On January 15 at the Fulton St.-Broadway-Nassau station, the Straphangers Campaign held a funeral for the Z train, which would be cut if the MTA's "doomsday" budget is enacted. "The MTA is my conductor; the Z train shall not want (hopefully)," Straphangers senior attorney Gene Russianoff said. "Yea, though the Z walks through the valley of the shadow of death, it will fear no MTA plan: For thou art with the Z, Governor David Paterson." Other mourners included Borough Presidents Scott Stringer of Manhattan and Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn.
Public hearings on the MTA’s “doomsday” plan to raise fares and cut service continue tonight, at 6pm in Queens at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel’s Phoenix Ballroom, 135-20 39th Avenue, Flushing (map here). To avoid doomsday, state legislators and Gov. Paterson will have to pass the Ravitch Commission’s funding recommendations (including a payroll tax and tolls on East and Harlem River bridges) or find another way to fund the MTA by March.
To register ahead of time, call (212) 878-7483 or register at the hearing (registration will close at 9pm). Comments can be submitted online here or by mail to MTA Community Affairs, 347 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10017.
Planned Fare Increases for NYC Transit/LIRR (more details here)
The base MetroCard fare would go up to $2.50 ($3 cash). Express bus fare would increase to $6.25. Unlimited MetroCards would cost about 25% more.
LIRR fares would increase by 24-29%. For example, a monthly ticket from Woodside to Penn Station would increase from $135 to $171 and a peak one-way ticket from Queens Village to Penn Station would go from $7.25 to $9.25.
Queens Service Cuts (view map of cuts here)
- Eliminate all service on Q26, 56, 74, 75, 84, QM22, QM23, and X32 buses. Eliminate weekend service on Q14, 31, 76, and 79. Eliminate overnight service on Q30. Reduce operating hours on Q42, 48, and 79. Eliminate portion of Q24 route.
- Eliminate the W train. The Q would run to Astoria on weekdays as a replacement.
- Eliminate the Z train. J trains would run local between Jamaica Center and Myrtle Ave.
- Eliminate G train service between Court Sq. and Forest Hills-71 Av.
For a full list of planned “service adjustments” and scheduled public hearings, visit the MTA’s website.
