NY state officials are expected to release the draft scope for the Moynihan Station's environmental impact statement today, which the NY Sun calls the "Spitzer administration's first public display of forward progress" on the project. more ›

NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon has done it again: NY1 reports that Silver has delayed ruling on the Atlantic Yards project because "he still has financial questions." The NY Sun had a story today about growing pressure for Silver to delay the vote, given outcry from not just civic groups like the Municipal Art Society, Regional Plan Association, Citizen's Union, and National Resources Defense Council, but other politicians as well. Brooklyn Papers also adds that the AY is a "$4-billion project would require hundreds of millions in direct and indirect public subsidies, but the actual size of the taxpayer contribution to the project has never been released." So there are big questions, and it's not just Silver showing off his power. more ›

Attorney General - and frontrunner in the NY State gubernatorial race - Eliot Spitzer laid out his transportation priorities to the Regional Plan Association yesterday, and on the list: the Second Avenue Subway, the LIRR link to Grand Central, and replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. But he's less enthusiastic about the JFK rail link from downtown Manhattan. Pataki's been hot on the idea of a rail link since 2004. Could it be because the federal government okayed $2 billion to go to the project? Anyway, showing his true optimistic political stripes, Spitzer also said he'd try to put the MTA on track. Well, we don't know how he could do worse than Pataki, unless we plumb our nightmares. more ›

. Well, Mayor Bloomberg can chalk up this new tune to "The Result of the Weeks-Before-Election Brainstorming Session on Visionary Ideas." Senator Schumer did fault Silverstein for not being aggressive enough in getting tenants into 7 World Trade Center. more ›

A day after the MTA's announcement of unprecedented and, frankly, surprising discounted fares between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the reality has set in. First off, the MTA is really trying to restore its credibility with riders by being nice; a Regional Plan Association spokesperson tells Newsday, "You can't take the politices out of it totally." Second, some critics wonder why the MTA can't put the money ($50 million for holidays discounts this year; another $50 million for possible discounts next year) towards balancing their budget inthe coming years? Policy groups tell the NY Times "Why is the M.T.A. engaging in feel-good, short-term gimmicks rather than convincing riders and business leaders that it has sensible, long-term plans for a balanced operating budget and a fully funded capital budget?" (Fiscal Policy Institute) and "There's no question that the most responsible use of the money would be to pay down the authority's unfunded pension liability" (Manhattan Institute). And, third, just because things are good this year, the MTA isn't ruling out 2007 fare hikes. Well, it's not like anyone who even peripherally follows the MTA really expected that - it's so dysfunctional. We can't always hope the real estate taxes will give us surpluses every year. We don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth (too much), but Gothamist would really prefer the MTA to give us subway service for Christmas. We'll pay the extra $1 not to be sent on wild weekend subway service goose chases! more ›

The NY Times points out that the huge financial problems were foreseen and that the blame can be attributed to both NYC mayors and the governor, but Governor Pataki wields the most power when making decisions about the MTA, and we feel one of the worst ones was Chairman E. Virgil Conaway who "adopted a new capital program, without any new sources of aid, that relied more heavily on borrowing than in the past." Really, the article is depressing, but Gothamist strongly urges you to read the article and become familiar with the names of officials involved, because on the election day, perhaps you'll be able to vote for Assembly members and State Senators who have our interests at heart. For a lucid explanation of the fare hike, look at this Straphangers' press release. The Straphangers also have this handy page that explains how can get involved in telling your elected leaders/MTA officials what you think. more ›

- ...this news is less great in light of 600 token booth clerks losing their jobs, as the MTA continues to find ways to cut costs. The Daily News reports that 49 round-the-clock and 115 part-time booths will be closed. The MTA says that stations where booths have been closed have not seen any jumps in crime, but the NYC Transit Rider Council says, "People feel less safe when they don't see a token person there. Whether it is perception or reality, that's the way they feel." more ›

Officials from the city and the from Jets, however, maintain that the stadium will help develop the West Side. Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff called the RPA plan "flawed" and "a halfhearted recipe that will not produce significant change on the West Side." There's nothing quite like a debate over land use. more ›

Here's the RPA's executive summary as well as the full paper. more ›