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Cuomo Announces $103M For Metro-North Repairs As Ridership Sees Increase

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the Federal Transit Administration has awarded $103.5 million to Metro-North to repair and rebuild infrastructure that was damaged by Superstorm Sandy in Westchester County and protect and fortify it against future storms.

The funds are part of a $886.3 million package that will support repairs across the entire MTA system, including New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road and MTA Capital Construction.

That was followed by news on Monday that Metro-North had its highest ridership ever in 2013 with 81.8 million rides provided east of the Hudson River and 83.4 million rides total.

The repair funds come under the umbrella of Sandy repairs, but were announced after a Decemeber train crash that killed four and a system-wide failure on Jan. 23 that lasted more than two hours brought Metro-North under intense scrutiny.

The $103.5 million allocated to Metro-North is expected to be divided up in three ways:

  • $74.8 million Power: Project replaces damaged components, including substations, third rail components, facility houses. Design underway for substations and facility houses for Harlem River Lift Bridge.  
  • $21.5 million Communications and Signals: 30 miles of fiber optic cable will be replaced. Other components requiring replacement includes signal cable, switches, bond boxes, relays, snowmelters, crossing gate infrastructure. Design underway.  
  • $7.2 million Right-of-Way: Tree removal and shoreline restoration work.

“With this funding, we are furthering our efforts to reimagine New York’s most vital infrastructure to meet the needs of extreme weather,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This grant is critical to the continued health and viability of the New York metropolitan region’s $1.4 trillion economy. I am thankful for the support of the federal government in this endeavor, and know that it will go a long way to helping us build a stronger and more resilient New York.”

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