News
Strong Leadership & Consortium Training Materials Increase Elevator/Escalator Reliability at NYCT
Posted June 2014
In 2007, New York City Transit had one in six elevators or escalators out of service for a month or more. More recently, New York City Transit riders have seen escalator and elevator availability above 95 percent for the most recent quarter and above very high target rates of availability for ten straight quarters.
Sally Librera, Vice President for Subway Operations Support at NYC Transit/MTA, presented these findings in a June 16 presentation at the APTA Rail Conference. A number of factors, she made clear, contributed to the dramatic improvement in elevator and escalator service in New York City, including some major changes in operations. Improved training was a significant contributor to improved performance, and Librera’s presentation focused mainly on improvements in training for elevator-escalator technicians and on the role of the Transit Elevator/Escalator Training Consortium in helping to effect those improvements.
Transit wages were not and are not high enough to draw experienced elevator-escalator mechanics from the private sector yet the training that existed in 2008 was inadequate to prepare transit employees for this highly skilled work. MTA discovered that other major agencies, including BART, SEPTA, WMATA and MARTA, faced very similar problems. Working with the Transportation Learning Center, these agencies and their unions formed a Consortium for Elevator-Escalator maintenance. Intensive work by labor and management subject matter experts working across locations and facilitated by the Center resulted in the development of courses ranging from the basics (100 level) through advanced electro-mechanical diagnostic skills (300 level). With Consortium help and with renewed effort within MTA, New York is now offering eleven courses per year on elevator-escalator maintenance and will add courses in 2015 and 2016. MTA will also review and upgrade its apprenticeship efforts.
As previously reported in the Weekly Update, the Elevator-Escalator Consortium will be resuming activities soon with renewed commitment of funds from the Federal Transit Administration.
Download Ms. Librera’s Presentation HERE.
