MTA service cuts still on the table even after billions in federal aid

The MTA is still mulling service cuts in the coming years, despite receiving nearly $15 billion in federal aid since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Wednesday.

Transit leaders anticipate a multi-billion dollar deficit as soon as 2025, if the authority opts to skip this year’s planned fare increase, Chief Financial Officer Bob Foran said during the authority’s monthly board meeting. “We’re going to run out of federal aid by 2024, and we’ll face a $3.5 billion cumulative deficit in ‘24 and ‘25,” Foran told board members.