Bill De Blasio Blames State For Subway's Woes During Brooklyn Ride

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PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Mayor Bill de Blasio took reporters on a four-stop subway ride over the weekend to blast Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his lack of action and leadership on fixing the ailing system.

The mayor's trip was the latest salvo in an ongoing war of words between Albany and NYC over who really controls the subway and whose responsibility it should be to fix it.

"You've heard a lot of fiction the last few days, so I'm going to give you some facts," de Blasio told a train packed with reporters on the trip that started in Park Slope.

"The State – the State and the MTA are responsible for the operations of New York City's subways. It's been that way for decades. The State of New York is responsible for making sure our subways run.

"Again, everyone knows this – it's been decades and decades that the Governor of the State – whoever the Governor is – has named the head of the MTA and has effective control over the MTA. The law that started the creation of the MTA goes all the way back to 1953. If you talk to people who have been involved for decades with the MTA, they say consistently that the State has had responsibility."

"They own it, they lease it to the MTA to operate it, and it's their responsibility to fund it," Lhota said.

De Blasio said comments like that make "no sense.

"I have never heard anyone try and say that the City has those obligations," he said aboard the F train.

"The Governor should step up and say once again he's responsible because he seems to change that message every week or two of whether he's responsible or not. He's responsible – it's clear. Just take ownership and fix the problem."

De Blasio's trip, from the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street Station to Jay Street-Metro Tech, was not without its own drama.

The New York Post reported that "police were ordered to roust all the homeless people from two stations ahead of the mayor’s four-stop press event."

Pix11's Myles Miller, a reporter who took the trip, said on Twitter that wasn't true.

"The man who spoke to the mayor abot homelesssness wasn't booted from the subway. I know, I was there and he didn't berate the mayor..."

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Lead image via Eric Phillips, NYC Mayor's Office