cut back station upgrades on the subway from a planned 32 to an actual 19. They learned it by reading it in the papers, rarely a good idea. Subway station upgrades are very politically sensitive, and distributed among the 50 council members.

Both issues reflect the ongoing tension between Governor Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio. The Gov controls the MTA, and recently forced the Mayor to contribute another $400mn to the upgrades. Interests close to the Mayor have held the Gov's feet to the fire about "out of control" cost escalation, and favoring suburban riders over city riders.

WSJ subscription site: https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-commissioners-debate-cost-overruns-transparency-1524699417

Some of the reduced station maintenance may be because Andrew robbed Peter to pay Paul, i.e,. took a few hundred million out of MTA's capital budget for the Farley/Moynihan concourse boondoggle.

At this point, I think ESA project should have been escalators, elevators, and pedestrian bridges at Hunterspoint Avenue, and re-engineering the #7 line to run 12 car, rather than 11 car trains. There's not as much in that to screw up.