Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and local officials celebrated the return of Rockaway-bound A Train service.
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00:00In the neighborhood, here we are celebrating a major, major accomplishment in a part of the
00:07state that is so gorgeous. It is blessed with wonderful beaches, wonderful communities,
00:12and wonderful people. So I'm so proud of you back here. We took a beautiful, smooth train ride,
00:17an A train ride, A, across Jamaica Bay, and we're announcing today the full restoration of service,
00:27the long-awaited project construction that, as I said, favorite words, on time and under budget.
00:34Got it done. I want to thank Jan O'Liebro. You'll be hearing from him shortly, but he has been the
00:40driver of this train, making sure that every milestone was kept and he was under a lot of
00:47pressure. I said we're going to get this open before Memorial Day, right? He got it done. Let's
00:51give a round of applause to Jan O'Lieber. Our Queens Borough President, Donovan Richards,
00:57who's a part of all good things happening here in Queens. I want to thank him for his friendship
01:02and leadership as well. Our Senator, James Sanders, thank you for being such a champion,
01:07and to you and our Assembly Member, Stacey Fefframato and Khalil Anderson, working with
01:14our constituents, you know, letting them know it's going to be okay, letting them know what
01:18the alternatives are. I mean, that direct contact from you and your offices was really important
01:23to the success. I talked to a number of the riders today. They are all very comfortable with having
01:27taken the shuttle bus. They said it worked well. So we are successful in also the management of the
01:34customer, the consumer experience as well, which I'm so grateful for. And Labor's local 731. Let's
01:41give them a huge round of applause. This train is an artery for this area. It was so important. I
01:52talked to people. I talked to young people going to school, talked to people going to their jobs,
01:57and want to live out here because it is spectacularly beautiful. But they work someplace, sometimes an
02:03hour, hour and a half away. But they can get there with reliability now because of the work being done
02:08on this train. But you saw what happened. Decades of wear and tear from brutal storms and neglect from
02:15previous administrations that did not make the proper investments. The train was literally falling
02:20apart, falling apart. And it became very, very dangerous. There was debris on the tracks. We saw a
02:27lot of disintegration there. So there was no other choice than to replace the whole section. I assure you,
02:32I always say, do we have to go that far? And we did. We did. And as I said, we promised to have the
02:38service back by Memorial Day. 200 construction workers working 20 hours a day for 17 weeks. Again,
02:46unbelievable. And this paved the way for thousands, millions to come here and enjoy the summer sand and
02:55the beaches. And I can tell you, we're off to a gorgeous start here. So here's what I want to say.
03:01This is an extraordinary undertaking. It was accomplished through the hard work and dedication
03:07of many, many people. And to say that this is another example of how government can get things
03:13done for the people, for our workers, give them good paying jobs. But to take an area like this
03:20that has so much value and the people who live here have so much pride and to give them not just
03:26world-class transportation, but also beautiful homes. You look around the housing that has been
03:31developed here, part of our strategy to keep rebuilding, rebuilding, rebuilding, building more
03:37housing supply. So that opportunity of either home ownership or rentals is possible for many,
03:43many more. So I want to thank everybody involved. This summer, you won't have to hitch a ride to
03:48Rockaway Beach, like the Ramones. Who knows the Ramones song? Of course. Okay. You can just take the A train.
03:54So congratulations to everybody. Let me bring up Jana Lieber.
04:00The governor displaying her knowledge of New York culture, the Ramones and Rockaway Beach. Don't forget,
04:07take the A train by Duke Ellington, right? Governor, thank you for joining us today. And thank you so much
04:14for your work this budget season. We're just, it's not quite done, but the entire session, but the budget
04:20is done. And you secure, together with the support of the legislature, full funding for $68 billion
04:262025 to 2029 capital program. Once again, Kathy Hochul demonstrated her extraordinary commitment
04:34to MTA riders. And on their behalf, I say thank you, thank you, thank you.
04:38This project that we're celebrating today is the model for the kind of work that we will be doing
04:46and that will be funded by the capital program that you secured. Work that has been put off for
04:52too long. Work that's necessary to fortify the infrastructure. So our riders, as you said,
04:59have affordable and reliable service for generations to come. That's exactly what your new capital program
05:06is going to deliver. This Rockaway project, as the governor said, involved a total rebuild of this
05:11viaduct behind us. Total rebuild and a complete redo of the swing bridge, which as everybody in the
05:18Rockaways knows, has frequently the cause of delays. Whenever maritime tracking has to come through and
05:24that swing bridge doesn't operate properly, which used to happen a lot, people get stuck and they spend
05:29minutes and even hours stuck because of that. We fixed it. Um, and this, the, uh, the crews, as you said,
05:37work 20 hours a day. Um, and I just want to shout out to the, the, the, the companies that did it,
05:43Shivoni, J-Track, TC Electric, um, supported by Jacobs, the, the, the, the project management consultant,
05:50and not, as you said, the labor is 731, but also iron workers who are part of that 20 hour a day
05:57operation. Huge success. Um, listen, this is a climate change initiative. I mean, in addition
06:05to actually rebuilding the structure, um, we are protecting it from what we all know is increasing
06:10risk of major storms so that there have been walls that are erected to keep storm surge away. There are
06:16special barriers erected that would keep debris. They had boats on this during, like on this viaduct
06:22during, during Sandy. We want to make sure that that never happens again. And this, this has been
06:28done and it's all been done as we say, faster, better, and cheaper, uh, on time, on budget. Amazing
06:35work, Jamie of the whole MTA C and D team. And I got to thank Demetrius Critchlow, my partner who runs
06:41New York City transit and his team led by projects are Hugo Zamora, uh, Deirdre Harvey coming off one
06:49of the biggest jobs. I mean, in governor there, there aren't too many women who are running multi
06:53hundred million dollar construction projects in the New York area. Deirdre Harvey, thank you for
06:58being such a leader. Um, and the shuttle, you, you saw it this morning, the shuttle with the replacement
07:06service, the alternative service was actually a huge success so much so that the politicians behind
07:12me are already bending my arm to keep it forever. Another conversation, another budget season. But,
07:18um, uh, but as I said, Demetrius is running an amazing railroad. We have on time performance north
07:25of 84%. That is a 12, I think a 13 year high for the MTA. And we're going to follow the commuter railroads
07:33in having best ever service. So the end result is a completely rock revitalized rockaway line
07:40just in time for beach season. Congratulations, governor for your leadership, but congratulations
07:47as well to the entire team, uh, that has done so much to deliver. Thanks. And with that, I'm turning
07:52it over to, uh, a very shy man who I frequently am accompanied by, uh, at these kinds of Queens events.
07:58He is the voice for strong transit in Queens, Borough President Donovan Richards.
08:05Thank you, Jano. And of course, we're going to keep that shuttle, right?
08:09And of course, our governor, thank you so much. You have not been a fair weather friend to Queens
08:15County. And after five long months, we're finally back Rockaway. And as a Rockaway boy, I can tell you,
08:22lived down the street when I was a little younger. I know what it's like to live on this peninsula where
08:26the A train is the only way in and out. And I know what it's like to be stuck in Rockaway when
08:34the A train is delayed or down. So to everyone who spent the last five months figuring out other
08:40ways to get around, I know your pain and all of us know your pain. But what I want all of us today is
08:47to feel relief and a peace of mind finally relief because the MTA did deliver this restoration work
08:54on budget and on time and peace. And let's give it up for a project actually taking as long as the
09:00MTA said it would take. I think we can clap for that. And today we'll have a peace of mind as Jano
09:07alluded to, because we know it's a matter of when, not if another storm like Sandy comes our way.
09:13We were all here during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. We saw the damage and what it did to our
09:18communities and how it impacted our infrastructure. We all learned just how vulnerable we are to climate
09:24change when the storm knocked out the A train for almost a year. So we need to be prepared when the
09:29next storm hits and the work done over the last five months to fortify the A train against extreme
09:35weather is an example of that. To the Rockaway families, once again, we're back up and running.
09:39To all of our tourists, please come on down and spend your money in the Rockaways this summer
09:45and come out to the best beach on the eastern seaboard. To the MTA, to our union workers,
09:50this is what happens when we use strong labor. We thank you for working literally 24-7 to keep
09:57this train open. And once again, to Governor Hochul, thank you for your commitment, not only for this
10:02project, the IBX, the Queens Bus Network redesign. Let's keep using that congestion price and money
10:07and spending it in Queens. With that being said, it gives me great honor to bring up someone I've known
10:13for almost 25 years. Can you believe I worked for him for a decade? And that's why I have no hair.
10:20It gives me great honor to bring up a strong advocate for the Rockaways, someone who's really
10:25planted the seeds to building a stronger infrastructure for this community and a stronger foundation.
10:31my predecessor. Now, State Senator James Sanders.
10:40Madam Governor, to the MTA, to all of our union locals, I take a point of privilege. I was born
10:50right over, not at the park, my friend, not at the park, in the Halbo's houses, which is right across
10:57the street. So it's actually walking distance. I know what it's like when the water's hit in this
11:04area. We have one of the worst floodings out. I know what it's like when the trains go out. I know
11:11what it's like that we get the telephone calls from everybody saying, hey, we can't get to work.
11:19I am very happy that we haven't, we now have an answer, Madam Governor, that you have given us.
11:24And that answer is the trains are not out. The trains will be working. That we have put in devices
11:31and gates and walls to ensure that this goes on. The borough president is right. It's not a question
11:39of will it happen again, but when it will happen. And we have to be prepared. Our governor is doing
11:47this. And not only this, there's a lot of other initiatives that she is taking on the issue of
11:53resilience. But that's for a press conference for another day. I just want to join everyone in
11:59celebrating to tell the people of Rockaways, we're back. We are back to tell the visitors who are coming
12:08out here, come out here and take the A train, which is the world's most popular train. Having said that,
12:16I will bring up another champion of the Rockaways, the fighting assembly woman, Stacy Pfeffer Amato.
12:27Thank you, Senator. Good morning. Thank you, Governor Hochul for being here with us today and knowing
12:32what investments need to be made to a community like ours. Born and raised on this peninsula,
12:38born on 20th. I live on 88th Street. I didn't go far in my little world, but what I need is a train.
12:44And that's how we grew up knowing that our public transportation system is how we got to school,
12:48is how we got to our jobs. But I also represent the Howard Beach and Broad Channel community. And this
12:54train is what helps our communities get to their jobs, working in schools, working in our hospital,
13:00and we need public transportation. So I'm so grateful for this investment in our community. I have to thank
13:07Janow, but shuttle, shuttle, shuttle, shuttle, and his team out here, and all the workers. But to my team,
13:14for taking in all those calls. Because when you say you're shutting down the A train, it's not a word,
13:18it's a statement you say lightly, right? And all the calls that came in for concerns. But I will say,
13:24it went smoothly. And people enjoyed alternate transportations. If it was the Long Isle Railroad,
13:29or shuttling, or taking the bus where they didn't, it was an opportunity to learn different
13:34opportunities. So today's about having gratitude. But I have to say, as we're quoting the Ramones,
13:40and I'll tell you, Governor, when I was on my Farrak High School swim team,
13:45we'd play the Ramones song every day to warm up. But I'm going to put my other hat on for a second,
13:50and I apologize. We're all talking about coming down here to the Rockaways right before Memorial Day's
13:55on-time budget. Please consider your safety when you're coming to the beaches of Rockaway.
14:01Only swim when there's a lifeguard. We're going to promote and talk about it. It's Memorial Day,
14:05and what we do here in the beach is all gorgeous. The investments have been made. But please,
14:11only swim when there's a lifeguard. Read all the signage, and have a safe and marvelous summer when
14:16you take the A train down to Rockaway. Thank you. It is my honor to introduce my colleague on the
14:21Peninsula and the Assembly, Kaleer Landerson. Good morning, everyone. I couldn't leave the
14:29house without my Far Rockaway A train hat because I'm excited that the A train is back. And I want
14:34to thank you, Governor, and the MTA for making this happen. Let's just put our hands together for them
14:39today. I also couldn't leave the house without my Knicks pen. We're all big Knicks fans here,
14:46and I'm grateful that now we have an A train that takes us from the Rockaways to Penn Station.
14:51To Madison Square Garden if we want to catch a game. But I am also grateful for the residents that
14:57now have their train back. I remember the mother with children and the families who used the shuttle
15:04bus and had to travel during the winter and now have their one-seat ride restored. I also wouldn't
15:10be on message if I didn't flag for Janna. Of course, we want the shuttle to remain. But additionally,
15:17knowing that because we're a transit desert, the work that the MTA did in being intentional and
15:23making sure that this hell that it was to get into the city during this brief period was a softer,
15:30softer blow. And people were able to get to the city with multiple modes of transportation including
15:35the Long Island Railroad. It's our hope that the MTA will continue service on the express bus because we
15:40know that our residents need multiple options to get off the peninsula. So I'm grateful to everyone
15:45who's here. I'm grateful to our governor and our leaders at the MTA. And let's continue to ride the
15:50A train as we enjoy what's going to be a fabulous beach season here in the Rockaways. Thank you all so
15:55much. Okay. Thank you again to the governor. She's got another obligation that requires her to depart,
16:05but a huge tip of the hat to the governor for making this all possible. With that, Tim,
16:12shall we take some questions? Sure. We got time for a few. Samantha Liebman over there from New York
16:17One is with us. Sam. Can you just talk about the other upgrades
16:23to the Hamels Y, the CBTC? And then, you know, when could it be coming to the Rockaways?
16:31We just added it to the capital program, as a matter of fact. Go ahead.
16:34Well, first, let's say this is a totally modernized service that we've built back here. The 1500 feet
16:45of track that you see behind us out of the 700 miles of the New York City subway system is in the best shape
16:51of all 700 miles. It's got brand new modern equipment installed and it is ready for the modernization
16:59of signals that we'll be doing out to Far Rockaway as part of the 25 to 29 capital plan. So the CBTC
17:07will be installed as part of this capital plan and that'll just continue to upgrade and provide reliable
17:13service. But most importantly, the South Channel Bridge has been totally modernized and is up to
17:20date. We won't have those cases where it gets stuck open. You know, we'll be able to bring back
17:28service much more quickly and things are going to be in great shape for this ride out to the Rockaways.
17:33So this is new. It was only going to Liberty.
17:37Yeah.
17:37The, the, all right. So, so right now, the, the, what we call the Fulton and the Liberty
17:44sections of the A and the C train, which is in Brooklyn and, and all the way out to Ozone Park.
17:50That's right now we're in procurement. We're going to award that, but we'll be upgrading the signals out
17:55to Far Rockaway also that's funded as part of this plan.
17:58All right. We're breaking news here, which is the point news conference. Here's Kevin Sheehan from
18:04the New York post.
18:04Okay. So my question is for John Lieber. Uh, this is about the difference between the 68
18:10billion dollar proposal and the 65 billion dollar fully funded, um, budget. There was a little bit of
18:17a controversy or I shouldn't say controversy. There was a question about how easy it was going to be to
18:22make up those three billion dollars. Why, um, it would be so easy to, to make that up and have
18:29there been any developments? How you've, have you guys figured out how to make up that shortfall from
18:34the proposal to the, the, the point is that the legislature and the governor have challenged us to
18:38figure out how to do all the work that was programmed in the 68 billion dollar program and do it for
18:44less. And we've accepted that challenge. I don't mean to suggest, I think your words,
18:49whether it's going to be easy, it's no big deal. It's going to be a challenge, but we have made
18:53significant progress that gives us a reason to be hopeful and intentional one, you know, escalators.
19:00We've gotten all of the elevators and escalators that were out of date. We've actually caught up
19:05on state of good repair on the old escalators in particular, and we're doing it for 20% less.
19:11We figured out how to do ADA projects, all the new accessibility elevators, much cheaper,
19:17in many cases, doing direct from the ground all the way up to an elevated structure like we did,
19:23and I believe in Woodhaven Boulevard. So we have strategies, but it is a challenge.
19:28It's a challenge that the governor legislature gave us. We're going to accept it.
19:33And we move on to Ms. Natalie Dudridge of CBS2, right over here.
19:39For anyone who wants to take it or a general leaver, you said this
19:42line of track now considered the most resilient. How confident are you that it holds up to future
19:47storms like us, Sandy?
19:48Well, it was designed with exactly that kind. Remember, Sandy was a confluence of a lot of
19:54different factors, and it had incredible velocity, but also the storm surge, the height of the
20:00storms. We have, and I'll let Jamie describe it more, we've installed special walls. You can see them
20:06if you, as you go over the bridge, that are designed at, to what height, Jamie?
20:11Uh, storm, storm height, yeah.
20:13It's much better, much better.
20:15It's almost to the height of the bridge to protect the bridge from water. And remember, in Sandy,
20:20the water, the water came over the bridge repeatedly. And we've also installed these debris barriers
20:26to keep away the kinds of debris, including whole boats that destroyed the bridge and put it out of
20:32service during Sandy. So this is a resiliency project, um, for all those reasons. And, and we're
20:38thrilled that we're able to, as the Senator said, protect the Rockaways from further disruptions,
20:43like they, they incurred after Sandy.
20:45All right. Anybody else? Great. Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much.
20:51For the dozens of newsrooms, I think we're up around 50 watching this on the live stream.
20:56We are going to feed you a time-lapse video of the work that was done here over the last 17 weeks
21:03or so. Time-lapse video, then some B-roll, the restart of the A-Line this morning. Stand by for
21:09that. Thanks, everybody.