HUDSON VALLEY – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to adopt its 2021 budget later this week and depending upon what federal aid may be coming, the agency could cut service and staff.
That has a number of Hudson Valley officials worried. Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus, State Assembly members Ken Zebrowski, Ellen Jaffee, Karl Brabenec, Jonathan Jacobson, Aileen Gunther, Colin Schmitt, Assemblyman-elect Michael Lawler, and Senators James Skoufis, David Carlucci and Senator-elect Elijah Reichlin-Melnick expressed concern in a joint statement.
“The MTA’s potential cuts to Metro-North’s East-of-Hudson rail service and to Long Island Railroad’s service include reductions of up to 50 percent,” they said in a joint statement. “Stunningly, however, the MTA has proposed the total elimination of Metro-North’s West-of-Hudson rail service in New York. While all other counties in the MTA region are faced with losing just some service, Rockland and Orange counties are faced with the potential loss of ALL service. Rockland and Orange counties stand together with our residents and all passengers who utilize the rails and pay taxes for the service against this unacceptable proposal.”
The officials said should the MTA cut West-of-Hudson service on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines, “we have mutually agreed to support legislation that would withdraw our counties – and tax dollars – from the MTA. “The county and state officials hope that the MTA does receive the federal funding it needs “to be able to avoid the doomsday cuts they have proposed. It is our further hope that once the transit services are protected, that the MTA be willing to take sincere steps to improve the West-of-Hudson service for which they are responsible.”
