Months after subway chief Andy Byford made increasing subway speeds a signature cause, Cuomo has directed the MTA to create a task force to examine speed along the entire MTA system — including its two commuter railroads, an administration source told POLITICO. | Getty Cuomo to tackle speeds on subways and commuter rails

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants New York City’s subways, and the region's commuter rails, to move faster.

Months after subway chief Andy Byford made increasing subway speeds a signature cause, Cuomo has directed the MTA to create a task force to examine speed along the entire MTA system — including its two commuter railroads, an administration source told POLITICO.


The make-up of the governor’s task force remains formative. Ronnie Hakim, the MTA’s managing director, is spearheading the effort. Among other national transportation experts, the MTA has reached out to Ray LaHood, the former Obama administration transportation secretary, about participating in the task force.

“I’ve had a conversation with the governor about this and I’ve had one meeting with the MTA and we’re still discussing the opportunity for me to be involved,” said LaHood, in an interview Monday.

Those discussions appear to have since fallen through.

But on Wednesday, the governor’s office is expected to release a statement from budget director and newly appointed MTA board member Robert Mujica announcing the task force's formation.

“We suggest the assembled panel first review the entire New York City Transit system and then the LIRR and Metro North systems,” says the Mujica statement, acquired by POLITICO. "This will coordinate with the respective unions, [Byford's] Save Safe Seconds Transit effort, and [positive train control] efforts at LIRR and Metro North. We believe the task can be completed in months — not years — and will have a dramatic impact on reducing commuting time, as it will by definition immediately speed up the trains on the entire system because the operators will actually follow posted speed limits instead of deliberately driving slower.”

Mujica will recommend the task force start work next week.

Separately, the governor has already directed MTA to hire the engineering consulting firm WSP to look at speeds along the N/R line in Brooklyn, two knowledgeable sources said.

Following weeks of study, WSP affirmed the value of Byford’s efforts to enhance speeds, but argued it was possible more could be done, one of the sources said.

Since 2018, Byford has been working to improve speeds on the subway system by methodically testing mechanisms that trip a train’s brakes if it speeds. Many were installed in the aftermath of two fatal subway crashes in the 1990s. Those mechanisms, known as timer signals, are often faulty. He’s also been raising speed limits throughout the system. He’s even created a team dedicated to the task called the SPEED unit.

“The SPEED unit has made a real difference in the lives of riders and it's a testament to the work that can be done by focusing on root causes ... It's being done safely, deliberately and collaboratively,” said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. “It would make sense to beef up the resources to do even more, using the tried and true methods of the past year.”

Byford publicly credits both his speed-enhancement plan and Cuomo’s subway stabilization plan with recent improvements in the subway’s reliability. He, and other transit experts, believe the ultimate solution for the subway’s reliability problems is a technology called communications based train control, which is already operational along the 7 and L lines. The governor, however, calls CBTC a 1970s-era solution and believes that it’s worth at least searching for something better.

To that end, on Wednesday, he will fly to Israel with Hakim to meet with executives at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, as POLITICO reported on Monday. The governor has tasked her with setting up a follow-up conference at the Technion-Cornell in New York City.

The governor first publicly signaled his interest in subway speeds last week, when he released a letter from Transport Workers Union leaders Tony Utano and John Samuelsen arguing for a “comprehensive system-wide review utilizing the expertise and knowledge of our members and experts in the field to determine efficient and safe operating speeds and ensure proper signal calibration.”

The governor responded with a statement Friday: "This is a serious matter that affects both commuting time and public safety. I will review the facts, and if they are as stated, we will address it immediately."