‘Cheap’ shot as 7-line station opens
There was a panhandler at the ribboncutting for the city’s first new subway station in 25 years, but it wasn’t a homeless person — it was the head of the MTA.
“Mayor de Blasio, we appreciate your support of this project, but we need your help,” said MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast at the entrance of the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station, the highly anticipated 1.5mile extension of the 7 line.
“We don’t want to put projects on hold,” he added, turning the event celebrating a largely cityfunded project into an opportunity to bash the mayor. “We hope we can look to city government to help the MTA, the city and the residents be all we can be.”
De Blasio, who was stonefaced during Prendergast’s remarks, fired back, calling the city the “backbone” of the much of the MTA’s funding.
“We pay 73 percent of the MTA budget through the city government’s contribution, through the fares our people pay, the tolls our people pay, the taxes our people pay,” he said. “We are doing our share.”
The cash grab cast an awkward pall over what had been a festive event, attendees said.
“It’s incredibly tacky,” said one city government source.
“It seemed off key. There were a lot of folks who were there who were surprised about the message coming from the governor’s people. The whole thing went over like a lead zeppelin.”
The westside station was primarily funded by the city under Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Gov. Cuomo has already pledged twice the amount being asked of the city, agreeing to give $8.3 billion toward MTA’s 20152019 capital budget, Prendergast noted.
A source familiar with the event’s planning speculated that Prendergast, a Cuomo appointee, may have been put up to it by the governor, who has clashed with the mayor.
Either way, the move was seen as a distraction.
“This was a good news day — a new line for the city, all good, all positive, and [Pren dergast] just stepped in it, and it ended up as conflict,” another attendee said.
Prendergast made similar remarks after a Gtrain derailment in Brooklyn last week, saying de Blasio was at least partly to blame for failing to fund MTA’s infrastructure.
Meanwhile, straphangers who lined up to take the maiden voyage from Hudson Yards to Times Square marveled at the station, which includes sweeping mosaics and escalators stretching 125 feet.
“I’m just so happy that now I can take the train to work,” said Jason Brook, who lives near the station but works near Grand Central Terminal.
“I have to walk halfway across town just to get on a train. It’s a pain. But I don’t have to do that anymore.”
Train operator Michelle Cruise, at the helm for the ride, said she was shocked when she found out she was picked for the assignment.
“It’s very exciting to operate the first passenger train at this station,” she said. “I called for my assignment this morning, and this was my assignment.”
“It’s a beautiful station. I just hope they’ll be able to maintain it.”