MTA Will Discuss "Fast Forward Plan" At Queens Town Hall

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- New Yorkers have a lot of ~thoughts~ on the city's subway system.

Until now, your best bet at communicating them to the city's Metropolitan Transit Authority was somewhere along the lines of a 280-character rant on Twitter. But Tuesday evening, Queens residents will get to weigh in on the subway system face-to-face with MTA officials in Jamaica at the first of several citywide town halls.

The MTA announced Monday that it will host a series of town hall meetings in every borough of the city to discuss its new "Fast Forward Plan," which NYC Transit President Andy Byford unveiled earlier this year to fix the city's broken subway system.

The first of said meetings will be held Tuesday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at York College, where Byford and MTA staffers will present the plan and get customers' feedback on how it will affect their commutes, as well as what else the agency can do to improve its accessibility and services.

“The future success of New York City depends upon the success of this comprehensive plan to modernize our transit system, and we’ll be out there in every borough making the case," Byford said.

The plan calls for an immediate overhaul of the subway's aging signal system and track infrastructure, with the first five years specifically focusing on signal improvements along the 4/5//6 and A/C/E lines.

In that time, the MTA also aims to speed up subway accessibility improvements with the installation of 50 new elevators, with the goal being to have each customer no more than two stops away from a handicap-accessible station. Other goals include the addition of 650 new subway cars and repairs to more than 150 subway stations in five years.

Byford estimated the plan, which you can view here, will cost $19 billion in its first five years.

“The Fast Forward Plan is a massive undertaking that requires buy-in from all stakeholders – our customers, our colleagues, advocates, the business community, and elected officials at every level of government,” he said."

The MTA encourages those who can't be at Tuesday's town hall to submit their questions and feedback via its website, here.

Lead photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images