MTA schedules emergency public meeting to discuss Cuomo’s L train shutdown plan

The MTA has scheduled an emergency board meeting, to be held on Tuesday, January 15, to discuss Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s last-minute plan to avert the L train shutdown.

At the emergency meeting, MTA contractor WSP, who designed the original 15-month shutdown plan, will be in attendance and will recommend that the agency pursue Cuomo’s alternative plan, since it does not require a full shutdown of service. According to the New York Post, the meeting will not require board members to vote on which plan they approve of, serving more as a briefing and “opportunity for discussion,” said an MTA rep.

New York City Transit president Andy Byford said he will have a team of independent engineers review the new plan developed by the governor’s panel of experts. However, Byford’s team of engineers has not been assembled yet. Nevertheless, the NYCT head says that he will not “be rushed on this review” and that he is “leaving nothing to chance.”

• MTA calls for emergency public meeting about L train shutdown [New York Post]