The subway that benefits the city is controlled by the state of New York. The state of New York that would like to spend counter-cyclically is constrained by la

The subway that benefits the city is controlled by the state of New York. The state of New York that would like to spend counter-cyclically is constrained by laws and the inability to issue currency, and thus has a budget that is controlled by the feds. At every level, the political power is structured poorly to make the subway (and regional infra in general) a low priority.