FTA recently allocated nearly $390 million in federal Fiscal Year 2013 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act funds to three major public transportation agencies affected last year by Hurricane Sandy—New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH), Jersey City, NJ; and Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)—to reimburse them for expenses incurred while preparing for and recovering from the storm. This funding is not affected by the continuing resolution recently passed by the House. (See related story.)

The funding for each agency is as follows:

* MTA received $193 million for repair and restoration of East River tunnels; the South Ferry/Whitehall subway station; the Rockaway commuter rail line; rail yards, maintenance shops, and other facilities; and heavy rail cars. The funds support work by MTA New York City Transit, MTA Staten Island Railroad, MTA Long Island Rail Road, MTA Metro-North Railroad, and MTA Bus.

* PATH received funding for two sets of projects. First, $141.5 million to address Sandy’s catastrophic impact on commuter rail service between New York and New Jersey, including establishment of ­alternative commuter service; repairs to electric substations and signal infrastructure; replacement and repair of rolling stock; and repairs to ­maintenance facilities. The second, for $54 million, will go to the World Trade Center Hub project, which was inundated by approximately 125 million gallons of tidal water. Recovery efforts included pumping, cleaning up debris, and repairing or replacing damaged and destroyed property such as electrical switchgear and substation equipment.

* SEPTA received $1.2 million related to securing and protecting transit service serving Philadelphia and four neighboring counties prior to the storm, emergency activities during and after the storm to resume service as quickly as possible, and enhanced customer service to communicate with the public when ­service was suspended or resumed.

The funds are the first to be allocated as part of the disaster relief package enacted Jan. 29 for FTA’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program, which allows FTA to make grants for eligible public transportation capital and operating costs in the event of a federally declared disaster.

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act authorized a total of $10.9 billion; however, the sequestration that took effect March 1 decreased that amount by 5 percent, or $545 million.

More information about this process is available online.

Share: