FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2020

Joint Statement from Rockland County Executive Ed Day, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Rockland’s MTA Board Member Frank Borelli

We agree that the Federal government needs to step in to provide stimulus funding for MTA – that is abundantly clear.  The proposal to eliminate West of Hudson rail service in New York, however, would be catastrophic to Rockland and Orange Counties.  If our rail service were eliminated for a mere savings of $25 million per year, there would be no reason for Rockland and Orange to even be in the MTA anymore.  There is already a $40 million annual value gap between what Rockland County pays into the MTA and what it gets back in service; this has been the case for decades.  We understand the need for there to be cuts and reductions as we are dealing with the realities of this pandemic in our budgets as well, but MTA needs to find a way without the proposal to eliminate all West of Hudson service.  We are outraged that MTA would even consider such a proposal.

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