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Hot on the heels of his announcement to revamp Penn Station by moving Amtrak across the street, Governor Cuomo announced plans today for a bunch of subway upgrades. (These improvements were, similarly, already planned—the MTA's capital plan outlined similar steps.) But now they’re actually going to happen somehow! And even faster! And there are PowerPoints!
According to Cuomo, the entire NYC subway system will have Wi-Fi by the end of the year. Countdown clocks will also be installed along the 7 line over the next 12 months, with 30 stations set to be redesigned by 2020 as well. Other “millennial-friendly” subway improvements set to be implemented include a digital fare system that will replace MetroCards by 2018 and countdown clocks along the letter lines.
Oh, and there will be phone charging stations in train cars and buses. We'd like the trains to run better first, but beggars can't be choosers.
The MTA’s capital plan, which was published in 2014 and includes many of the proposals the Governor announced today, has yet to be submitted to a state board for approval, and the source of $8.3 million the state has promised to give the MTA has yet to be identified.
