Less than a week after the MTA announced its six-point plan to fix rampant delays in the subway system, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is telling the agency to look elsewhere for better ideas.

Cuomo told the MTA to hold a “Genius Award” contest to find the best ideas on how to overcome the seemingly unfixable subway problems of the ancient signal system, the aging fleet of cars, and the lack of cellular and wi-fi connections on trains and in tunnels.

The winner in each category will win $1 million, Cuomo announced on Tuesday.

“It is no secret the New York City subway system is in dire need of upgrades and repairs, not only for the safety of commuters and visitors throughout the metropolitan area, but in order to meet the demand of travelers as ridership continues to grow,” Cuomo said.

He pointed out at a press conference on Tuesday that transit experts claim it will take five years per line to get the signals replaced, which would equal more than 40 years to update the whole subway system.

“I will be dead in the next 40 years,” Cuomo said.

He acknowledged that the MTA’s current crisis of delays is the result of years of inattention to subway infrastructure.

“We were asleep at the switch for decades at the MTA,” said Cuomo.

The MTA will invite all those who want to compete in the contest to a conference next month where they will be briefed on the desperate details.

Some critics say the move shows that Cuomo doesn’t think the MTA has what it takes to fix the issues.

“It’s a hail mary pass,” said Gene Russianoff, who is senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign. “He’s hoping for a miracle to come rushing into the room.”

The head of the MTA, who reports to Cuomo, put out a statement in support of the contest.

“This is a competition that will put the best and brightest minds in technology from across the world to work for New Yorkers in improving the reliability of our transit system,” said MTA Executive Director Ronnie Hakim.