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Trump’s Offer to Help N.Y. With Subway Baffles Governor's Office

Trump’s Offer to Help N.Y. With Subway Baffles Governor's Office

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he is ready to help New York extend the Second Avenue subway in New York City, an announcement that left even state Governor Andrew Cuomo baffled.

”Looking forward to helping New York City and Governor @andrewcuomo complete the long anticipated, and partially built, Second Avenue Subway,” President Donald Trump said in a tweet.

Cuomo’s office on Saturday said that while the governor is involved in discussions with the president and the Department of Transportation about several infrastructure projects in the city, including the Gateway Tunnel project, the subway and updates at LaGuardia Airport, there have been no concrete steps taken to move forward.

”The president’s tweet suggests good news but we have no specific funding or approval and that is all that is relevant,” Communications Director Dani Lever said in a statement. ”If an agreement actually materializes, we will provide an update.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to extend the subway line from East 96th Street to 125th Street in east Harlem, and add three underground stations. The line, debated for decades, began service in January 2017.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jim Silver in New York at jsilver@bloomberg.net;Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann

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