New York City’s vast subway system is an iconic piece of American infrastructure that moves nearly six million riders a day. But lately, it has become plagued by overcrowding, breakdowns and delays. After a series of incidents in the summer of 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency and brought on board Andy Byford, an internationally recognized transit turnaround specialist. How big a problem is Byford facing? What is his plan for getting the subway back on track? Bill Whitaker reports from under the streets of New York for 60 Minutes on Sunday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m., ET and 7:00 p.m. PT on CBS.
New York’s century-old subway relies on antiquated equipment, including a signaling system that dates back to the early 20th century. Whitaker gets a rare, behind the scenes look at the aging equipment in action. In one station, operator Rakiya Spady showed him how she switched traffic on the tracks using a machine built in 1917. “I call it ‘Old Trusty,'” Spady tells Whitaker, “It’s moving the trains.”
Byford became president of transit for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January. In his first months on the job, he drew up a top-to-bottom modernization plan that, if approved, could cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 billion. “It will not be quick. It will not be cheap and it certainly won’t be easy,” Byford tells Whitaker. “Our job is crystal clear. We need to turn this around for New Yorkers.”
Byford has worked on transit systems all over the world, but he says he’s facing his toughest test in New York. 60 Minutes cameras tagged along with him as he pitched his plan to skeptical New Yorkers, who would have to endure service disruptions during the upgrades. Byford says, “My message to New Yorkers is there’s no gain without a bit of pain. This will be worth it.”
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