SCHUMER, CLINTON ANNOUNCE $23 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING FOR NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY PROJECTS

East Side Access, Second Avenue Subway Line Receive Major Federal
Funding; Cross-Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel Also To Receive $5 Million

US Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Clinton today announced that the two most important New York City mass transit capital projects - East Side Access and the 2^nd Avenue Subway - will receive a combined $23 million in new federal funding. Schumer and Clinton also announced that the Cross-Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel will receive $5 million in new funding.

"This is a great day for straphangers," Schumer said. "East Side Access and the Second Avenue Subway are New York City's two most important mass transit projects and this funding means less crowded subways and buses, more convenient routes and less wear and tear on our rails and roads."

"This funding is a top priority for New Yorkers," said Senator Clinton. "As New York City and the surrounding areas continue to grow, we need to make sure we are making the right investments to meet our ever-increasing infrastructure needs. These projects will have a real impact on the every day lives of New Yorkers. I am delighted that Senator Schumer and I were able to offer our assistance at the federal level."

The Senate's FY02 Transportation Appropriations bill contains $20 million for the East Side Access Project, which will connect the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Grand Central Station using 8700 feet of tunnel already existing under the East River. The East Side Access project will increase the LIRR's capacity into Manhattan by 45%, reducing trip time by 30-40 minutes every day for over 50,000 passengers. Once opened, the tunnel is expected to reduce auto travel over the East River Bridges by 375,000 vehicle-miles per day. The East Side Access Project also calls for construction of a new LIRR station in Sunnyside, Queens. This funding will help complete initial design elements and allow MTA to begin construction in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.

The MTA is slated to receive $3 million for the Second Avenue Subway project, which is intended to ease congestion on the Lexington Avenue line, the most crowded subway line in the nation. The Second Avenue line is expected to generate 7.5 million new riders every year and take 340,000 current riders from the Lexington Avenue Line. The funding announced today has been earmarked for preliminary engineering work on the first part of the project, extending from 125^th Street to 63^rd Street.

Peter S. Kalikow, Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said, "We are very appreciative to Senators Schumer and Clinton for their invaluable help in making their colleagues understand the merits of these two critical projects. This represents an extremely important step in securing New York's fair share of federal transit discretionary funds."

The Cross-Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel project will receive $5 million in new federal funding. The Cross-Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel project, initiated in 1998 when the City of New York began studying ways to ease bridges and tunnel congestion. The project will help move more freight into the city by rail instead of roads. Currently, just 3% of freight is moved into the city via rails, in contrast to a nationwide average of 40 percent. The funding announced today will pay for the completion of an Environmental Impact Study, the first step that must be completed before building the tunnel. Schumer and Clinton said that the tunnel would bolster Brooklyn's status as one of the biggest container ports in the area.

Additional, Jamaica Station is slated to receive $5,000,000 for improvments to its intermodal facilities. An important transfer station for 25 MTA buses, 15 privately operated bus operators, and 9 Long Island buses, every day, over 55,000 people make a connection from one of these buses to the Long Island Rail Road and New York City Transit at Jamaica Station. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC) will use the funding to expand bus facilities at Jamaica Station in anticipation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's AirTrain, which will begin operation in 2002. The AirTrain will increase the demands on Jamaica Station by providing a direct rail link to John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, which can currently only be accessed by the overburdened Van Wyck Expressway.

On Long Islsand, Nassau University Medical Center Community Health Transportation Services is slated to receive $1,000,000. Many of Nassau University Medical Center's patients do not have access to private transportation and public transportation is available only at certain sites. NUMC has seven community health centers spread across a broad geographical area, and NUMC patients often have to travel to more than one. This funding will be used to help transport patients across their campus. Last year, Congress appropriated $400,000 to begin this program.

The Transportation Appropriations bill will soon be scheduled for debate on the Senate floor. Once passed, the bill will be negotiated with the House version in conference committee.

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