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Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (2 min) Advertisement This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ can-ebay-bargains-keep-new-york-citys-subways-running-mta-infrastructure-substations-3859fb5b 1. Opinion 2. Commentary Can eBay Bargains Keep New York City's Subways Running? The MTA scavenges for parts to maintain systems that date back half a century or much longer. --------------------------------------------------------------------- By Faith Bottum Share Resize --------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen (2 min) Journal Editorial Report: Will Sean Duffy's plan fix the dysfunction? Brooklyn, N.Y. Under a metal grate roughly 40 feet below the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant is one of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's electrical substations--a facility that provides electricity to run New York City's subways and railways. The Decatur Street substation powers the A and C trains that connect Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The problem is that the infrastructure of New York's subways is archaic and failing. In substations like this, some equipment the MTA relies on is nearly 100 years old. Copyright (c)2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Videos --------------------------------------------------------------------- Most Popular News --------------------------------------------------------------------- Most Popular OPINION --------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended Videos Advertisement