At a hearing Wednesday, NY State Assembly Speaker SheldonSilver and other Assembly members grilled MTA Chair E. Virgil Conway overthe MTA’s capital program proposal. The Assembly panel was plainly unhappywith the MTA plan. Members’ main criticisms were the extent and fundingfor a Second Avenue Subway, financing for the overall program and NYC Transit’scontinued reliance on polluting diesel buses.

Conway’s testimony was preceded by State Comptroller CarlMcCall, who said that without more direct state support for the MTA program,bus and subway riders could see a fare hike of 30 cents.

Under questioning, Conway called such an increase "modest,"leading to a media frenzy in the hallway as Conway attempted to exit thebuilding. Speaker Silver told reporters a fare hike would be "unacceptable."

Conway’s testimony was punctuated by an exchange regardingthe newly-rebuilt Franklin Avenue Shuttle subway line in Brooklyn. Conwaypointed to the line as an example of an MTA rebuilding program accomplishment.Silver reminded Conway that the MTA board had tried to close down the Shuttlefor good, and that it took an Assembly veto of the previous capital programto force the Shuttle’s reconstruction.

Silver’s opposition to a fare increase and his advocacyfor including at least planning and engineering funding for the full-lengthSecond Avenue line, the Assembly may have to put some sort of MTA financingplan on the table after it vetoes the MTA proposal.

Transit advocates and unions released a letter Tuesdayurging Governor Pataki, Mayor Giuliani and legislative leaders to rejectthe MTA proposal. In addition to Second Avenue Subway, clean bus and fareissues, the letter spotlighted the minimal subway and bus service increasescalled for in the MTA plan.

Link to McCall’s MTA finance report at www.tstc.org