New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York City’s transit system on Thursday, June 29, in hopes to expedite repairs and replacements. He also promised an additional $1 billion in capital funding for the MTA.

Cuomo spoke of the state of emergency during his remarks at the Transit Challenge Conference, which kicked off a competition for plans to improve the city’s subway system “quickly and efficiently.”

His remarks came on the same day as more transit problems, this time a disabled Long Island Rail Road train outside the tunnel into Penn Station. Earlier in the week, a subway train derailed in Manhattan, injuring a number of riders and disrupting service on four subway lines for more than a day.

“I think of it as a heart attack – it happens all of a sudden and the temptation is to say, well something must have just caused it,” Cuomo said. “No, a lifetime caused it. Bad habits caused it. Lack of exercise caused it. Smoking caused it. Cholesterol caused it. This has been caused over decades, we understand that. But, the delays are maddening New Yorkers. They’re infuriated by a lack of communication, unreliability, and now accidents.”

In addition to the state of emergency to expedite repairs, Cuomo asked the MTA’s chief, Joe Lahota, to create a reorganization plan to be presented to him within 30 days. Credit: Gov. Andrew Cuomo via Storyful