After Yet Another Subway Meltdown, Where’s Cuomo?

Straphangers were forced to deal with another chaotic commute this morning after a reported power outage at DeKalb Avenue triggered service interruptions affecting nearly a dozen subway lines.

It was the second major subway disruption in three days, and the fourth in three weeks.

Twitter was ablaze with photos and videos of packed platforms in Brooklyn and Queens:

Riders Alliance Executive Director John Raskin released this statement in response:

As the subway system declines, Cuomo continues to fixate on shiny mega-projects.

Two weeks ago, in the midst of a series of subway and LIRR breakdowns, the governor spent an entire day celebrating a new highway bridge. In between this week's two subway meltdowns (so far!), he announced a design contract for his billion-dollar AirTrain boondoggle.

In a statement, Cuomo spokesperson Jon Weinstein cast the governor as a heroic savior:

This is disingenuous in several ways. Here are three big ones:

• Those billions for the capital plan come almost entirely from federal grants and fare-backed debt. Almost none comes from direct state support authorized by Cuomo.
• Nearly all of the operating support comes from taxes and fees enacted before Cuomo's time. The governor's only contribution has been to regularly raid those sources of revenue to spend on other things, and to gradually erode the state's meager contribution.
• Dollar figures convey nothing about transit riders' experience. On Cuomo's watch, subways are becoming more overcrowded and less reliable, while bus service continues to deteriorate and shed riders. He has not initiated, let alone delivered, the concrete policy changes that would accelerate efforts to turn these trends around.

Cuomo has been governor going on seven years. He's had more than enough time to assess the major problems afflicting the transit system and get to work on solutions. At this point, transit riders don't need Cuomo to save them, they need someone to save them from Cuomo.