I'm all for spending more money on transit. I think both Albany and Washington should be kicking in more money considering the net cash flows.
That said, the MTA has a serious cost problem. Their projects are routinely way over budget and massively delayed. The 7 extension and east side access (LIRR) projects cost considerably more per km than any rail project anywhere in the world. Yes, they are complex but so are many other projects (e.g. London crossrail).
It's not any one underlying problem, but the byzantine MTA governance structure makes it hard to address all of them.
The cost problem is tied to how procurement & bidding is done by the MTA. Rules & regulations (often in law) have built up over time to protect against corruption & failure. They have calcified out-dated construction practices and insulates the process from any real competition amongst the limited number of approved suppliers.
In addition, federal funding comes with requirements to use suppliers that only employ unionized labor.
> Rules & regulations (often in law) have built up over time to protect against corruption & failure
Having worked for NYC and become familiar with their vendor selection processes, I often wonder if the costs of corruption prevention (both direct and opportunity costs) often outweigh their benefits.
For one thing, the vendor certification process costs quite a bit of time and effort on the part of their potential vendors, which rules out a lot of smaller (perhaps more efficient) entities in favor of bigger corporations who have the resources to jump through the hoops.
The Tweed Courthouse may be one of the most corrupt structures ever built, but at least it's beautiful and it got done.
That said, the MTA has a serious cost problem. Their projects are routinely way over budget and massively delayed. The 7 extension and east side access (LIRR) projects cost considerably more per km than any rail project anywhere in the world. Yes, they are complex but so are many other projects (e.g. London crossrail).
It's not any one underlying problem, but the byzantine MTA governance structure makes it hard to address all of them.