MTA boss Janno Lieber brags about balancing MTA’s budget — as he ignores fare hikes, $1.5B in casino cash

M-T-give-us-A-break!

Transit boss Janno Lieber patted himself on the back Tuesday for balancing the MTA’s budget — conveniently ignoring fare hikes and a $1.5 billion casino money boost.

Lieber, during a state of MTA speech at New York Law School, celebrated the transit agency recovering from a $2.1 billion operating deficit since he took over in 2021 — and argued its on track to deliver its third straight balanced budget.

The turnaround came thanks to cutting $500 million a year from inefficient internal practices, a windfall from congestion pricing and new tax revenue from state budget talks last year, Lieber boasted.

“We’re spending less in real terms than before COVID, doing more with spending less,” he crowed.

“Four years later this is a different MTA.”

But the rosy financial picture painted by Lieber ignored the many pots of still-up-in-the-air cash the MTA’s board assumes the agency will receive — as well as costly burdens on straphangers and commuters.

The upcoming 2026 budget — which is up for a vote this month — assumes the MTA will receive $200 million from FEMA, up to $600 million in tax revenue and $500 million from casino revenue.

And the casino revenue was based on licenses for three New York City gaming houses being approved — which only happened Monday and still requires final state approval. The MTA expects to receive $1.5 billion total through 2028.

Even assuming smooth sailing fiscally, the MTA hasn’t exactly passed on savings to New Yorkers.

Motorists entering Lower Manhattan now face a $9 congestion pricing fee and the MTA board voted to raise subway and bus fares to $3 — an increase one member argued shouldn’t be considered a “hike” because it’s below inflation.

Lieber, while touting the MTA board soon voting on its third consecutive balanced budget, argued that the transit behemoth should actually be spending more.

In speaking of MTA successes that got the agency “credibility in Albany,” Lieber touted extensive construction on the L train, which was completed in 2020. He said the agency got the project done six months ahead of schedule and $100 million under budget.

He also mentioned Long Island Rail Road’s Third Track project, completed in 2022. Lieber said that was also $100 million under budget.

Both projects were completed or nearly finished by the time Lieber became the MTA’s chair and CEO — and before the era of balanced budgets he hawked in his speech.

The honcho also touted the Second Avenue subway expansion moving forward, but didn’t mention it’ll cost roughly $4.3 billion per mile — making it one of the most expensive subway projects in the world.

“This is a system that has been evaluated as being worth ($1.5 trillion) and you have to invest the capital to maintain,” he said. “A basic business school principle (is that) you got to be spending a lot more than we are. But at least we’re increasing it just to head towards the state of good repair.”