Maintain vital train service amid pandemic

Metro- North Railroad needs help, and it would be foolish for the federal government to ignore the situation. As with many businesses, MetroNorth has been drastically affected by the pandemic. Ridership on Wednesday, for example, was 57,700, down 80 percent from the previous year average, the latest numbers show.

Such a loss over time is unsustainable.

The head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which includes Metro- North and Long Island railroads as well as New York City subway and bus services, put the terms starkly last week: If the government does not provide $ 12 billion in relief aid, then Metro- North service would have to be cut in half. Throughout the system, 9,400 transit- worker jobs would be eliminated.

The importance of a fast, efficient and safe commuter line linking lower Connecticut to New York City cannot be overstated. In pre- pandemic times, hundreds of thousands of state residents commuted into the metropolitan area by rail, making the New Haven line the second busiest in the country. Communities with stations along the line see higher housing values, and many municipalities, such as

Norwalk and Bethel, are planning Transit Oriented Districts around their stations to encourage further economic growth.

A question is, however, will the pandemic alter work and commuting patterns as businesses adjust to employees working from home? The economic umbilical cord may now be the internet, not steel tracks and wire lines.

It will take time, perhaps years, to see whether there will be a substantial shift in the way people work. Some businesses will still benefit from in- person synergy and some jobs cannot be performed remotely.

And New York City is more than a hub of employment. Its cultural attractions will always be a draw; someday the lights of Broadway will flick on again.

A stable, fully operating railroad must be maintained and ready, and thousands of jobs saved in the meantime.

Though the prediction of MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye is shocking, it should not be surprising.

Back in July U. S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal urged Senate colleagues to pass the HEROES Act, which would have contained $ 32 billion for mass transit, including Metro- North.

“Safe and reliable transportation is not a luxury. It is a necessity. And equally necessary is the equipment and trains to enable physical distancing,” the senator from Connecticut said.

Four months later, the bill remains blocked in the Senate and compromises with the House version have stalled. Party politics have to get out of the way; industries and people need help now. Without federal aid, Metro- North trains could be reduced to every 20 to 30 minutes along the busiest parts of the line and hourly at slower ones. Off- peak and weekend service would be reduced. This is part of Foye’s budget proposal, which the MTA board will consider next month.

We urge the federal government to act sooner and keep the trains running for the day when the pandemic will be behind us.

The importance of a fast, efficient and safe commuter line linking lower Connecticut to New York City cannot be overstated.