Will the MTA's Cuts Affect How People Experience New Year's Eve in New York City?

We all know that the MTA is a mess. With budget and service cuts, fare hikes and a massive ever growing debt there isn't a whole lot going right for them these days. And with an incompetent leader at the helm, we straphangers can only expect things to get worse before they get better.

New Year's Eve is one of the MTA's most heavily trafficked days and they couldn't be more ill-prepared. Those budget cuts couldn't have come at a worse time as although they will be running more trains than normal, the number of staff has shrunk and as a result they will be overworked and likely be unable to control the raucous New Year's crowd. The number of station managers has been slashed and only a small percentage of in-station videos cameras actually work, so if there is a night for people to get rowdy on the trains without fear of repercussion, this would be it.

In the MTA's defense, they will be beefing up their Long Island Railroad service into Penn Station with additional eastbound afternoon trains on Friday the 28^th and Monday the 31^st. This will also coincide with extra westbound trains on NYE and trains outbound of Penn Station on January 1^st. But be warned as although there will be more trains running, there will surely be plenty more people. Be prepared to stand for most of your ride!

If you plan on riding any of the subway lines to and from the hub of New Years's Eve; times Square, be sure to check the MTA's schedule on their website as a number of lines that travel through Times Square will be affected. Already the MTA has planned for service interruptions on the 1, 7, A, B, and Q which are all lines that will be headed to and from Times Square. You should plan accordingly.

The MTA has also announced that even if you can get to the Times Square station it is unlikely that you'll be allowed to exit onto the street. They have recommended avoiding the station entirely. Although they will have added service (6-12 minutes between trains until 3 a.m.), most trains will bypass the Times Square station starting as early as 7 p.m. Not that I'd ever want to end up in Times Square on NYE to begin with!

Either way, it's commendable that the MTA has beefed things up for NYE and the influx of people. Just be sure to check their website before you venture out that night or you may end up stuck somewhere!

All information collected from www.mta.info.