MTA is urged to add trains

THE 9-TO-5 WORKDAY is a thing of the past, but the MTA isn’t keeping up with the times, according to an analysis from city Controller Scott Stringer.

An audit from Stringer’s office showed there’s a substantial drop-off in train service at offpeak hours, even as ridership is increasing at those times.

“The traditional rush hour is no more,” Stringer said Friday outside the Union Square station. “This is management failure.”

According to the audit, during the 5 a.m. hour, there are 60% fewer trips than in the the peak 8 a.m. rush hour, and the MTA runs 38 fewer trains in the 9 p.m. hour.

But ridership in off-peak hours has grown, particularly with new jobs being created in the service sector.

The “non-traditional” commuters who leave from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. make $35,000 a year on average, with 40% working in the service sector, according to the report.

More than half, 56%, are foreign-born.

The MTA, however, has failed to pump more trains through the system since massive service cuts in 2010 amid the recession, the audit says.

The city fiscal watchdog also took note of the MTA’s shaky finances, with Stringer calling for the city to fund half of the MTA’s $800 million Subway Action Plan — and criticizing a “value capture” proposal being debated in Albany.

Under the proposal, the MTA would get a share of new property tax revenue to pay for new transit.

But Stringer said that means “the state is taking from the city and giving nothing back.”

MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein didn’t comment on the report, but appreciated Stringer’s call for the city to pump more money to cover emergency subway repairs.

“The challenges of running of a system 24/7, 365 days a year are well known – and not done anywhere else in the world,” Weinstein said.

“We balance round-the-clock service, safety and critical repair work towards the singular goal of a better subway system for all New Yorkers.”