Gov’s rail ‘power’ struggle
Cuomo explores system’s ailing electric network
GOV. CUOMO saw it for himself Wednesday when he walked on live tracks and through the gritty caverns of the subway system to check out the ancient power equipment that’s been the source of thousands of commuter delays.
The critical, and criticized, pieces of transit power infrastructure have caused 32,000 delays in the past year — “the largest single cluster of outages,” Cuomo said.
“If we can make a significant difference in this area, we’ll make a significant difference for the rider,” Cuomo said.
With subway service at a crisis point this year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is implementing an $836 million rescue plan. Cuomo and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota have demanded the city cover half the cost, but Mayor de Blasio says the transit agency is the state’s responsibility.
Con Edison and the MTA have been going through the system to inspect power equipment and replace parts as needed.
The utility’s crews will be replacing failure-prone aluminum cables with newer, stronger copper cables; replacing more than 80 equipment panels that have parts going back to the 1930s, and adding sensors to 1,100 manhole locations so power problems can be caught before they halt trains.
A massive subway disruption from a power equipment failure at the Seventh Ave. and 53rd St. station on April 21 led Cuomo to call for the state Public Service Commission to investigate Con Ed’s transit power system.
“We already know some of the most prominent causes of failure, and we know how to take those on,” said John Rhodes, chairman of the commission, which drafted recommendations for Con Ed and will oversee the work.
Cuomo said he expects the job will cost tens of millions of dollars, with thousands of people working on the power plan.
Con Ed, whose crews will work seven days a week, is expected to finish the huge undertaking in a year, completing priority projects within six to nine months.
Cuomo, along with Con Ed officials and contractors, descended to the tracks of the Columbus Circle-59th St. station to see the obsolete interlockings that control the movement of trains and back-of-the-station equipment that powers the subway.
“Just to move one train out of the station, over the interlocking, there’s three points of failure, times two,” said Charlie Hall, senior vice president at WSP, a contractor that works with Con Ed and the MTA.
He said the power initiative will end finger-pointing between Con Ed and the MTA — with the utility blaming the MTA’s sensitive equipment and the transit agency blaming Con Ed for dips and spikes in power that can trip the fail-safe system that stops trains.
“It’s been like this for 50 years. We’re saying we’re done with that. It’s a unified effort,” Cuomo said. “We’re going to put the MTA together with Con Ed, go through the whole system, do it right, because it is everyone’s fault and no one’s fault.” HERE’S A CURE for what ales commuters. Long Island’s Blue Point Brewery has crafted Delayed Pilsner for frustrated riders during the “Summer of Hell” at Penn Station. The brew debuts at the Shake Shack at Penn on Monday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., “during peak train and delay time,” the company said in a Facebook invite. Delayed Pilsner was crafted to have a slight taste of honey with a “touch of bitterness,” Blue Point president Todd Ahsmann says. “This beer should hold you over while you wait for the train but provide just enough bite to keep you critical of current state of transit,” he said. Commuters have had their trips scrambled this summer so that Amtrak crews can take tracks out of service and make emergency repairs.“Thankfully the delays that were feared during Amtrak’s summer repairs at Penn so far haven’t been that bad — hopefully this beer won’t be either,” said MTA spokesman Shams Tarek.