Wi-Fi, charging stations part of MTA’s major step to modernity

“This is thinking bigger and better, and building the 21st-century transit system New Yorkers deserve”.

The agency also plans to have countdown clocks up and running at all 7-train stations by the end of this year – and will add USB charging stations in 600 subway cars and 1,500 buses by 2018. Work on the majority of these 30 stations will be completed by 2018, and all will be finished by 2020.

Over 140 stations already have Wi-Fi and cell service, but that’s only about half; the team expects to bring Wi-Fi to all of them by the end of this year, and cell service by the next.

Outside of New York City, Cuomo said that his transportation agenda extended statewide with a particular focus on upgrading bridges and roads upstate.

Cuomo’s proposals include expediting Metropolitan Transportation Authority initiatives geared at modernizing the rider experience.

Prendergast, who joined Cuomo at the Transit Museum in Brooklyn, said the next generation of straphangers “expect technology and connectivity” on mass transit. Prendergast pointed to heated seats enjoyed by riders in Seoul, South Korea, and glass doors on subways platforms and electronic ticketing on other systems.

The MTA’s board of directors said last year that replacing the MetroCard would take at least five years. “I want to see a commitment for a new subway line every decade… and a funding source that can make it a reality”.

Charging ports will be installed on 200 subway cars this year and 400 next year, while all new buses delivered starting later this year will have Wi-Fi hotspots.

To ensure a safe environment for MTA customers, deter inappropriate behavior and help prosecute criminals, more surveillance cameras are coming to the MTA’s fleet.

Better lighting, better signage and clocks showing arrival times on the MTA’s “letter lines” are all part of the plan, the officials said. To advertise the new guidelines, the MTA plans to close 30 train stations around the city for anywhere from six to 12 months to perform construction that will “modernize their look and feel”, making them “cleaner and brighter”.