New York City’s subways had five days of record ridership last month, and those in charge of the public transportation system have seized on the increased usage to push their multi-billion dollar capital plan.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday that the subway system broke its single-day ridership record on five days last month.
MTA figures show that 6,106,694 customers rode city subways on Sept. 23, the highest number since daily figures were first recorded in 1985.
Ridership also topped 6 million on four other days last month, surpassing the previous ridership record of 5,987,595 set Oct. 24, 2013.
“New Yorkers and visitors alike continue to vote with their feet, recognizing that riding the subway is the most efficient way to get around town,” MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast said.
The MTA says subway ridership is approaching levels last seen in the 1940s when far fewer people owned cars and many customers were counted twice as they transferred between different systems.
Prendergast said the numbers show why New York state officials must approve the MTA’s $ 32 billion five-year capital plan, which includes funding for a new East Side subway line on Second Avenue and other upgrades such as more countdown clocks that let riders know when to expect a train.
A state review board vetoed the capital program, and the MTA must now revise the plan and re-submit it. The authority has identified funding sources to pay for only half of the capital program and is lobbying for more from the state.
John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, said the boost in subway ridership should spur state lawmakers to agree to pay for improvements.
“If we don’t continue to invest in our system and build for the future, these strong numbers could represent a peak instead of a trend,” Raskin said. “It’s vital that our elected officials find the funding needed to support the entire $ 32 billion capital plan, which represents the least we can do to maintain our system so it can last for years into the future.”
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