Subway fixes way off track

In the annals of government bureaucracies, the MTA’s confession that subway service is a mess marks a breakthrough in candor. That’s the first step to progress.

Whether there’s a second step is up in the air. The increasing train breakdowns and track and signal issues, coming at a time when ridership is at historic highs, suggest fixes will be neither quick nor cheap.

Similar to the chaos at Penn Station, the source of the problem is twofold: deferred maintenance and poor management.

Fare hikes have been constant, but there never seems to be enough money for the basics.

Witness the $20 million “patch” the agency announced, with the measures no-brainers. Why wasn’t the infrastructure tested more often? Why aren’t repair teams already scattered around the system so they can get to trouble spots faster?

In fact, Ronnie Hakim, the interim executive director, refrained from promising much at all, saying, “It’s hard to know from day one how long it will take to see results.”

That sounds like a long, hot summer is guaranteed.