MTA budget gap a concern for Belmont

Residents of Elmont and racing fans alike have been menaced by the MTA more than once in the past, and could be facing the same treatment again as the transit authority faces yet another budget shortfall.

Last April, the MTA eliminated service to the Belmont Racetrack from Penn Station, forcing race fans to take a shuttle bus service from the closest available LIRR station to the track. Elmont residents worried at the time, despite the reliable shuttle transport, that the lack of consistent service to the track could keep many city race fans away.

The service was restored in May thanks to a state bailout of the beleaguered transit system, but the damage was done, and many thought the problem had been solved for good, including many of the state's leaders in Albany.

“The reform provisions in our legislation will fundamentally change the way the MTA operates and finally stop this endless cycle of threats by the MTA to raise fares and cut services every time their business practices get them in trouble,” then-Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) said. Fast forward just seven months, and that statement seems naive, given the hundreds of millions in budget shortfall that the MTA only recently acknowledged.

Now, as the MTA thinks about scaling back subway service and bus lines in the five boroughs, the fear of a loss of Belmont Racetrack service is once again something that residents are forced to address.

Local Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-North Valley Stream), who was instrumental in helping to create the shuttle service that ferried race enthusiasts from Queens Village to the track, was displeased with how the MTA has handled its finances since they were bailed out earlier this year.

“Here we go again. The MTA tax wasn't enough money?” Alfano asked. “I really think we need a forensic audit of the MTA. How can anyone from the MTA look people straight in the eye and give us this news? This doesn't even pass the laugh test anymore. Does the MTA think we're stupid? Do they think we just don't care?”

State Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Garden City), whose district covers Belmont Racetrack, was "furious."

"We went to great lengths to preserve our mass transit system, making tough decisions to clean up a mess created by others," Johnson said. "Now, the MTA has now betrayed us and gone back on its commitment. Instead of offering capital plans with multi-billion gaps and proposing damaging service cuts, the MTA needs to clean its own house and focus on its core mission of serving the residents in its region.”

The reason Belmont service typically faces the threat of an axe is underuse, according to LIRR representatives.

“We typically serve about 100 customers a day during the regular part of the racing season,” LIRR spokeswoman Susan McGowan said earlier this year when the Belmont was facing a cut. She said that the elimination of service from the track saves the transit giant a little more than $100,000 every year. With the MTA looking at an estimated $400 million in deficit, they could be looking to pinch every penny, and that could spell the end for a service that many locals feel is necessary for the revitalization of the community. Many members of Elmont's community restoration groups feel that the Belmont service shouldn't just be a racing season feature, but a transit stop that LIRR commuters can count on year round.

In the meantime, Elmont homeowners and commuters will just have to keep their fingers-crossed that the MTA can close its budget gap without resorting to its usual tactics. Alfano is advocating doing more than that, up to a look at MTA's books through an independent auditor.

“The people have had it over their heads and these guys think we'll keep taking it. I have two words to say — think again,” Alfano added. “I want to see what the MTA's plan is for this shortfall. The last time they closed ticket counters. What's next, railroads without trains?”