They dropped $26.7 million on new elevators at Yankee Stadium, but the machines are still failing New Yorkers who need them most. Instead of smooth rides to the subway, riders faced 41 outages between April and September, with 35 of those being unplanned interruptions. This isn’t just a glitch; it’s a massive waste of taxpayer cash that leaves people stranded.
Marie McCullough, an elderly resident near the 161 Street station, told The Post on Monday that she often skips downtown shopping trips because she knows the lifts won’t work. She recently recovered from a torn meniscus and relies on these elevators to haul her groceries. “Many times I have not shopped downtown, even though I may have wanted to get some things because of the fact I knew the elevators weren’t working,” McCullough said, according to the New York Post.
The Broken Promise
The replacement project kicked off in November 2024, with MTA documents stating all five elevators should be running by April. Instead, the agency is scrambling because the old lifts were failing long before the new ones arrived. An MTA spokesperson noted that “Five elevators that were installed before Aaron Boone even played for the Yankees were not performing well and needed to be replaced.” They claim three are now back in service, adding, “You could call it a rebuilding season.” That spin doesn’t help the two lifts that are still dead.
A System Running Red Ink
This elevator fiasco is just one symptom of a transit system drowning in debt. A new report from the state comptroller shows the MTA faces a $295 million deficit next year that could balloon to a $900 million hole by 2030. Spending is projected to grow 3.2% annually from 2027 through 2030, while revenue is only expected to grow 2.1%. Neal Zuckerman, chair of the MTA finance committee, admitted at a meeting on Monday that “That is not a recipe for a good business model.”
Healthcare costs, rising debt payments, and overtime are crushing the budget, even as fare and toll hikes loom in 2027 and 2029. Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli wrote that “Despite the more positive revenue picture, expenses have increased to fully offset these gains and add to the MTA’s out-year budget gaps.” Meanwhile, riders like McCullough are left with no choice but to walk or find alternate routes. “I don’t want to have to ride up to 167 or 170 (streets) to get the elevator there because I’d still have to get downtown. I live down here. I don’t live up there,” she explained.
Who Pays the Price?
The MTA bought these five lifts as part of a larger $74.8 million deal for 14 elevators across the city, yet the execution at Yankee Stadium is a mess. When an agency spends millions on hardware that fails within months, it erodes trust with the very people who keep the trains running. We need accountability, not spin about “rebuilding seasons.” If the MTA can’t keep the elevators at the stadium running, how can they promise reliability for the rest of the system?
New Yorkers deserve working infrastructure, not excuses. Until the MTA fixes these lifts for good and stops bleeding cash on broken promises, the frustration will only grow. This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
