Subway riders have been putting up with a lot lately—there were widespread delays during Tuesday's morning rush hour thanks to a power outage at the the 36th Street D/N/R station, which came in the wake of last month's power outage at 7th Avenue in Midtown, causing numerous delays on the B, D, F, M, A, C, E, F, J, Q and R lines. These big incidents are just the most newsworthy examples of the daily dosage of mechanical problems, switch problems, service changes, and what's turned into routine rush hour misery.

Subway service does appear to be getting worse, and though Governor Cuomo allocated $30 million more toward the MTA in his budget this year, riders' advocates say he's still not doing enough to fix the system—so tonight they're rallying outside his Midtown office in hopes of getting his attention.

On Tuesday, the straphangers advocacy group the Riders Alliance issued a blistering statement excoriating the governor for failing to support the MTA's day-to-day operations. John Raskin, Executive Director of the Riders Alliance, said:





Subway service is starting to resemble the notorious dysfunction of the 1970s, and riders are asking: where is Governor Cuomo? Governor Cuomo shows up to open the Second Avenue Subway, but he’s missing in action for the day-to-day disaster that transit riders are experiencing.



“Subway riders leave for work these days not knowing if or when they will actually get there. Any one incident can be explained, but in the aggregate it’s clear that subway service is deteriorating and that riders are increasingly miserable. There’s no way to fix this without the Governor’s leadership, and where is the Governor?

Indeed, as the Village Voice reported yesterday, without more help from the state, subway service will fall further into disrepair until at least 2045, whereupon the agency predicts they'll be able to upgrade the system's crumbling infrastructure with a modernized signal system.

In the meantime, the Riders Alliance predicts infrastructure will continue to deteriorate as ridership increases, and though Cuomo has touted big plans like a digital ticketing system and refurbished subway stations, having fancy touchscreens doesn't make up for regular nightmarish commutes. Earlier this year the group criticized Cuomo for re-allocating $65 million from the MTA's operating budget to its capital plan, which they argued would take way from track and power repairs and other day-to-day woes that screw up service.

"The MTA needs a Marshall Plan of investment, billions of dollars to modernize the system, but instead we’re playing budget games and cutting money that riders thought we could rely on," Raskin said last month. "This is no way for Gov. Cuomo to show leadership on improving public transportation."

During tonight's evening rush hour, advocates and frustrated commuters will protest outside Cuomo's office in Midtown East, calling on the governor to invest more money that would help alleviate subway problems, including power outages, delays, and overcrowding.

"Yesterday was the third massive subway failure in three weeks," the Riders Alliance said in a statement. "Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo’s silence has been deafening for millions of riders dealing with these unprecedented subway delays." The rally is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. outside Cuomo's office at 633 Third Avenue.

The Governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the rally, but a spokesperson told the Daily News that the state will investigate the most recent subway power system failures, and dismissed the Riders Alliance assertion that the Governor was "missing in action."

“Blasting out press releases devoid of facts is cheap and unconstructive and we should expect more from so-called transportation experts,” the Governor's office said.