Leadership at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) — the entity that governs Metro-North commuter rail lines, which serve tens of thousands of Connecticut residents — approved a 2021 budget proposal on Wednesday that does not include drastic service cuts, layoffs or fare increases. That budget, however, assumes a $4.5 billion boost in 2021 from the federal government, which seemed more likely as Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. closed in on a stimulus package. Overall, the MTA has asked the federal government for $12 billion for the years 2021-24 to avoid proposed “doomsday” measures, such as cutting commuter rail service by 50%, eliminating 900 Metro-North jobs and raising fares. This year, catastrophic declines in transit ridership during the coronavirus pandemic has forced the MTA to consider unprecedented cuts in service to Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road and NYC subway and bus service.
https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-metro-north-wont-see-doomsday-cuts-2021-20201216-uft6ewrxpja6bcprvix5scs2du-story.html