Schumer, Gillibrand, Maloney and Lowey Announce Significant $100 Million Metro-North Investment
Washington - Senator Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and Rep. Nita Lowey (NY-17) announced a $100 million federal investment for Metro-North for long-term capital improvement projects resulting from Hurricane Sandy. This Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant is part of a $787 million investment for MTA for recovery and resiliency capital projects resulting from Hurricane Sandy. All of the projects are either recovery or resiliency scope added to the MTA Capital Program in July 2013 in response to the storm.
“This is an important investment that will help strengthen our critical transportation infrastructure,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Metro North was damaged following Superstorm Sandy and needed vast repairs. We need to make sure that New York taxpayers and the commuters who rely on Metro North to get to work every day aren’t stuck footing the bill alone. This funding will help ease that burden and will also help build back our transportation infrastructure even stronger so we are prepared when the next storm hits.”
“With this massive injection of federal dollars, mass transit riders throughout the Hudson Valley can rest assured that the rail system that they ride each day will be stronger and more resilient against future storms,” said Senator Schumer. “Superstorm Sandy walloped our tracks, electrical systems, bus and rail equipment and more, and this federal funding will help ensure that our transit system and related infrastructure receives necessary upgrades without concern that the cost will be passed onto commuters.”
“Thousands of commuters in the Hudson Valley rely on Metro-North; we can’t wait for the next major natural disaster to invest in significant infrastructure upgrades for New York’s transportation system. After suffering significant damages in Hurricane Sandy, these long-term investments will help make Metro-North more resilient for years to come,” said Rep. Maloney.
“These federal funds will ensure that Metro-North, part of the nation’s busiest transit network and largest regional economy, can withstand disasters on the scale of Superstorm Sandy,” said Congresswoman Lowey. “As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud to have led the fight to secure $60 billion in federal Sandy recovery aid. I will continue to work with my New York delegation colleagues and local officials to ensure New York’s resiliency and infrastructure needs are met.”
MTA’s project list includes the following investment categories:
• Rail Support/Equipment Facilities Repair- This category includes upgrades and protection of existing infrastructure.
• Transitway Line – This investment category primarily involves the restoration of signal, track and communication infrastructure in multiple tunnels.
• Electrical/Power Distribution Repair – Funding in this category will support restoration of circuit breaker houses and power infrastructure for multiple MTA operating agencies.
• Signal & Communication Repair - The repair of damage to essential communication and signal equipment along branch lines and in storage yards will be supported by this funding category.
• Rail Capital Items – This category includes funding for integrity monitoring for the MTA operating agencies.
These funds were made available by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, a bipartisan bill passed by Congress in January 2013 that provided $60 billion for response and recovery to aid communities in New York.
###
