By Nicole Gelinas, New York Post; April 13, 2020
The state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority has just suffered the worst month of its more than 50-year existence: at least 62 workers dead, including one motorman murdered on a near-empty subway. It’s hard enough to get through today and tomorrow, let alone think of next year. But the fact is that the new state budget creates a long-term risk: a crippled transit system for years, harming Gotham’s recovery.
Though nothing compares to the coronavirus death toll — likely the highest death rate among any American workforce — the MTA’s fiscal picture is beyond bleak. Subway, bus and commuter-rail ridership are down 92 to 98 percent. But cutting service — even more than the MTA has — risks crowding trains and buses, another danger.