You are reading

MTA Gets $6.2 Billion Lump Sum From Feds, As Agency Tries to Recover From Plummeting Ridership

The MTA has been sent more than $6 billion in COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. The N train pulling into Queensboro Plaza (Photo by Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)

Jan. 12, 2022 By Michael Dorgan

The MTA has been sent more than $6 billion in COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday.

The bailout, a near $6.2 billion lump sum, is the largest one-time payment ever awarded by the Federal Transit Administration, an agency within the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.

Schumer said the funds would save the cash-strapped agency from a “COVID-catalyzed brink of death.”

“The bottom line is that without the money that we were able to get, the subway system never would have bounced back,” Schumer said in a morning press briefing via Zoom.

The funds, Schumer said, will keep the agency’s mass transit network operating, support the economy and stave off potentially thousands of MTA workers being furloughed.

The MTA requested the COVID-19 relief funds since the pandemic has led to a substantial dip in ridership and revenue – spiraling the agency deep into the red.

For instance, 2.267 million riders took the subway Tuesday, which is about 42 percent of the ridership level pre-pandemic, according to MTA data.

Schumer said it was important that the money be released all at once.

“In the past, these subsidies have trickled down and the MTA was never sure they could plan ahead,” Schumer said. “But this $6 billion gives them deep, deep liquidity.”

Schumer said the money would also go towards funding the MTA’s capital program – a $54.8 billion investment project in the region’s subways, buses, commuter railroads, bridges and tunnels.

MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the injection of funds will support the entire transit system and help rebuild New York’s economy.

“This funding helps the MTA continue to provide top-tier service and in the near term avoid fare increases,” Lieber said in a statement.

The rescue package brings the total amount of money received by the MTA from the federal government to more than $14 billion over the course of the pandemic – with more funds on the way.

The agency is expected to receive a $10 billion windfall from the infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden in November.

MTA Subway Ridership levels

MTA Subway Ridership levels (MTA)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Advocates urge passage of New York for All Act as Assembly session nears end

Jun. 16, 2025 By Jimmy Robles

As the State Senate concluded its legislative session on Thursday, immigrant rights advocates renewed calls for lawmakers to pass the New York for All Act before the Assembly adjourns on Tuesday, June 17. The proposed legislation, along with several other immigration-related bills, remains pending as the clock winds down on this year’s session.

Queens gun buyback takes 74 firearms off streets, including ghost guns and assault weapons: DA

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday that 74 firearms were taken off the streets at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica during a gun buyback event on Saturday, June 14. The weapons were exchanged for bank cards pre-loaded with cash, with no identification required and no questions asked.

“Gun buybacks serve as a critical tool for reducing gun violence and promoting public safety within our communities,” Katz said. “This Saturday, working with the NYPD and clergy leaders in Jamaica, we received 74 surrendered guns — including five automatic weapons. As a result, these firearms will not be used to cause heartache and tragedy.”

Suspect wanted for slashing rider during violent altercation on Q43 bus in Jamaica: NYPD

Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica are still looking for a suspect who attacked a rider on board a Q43 MTA bus late last month.

A 24-year-old victim was sitting on the bus as it approached Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, when a stranger began to argue with him. The verbal dispute escalated into violence when the assailant began to punch the victim multiple times in the head and body. The perpetrator then slashed the victim in the left hand with an unknown sharp object, police said. The attacker stormed off the bus and was last seen traveling southbound on Sutphin Avenue toward the Long Island Rail Road Station.

Ozone Park man indicted for kidnapping and assault of 11-year-old girl in Forest Park: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted an Ozone Park man for abducting an 11-year-old girl in Forest Park and sexually assaulting her before the victim’s father intervened in May.

Teddy Moussignac, 44, of 102nd Street, was arraigned Friday in Queens Supreme Court on a seven-count indictment charging him with kidnapping, assault, two counts of sexual assault in the first degree, and other related crimes.

Long-haired gunman sought after man shot in leg on Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica: NYPD

Police from the 113th Precinct in Jamaica are looking for a nefarious-looking gunman who shot a man in front of an apartment building at 121-02 Sutphin Blvd. on the night of Tuesday, June 10.

The 29-year-old victim was in front of the building at around 7 p.m. when a stranger discharged a firearm, striking him in the right leg, police said Thursday. The victim traveled by private means to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. The gunman fled the location on foot southbound on Sutphin Boulevard toward Rockaway Boulevard.