The MTA Will Pay $1M For Your 'Genius' Idea On How To Fix The NYC Subway (New Details!)

NEW YORK, NY — Apparently fresh out of ideas on how to drag the downward-spiraling NYC subway system out of the dark ages, and apparently not all that confident in their own six-step plan to do so, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officials have announced they'll be holding "an international competition seeking groundbreaking and innovative solutions to increase the capacity and improve the reliability of New York City’s subway service."

The prize for the lucky winner in each of three categories? A cool $1 million.

The competition will kick off June 29 at an event in the Great Hall of the City College of New York in Harlem. "Competitors will be presented with the issues, current solutions and best practices," according to the MTA, "and will be judged by an expert panel of technology and transportation experts in each of three categories."

Here are the categories, as described in an MTA press release:

1. How to Improve the NYC Subway’s Signal System: Address the aging signal system in a faster and more efficient way to enable the MTA to expand the number of trains per hour during peak periods.
2. How to Bring Better Subway Cars to the System: Address the subway system’s aging cars. Strategies can include the refurbishment of current subway cars, upgrading existing systems, better maintenance programs/protocols, and faster delivery of new cars.
3. How to Increase Communications Connectivity in Subway Tunnels: Design communications technology for cellular and WiFi connectivity that can be installed throughout the entire subway system including tunnels.

The competition will be open to applicants from all sectors, "both within and beyond the transportation world," according to the MTA.

And winners will receive the prize money for their ideas alone — regardless of whether the ideas are put into action.

That's pretty much all we know so far. MTA officials are currently hashing out a more exact timeline and process for the competition, and have promised more details soon. You can sign up here to get updates sent to your email inbox.

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who oversees the MTA, and by proxy the NYC subway system — was first to reveal the "MTA Genius Transit Challenge" at a Tuesday press conference. (Watch above.)

Unlike in other recent appearances (and non-appearances), Cuomo at least acknowledged Tuesday that the subway is pretty much in shambles.

"We have a crisis," he said, and admitted the system is "at its breaking point."

But for the most part, as has been the trend throughout these past few months of growing anti-subway outcry in NYC, Cuomo avoided taking direct responsibility for the system's failings. Instead, he blamed the "catastrophic" state of Penn Station — which is run by Amtrak and the feds — as the ultimate breaking point for the city's already overburdened subway system, and generally spoke about the MTA like a disaffected stepfather feigning concern for his flunky inherited son.

"The MTA's working and taking positive steps. They just implemented a six-point plan to make a difference," Cuomo said at Tuesday's event. "But in truth, it's not enough."

"Especially," he added, "considering the burden that Penn is now going to place on the subway systems."

Cuomo took a similarly removed approach to unveiling the MTA's new, $1 million prize from behind his podium Tuesday. "I challenge the MTA today to initiate an international competition within one month," the governor said — as if he couldn't have pitched the concept to his transit underlings in private, then brought it to the public as a united front. "I am also going to be a competitor, because I have an idea in category No. 2," the governor said — as if he couldn't have suggested this amazing idea to the MTA back before it was too late for the New York City subway. (May she rest in peace.)

In a statement buried within the governor's original press release, Ronnie Hakim, head of the MTA, essentially accepted his boss's weird, roundabout "challenge" by way of not acknowledging it was ever a thing:

"This is a competition that will put the best and brightest minds in technology from across the world to work for New Yorkers in improving the reliability of our transit system," Hakim said. "The MTA is committed to delivering actionable, smart, innovative solutions in the short-term to fix problems that have festered for decades."

Think you might have what it takes to succeed where state officials have failed? Think you might not hate collecting $1 million in taxpayer bucks in return? Sign up here to receive updates on the MTA's upcoming competition.

Until then, we'll leave you with this context-less screenshot from Cuomo's presser. Happy commuting!

This story has been updated. Lead photo by Simone Wilson/Patch