There’s a gaping hole in our recent story on how the economic crisis may affect New York City’s transit system: We failed to point out that the fare in New York is cheaper than those in many other major cities. Which means that maybe bridge tolls and a new payroll tax shouldn’t be the only new revenue proposals on the table.

Let’s look at how public transit hits commuters’ wallets:

New Yorkers now pay $2, at most, for a single ride. That’s exactly what commuters in Chicago pay and more than riders in Boston. It’s also more than the minimum fares in Washington, DC and the Bay Area. But those systems charge fares that depend on the length of the ride – the farther you go, the more you pay – and so most riders in those cities pay more than the minimum. Commuters in the Washington area can pay up to $4.50, while those in the Bay Area can shell out as much as $8 for a single ride.

New York fares look like even more of a bargain when you check out the cost of riding public transit in some European cities. Riders in London can pay about $4.75 to go to the very next stop. The ride that I took to graduate school every day – which was shorter than my daily commute from Brooklyn to Channel Thirteen in Manhattan – can cost a Londoner $6.00.

Commuters in Paris and Berlin also pay more than New Yorkers – $2.23 and $2.92, respectively, at today’s exchange rate. And Berlin uses a zoned system, which means that’s the least you’ll pay to ride the S- or U-Bahn.

Of course, most riders on most of these systems don’t pay full fare all the time – there are transfers, bulk tickets, passes, even smart cards like London’s Oyster Card that automatically calculate the cheapest fare for whatever combination of rides you’ve taken over the course of a day. The New York Times offered up a great graphic to look at the actual cost of riding many large U.S. public transit systems, the cost of poroviding each ride, and how much of each system’s income actually comes from fares.

According to that Times graphic, even with the low fare, New Yorkers pay a higher proportion of the cost of running the MTA than commuters in any major U.S. urban area except the Bay Area. People we interviewed while researching our story said it’d be great if Albany – and Washington – coughed up more subsidy money. But that’s unlikely. Many of our sources also admitted that fares have to go up – maybe even significantly, even to London-like levels. But that process is politically fraught – no politician wants to run as a supporter of $4 subway fares. The Ravitch Commission’s report includes proposals to make the fare-increase process easier – automatic, in fact, based on the cost of living. That’d go some way towards bringing the MTA more revenue at the fare box, but New Yorkers will still probably be getting a bargain every time they swipe their MetroCards.

In order to pay for subway maintenance and projects over the years, the MTA has had to borrow a lot of money for funding. So much so that the MTA is now the fifth biggest debtor in the United States – after the state of California, the state of Massachusetts, New York State, and New York City.

Blueprint America — with New York Voices — looks at the costs of maintaining New York City’s transportation system and the difficulties involved when making improvements.

THE PROPOSAL: 1920s-1930s
1920	New York City Mayor John F. Hylan and other city officials call for a new subway line on the East Side of Manhattan. Daniel L. Turner of the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) publishes the “Proposed Comprehensive Rapid Transit System.” Phase I of the plan – build Sixth and Eighth Avenue lines. Phase II of the plan – build Second Avenue Trunk line.
1922	The Turner papers are updated. The Second Avenue line is revised to be six tracks wide with a short eight track connection to Queens. The line is to connect with the Grand Concourse branch of Phase I, and two tracks continuing under the East River to the Fulton Street line. Estimated cost – $165 million.
1925	Phase I is under way.
1929	An expanded proposal is made to build the Second Avenue line from Houston Street to the Harlem River. Estimated cost – $86 million. This includes a turnoff at 34th Street, a 34th Street Crosstown Subway and an East River tunnel to Queens; a turnoff at 63rd Street to connect with the Sixth Avenue line of Phase I; and a connection in the Bronx at Morris Park and Lafayette Ave. Later revision of the Second Avenue line has the six track line from uptown branching off – two tracks to 61st Street (instead of 63rd Street), two to Chambers Street, and two to the Fulton Street Subway. Estimated cost for the 100 mile Phase II system – $438 million. Construction is anticipated to begin in1930, with lines in service sometime between 1938 and 1941. In October, however, the Wall Street stock market crashes. From The New York Times Archive – “100 Miles of Subway in New City Project; 52 of Them in Queens” (September 16, 1929)
1930	The Second Avenue line is expected to be built north from 32nd Street starting in 1931, opening in 1937; and south of 32nd Street starting in 1934, opening in 1940.
1931-1935	As the Depression arrests the city, Phase I construction falls behind. Due to cost overruns for Phase I, plans for the Second Avenue line are postponed. The Phase II plan is then revised – dropping the connection to Fulton Street in Brooklyn by instead connecting the line to the Nassau Street loop. The new proposed opening date is 1948. From The New York Times Archive – “Debt Limit Curbs City Subway Plans” (May 15, 1935)
1939	Estimated cost of the Second Avenue line – $249 million.
DELAYED: 1940s-1950s
1944	The Second Avenue line is back in the planning stage. Ground has still not been broken for the project. New revisions: From Canal Street to 57th Street the line is to be four tracks, with six north of 57th Street (two for a super express to the Bronx); two tracks will be south of Canal Street; connections are planned for the lines from the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. The plan also calls for a connection in Brooklyn with a major rebuilding of the DeKalb Avenue junction. Estimated cost of the Manhattan segments – $242 million. The proposed opening date is pushed back to 1951.
1947	Subway fares increase from 5 cents to 10 cents, following an $18 million transportation budget shortfall in New York City.
1948	The city’s transportation system loses another $30 million and requests $300 million for rehab and $500 million for capital improvements from the New York legislature. However, the State does not approve to increase in the city’s debt limit.
1949	Estimated cost of the Second Avenue – $504 million. The new R11 “million dollar train” is unveiled as the prototype train to run on the line – 10 stainless steel subway cars, which cost $100,000 each.
1950	The Second Avenue plan is revised to include a two-track turnoff at Seventh Street to 34th Avenue in Queens. Then, the Korean War starts, driving up material costs.
1951	A Bond issue for $500 million is approved. Construction on the Second Avenue line is to begin in 1957 or 1958. From The New York Times Archive – “$500,000 Voted for 2d Ave. Subway By Estimate Board” (September 14, 1951)
1952-1953	Growing city debt causes the Second Avenue line to be postponed, first for three months, then indefinitely by 1953.
1957	Transit Authority Chairman Charles L. Patterson uses most of the $500 million bond issue for improvements to the current system – leaving only $112 million for the Second Ave line. The New York Times reports on Jan 17, 1957, “It is highly improbable that the Second Ave Subway will ever materialize.” From The New York Times Archive – “A 2d Ave. Subway Called Unlikely” (March 9, 1957) A formal hearing is held to investigate the use of funds meant for new construction. Patterson, however, defends his right to spend the bond money on general system improvements.
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GROUND BROKEN?: 1960s-1970s
1963	The Second Avenue line is still planned, but no funds are available.
1964	The Urban Mass Transit Act is passed, making Federal funding available for transit projects.
1965	The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA) is founded in New York.
1968	MCTA changed to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA takes over the city’s subway system, putting the Second Avenue line plan back on track. The Second Avenue line will cost $220 million for a two track line from 34th Street to the Bronx. It would connect with the 63rd Street Tunnel, the Central Park line to 57th Street, Sixth Avenue, and Broadway Avenue. Phase II would bring the line down to Water Street near Battery Park. The New York Board of Estimate approves a two track line from the Bronx to Water Street, including the 63rd St. connection.
1972	October – Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller leads a groundbreaking ceremony with Mayor John V. Lindsay 103rd Street and Second Avenue, and work begins on the first part of the line, from 99th Street to 105th Street. From The New York Times Archive – “Rockefeller and Lindsay Break Ground for 2d Avenue Subway” (October 28, 1972)
1973	March – Construction begins from 110th Street to 120th Street. October – Mayor Lindsay breaks ground for the Second Avenue line’s downtown section.
1974	July – Mayor Abraham D. Beame breaks ground for a fourth segment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. November – After three ground breaking ceremonies and some six decades of stalled proposals for the Second Avenue line, the MTA announces the completion would be delayed – yet again – due to a lack of funds. December – Mayor Beame calls for the constructed tunnel segments to be sealed once work is completed. From The New York Times Archive: “2d Ave. Subway Put Off Further” (December 14, 1974)
1975	Mayor Beam stops work on the fourth tunnel before construction got past the preliminary stage.
SLOW TRAIN COMING: 1980s-present
1980s	No progress, no work.
1996	Some sections have construction activity – Section 5 (Bowery to Chrystie Street), Section 11 (East 99th to East 105th Streets), and Section 13 (East 110th to East 120 Streets).
2007	April – Gov. Elliot Spitzer leads a ground breaking ceremony with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and work begins for an initial phase from 63rd Street to 96th Street. From The New York Times Archive: “Is that finally the sound of the 2nd Ave. Subway?” (April 9, 2007)
2008	And the construction continues.
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Sources: The New York Times, New York Magazine, nycsubway.org

• The Saga of the 2nd Avenue Subway

The following 51st State reports look at the varying modes of transportation in New York City (in 1975).

• Westway: The Solution or the Problem? is an examination of the controversial proposals for the West Side Highway.
• In Getting to the Airport Cheap, reporter Ken Baron takes us on a trip to Kennedy Airport using only public transportation.
• Robert Sam Anson provides commentary in Cars, Cars, Terrible, Wonderful Cars.
• Finally, The Singing Bus Driver profiles a truly unique New Yorker as he tries to make a difference during the daily commute.