New York's massive capital plan - Transit Update - public transportation - Brief Article

Railway Age, June, 2002

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is planning Fiscal Year 2003 capital expenditures totaling $6.618 billion, including $2.4 billion for rebuilding and improving rail facilities hit by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The FY03 budget also allocates $3.448 billion to New York City Transit, $178.4 million to the Long Island Rail Road, and $172.5 million to Metro-North Commuter Railroad. The East Side Access Project, whose total cost is estimated at more than $4.3 billion, is allocated $390 million in FY03. This project will provide the LIRR access to Grand Central Terminal on Manhattan's East Side as well as to Penn Station on the West Side.

The largest single outlay in MTA's spending plan is $1.6 billion for new transit cars for NYCT: 470 R142 and R142A cars for the A division (contracts awarded to Bombardier Transportation and Kawasaki Railcar in 1997), and a base order of 660 R160 cars for the B division.

Alstom Transport, Bombardier, and Kawasaki are vying for the R160 base order. The MTA's 2005-2009 capital program is expected to finance option orders for up to 1,040 additional R160s. The first option will be for 620 cars, with 380 or 420 cars ordered in a second, final option. Delivery of all cars is expected to be completed in 2008. Best and final offers were received in early April.

The NYCT FY03 budget also contains $259 million for station improvements, $128 million for track, $433 million for signals, $522 million for shops and yards, and $269 million for preliminary engineering for the Second Avenue Subway. The principal outlay for NYCT's bus system is $202 million

For the LIRR, MTA plans to spend $42.5 million on stations, $44 million on track, $76.8 million on communications and signals, $6 million for shops and yards, and $9 million for power substations.

Metro-North is to get $47.5 million for rolling stock, $71.2 million for stations, $16.6 million for track and structures, $8.2 million for power, and $29 million for shops and yards.