Two federal grants will give the MTA almost $60 million to improve station communications and protect transit rooms with important equipment, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
In the current system, it can take up for 40 minutes for the rail control center to send an announcement to all stations.
In the new system, one message can be sent to many stations or systemwide within seconds — making it easier to communicate quickly with workers and riders during an emergency.
The grants will also go to seal transit rooms that have signals, relays, and other equipment used to communicate through watertight or marine doors, as well as add new drains.
“These federal grants enable New York City Transit’s recovery from a devastating storm by funding critical improvements and repairs for a system that moves 6 million people a day,” said MTA chairman Thomas Prendergast in a statement.
“The MTA’s goal is to make the subway system stronger and more resilient than ever if and when we face another historic storm like [Superstorm] Sandy.”
