MTA plans to raise fares as it approves $1.27B train car purchase weeks before new congestion toll: ‘Keep the grift alive’

Well, it’s not rent.

The MTA approved a $1.27 billion order for 435 new subway cars – including 80 “open-gangway” cars – then approved a plan to increase subway and bus fares to $3 per swipe.

“It’s a good deal,” MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said about the price increase after approving a budget plan Wednesday that expects fares to rise 4% from the current $2.90 by the second half of 2025. Is.

The MTA board must formally approve the increases next year.

“We are very affordable compared to other major cities in the world,” Lieber said.

But the upcoming increases immediately drew blowback from critics, who derided the fare hikes as well as the big expense and the new Manhattan business district congestion toll set to go into effect Jan. 5.

“Chicago Transit purchased 400 cars for $632 million before the pandemic,” said City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island).

He added, “So given the incompetence of the MTA, given their waste, abuse, and mismanagement, paying only double after a few years seems par for the course.” “Crowd pricing was supposed to solve all these capital shortages, but obviously that won’t happen now.”

MTA’s current five year plan A “regular” increase of 4% was projected in 2025 and a 4% increase in 2027 – which would mean a fare of about $3.14. Meanwhile, travelers on wheels are planned to pay an initial $9 congestion toll, which will increase to $15 in coming years.

“The Miserable Transit Authority Strikes Again, Lines the Pockets of Hardworking New Yorkers congestion tax scam And endless fare and toll increases,” City Council Member Robert Holden (D-Queens) said in a statement.

“Instead of rooting out the waste and abuse in their bloated system, they keep the mess alive at our expense,” he said. “This is pathetic, unacceptable, and New Yorkers deserve better.”

But insiders said it remains to be seen whether travelers’ latest troubles will have any impact at the ballot box for Gov. Kathy Hochul or other pols, with the election still years away.

“Unfortunately, the MTA’s financial needs and the political fortunes of mayors and governors rarely align favorably,” Democratic political strategist Jake Dilemani told The Post.

“Straphangers and commuters will feel even more inconvenienced,” Dilemani said, “but it’s unlikely this fare increase will have a political impact when voters elect mayor next year and governor in two years.”

The $1.27 billion package is set to add 355 modern R211 subway cars, as well as 80 more European-style “open-gangway” trains.

Those doorless trains are scheduled to debut in 2027 and will eventually replace all R44 trains on the Staten Island Railway and the orange and yellow R46 subway cars used for decades on the A, C, N, Q, R and W lines . The new trains will also mark the replacement for the R68 used on the B, D, N and W lines.

The MTA said G-Line straphangers will be able to ride accordion cars starting next year.

At least two five-car open gangway trains will be transferred from the C Line to the G Line in the first quarter of 2025 – and riders will have almost a chance to ride an open gangway car.

“This latest order brings the MTA closer to its goal of completely modernizing the system,” Tim Mulligan, MTA rolling stock chief, said in a statement. “The R211s are state-of-the-art and less likely to break down, meaning easier trips for thousands of New Yorkers and more reliable service for decades to come.”

The accordion-style R211 trains, which first debuted on the C Line earlier this year, are part of a “generational upgrade to our subway fleet,” NYCT Chairman Demetrius Critchlow said at a Monday MTA board meeting, and its The benefits are huge.”

Critchlow acknowledged the presence of wider doors, better signage, displays and video cameras “to improve the safety of our customers and staff.”

According to NYPD data, transit crime has declined by more than 6% citywide – and Lieber blames the current subway crime on people who are “mentally ill.”

“Where we continue to have challenges is because of what’s going on with criminal justice,” Lieber said. “The fact that someone thinks they can do this get on a train and stab someone,