Few know better than Joseph Lhota, the returning chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, just how bad our city’s subway system has become. And now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for the subway system in the wake of Tuesday’s derailment on the A train and the constant delays for commuters, he has his marching orders.

The first thing Mr. Lhota will need to tackle is the inadequately maintained signal system, which accounts for almost 15 percent of all subway delays. It is a huge problem and puts the city’s regional economy in jeopardy. But there are other basic issues — track work, communication, power — that must be addressed, and difficult decisions will need to be made.

Cries for “bottom-to-top reviews” are designed to convince the public that swift action is coming. But commuters have heard this before, and they are rightfully skeptical. Money is only part of the problem, and not the heart of it: To get real results, the governor needs to insist on accountability and strong M.T.A. leadership.

During the city and statewide fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the transit system faced a true crisis. The regional economy and its transit system were in shambles. Through hard work and political persuasion, Richard Ravitch, who was chairman of the M.T.A. from 1979 to 1983, developed the authority’s first five-year capital plan. This ambitious $8.7 billion endeavor was followed by six other multibillion-dollar plans to address the system’s needs.