Let LIRR Agency Run Subways, Triborough Agency, Rocky Asks

Albany—Gov. Rockefeller proposed today that the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority, which runs the Long Island Rail Road, be expanded into a superagency that also would run the New York City subways, some city buses and Robert Moses' Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.

The proposal, contained in the prepared text of the governor's "State of the State" message, could emerge as the most controversial of Rockefeller's 1967 proposals. Previous merger plans have been opposed vigorously by Moses, as head of the triborough authority, and in the past the Legislature has supported Moses' views.

Rockefeller said he would recommend legislation that would expand the size of the five-man commuter transportation authority and make it "responsible for unified regional policy direction and control of mass transportation in the New York metropolitan region." He said that under his plan, the expanded agency would be responsible for the policy, direction and control of the New York City Transit Authority, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority and, possibly, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Service. The superagency would not be included in the governor's proposed new department of transportation.

While there was no immediate indication of how Rockefeller's proposal would be received by the Legislature, there was speculation here that if approved, the plan would force the state to raise the city subway fare while giving the city a windfall of indirect state aid. Under this theory, the transportation authority probably would pick up the tab for subway fares and salaries for subway police. These expenses, said to amount to millions of dollars a year, are now paid out of the city's general fund. The money could then be freed for other city uses. The subway fare was raised from 15 cents to 20 cents last winter.

The city subways are operated at a deficit and the Triborough authority has a surplus. A plan by Mayor Lindsay last year to merge the Transit and Triborough authorities under one agency was defeated by the Legislature after Moses called it "hogwash" and threatened to fight any merger up to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary. The chairmanship of the Triborough authority is the last power base of Moses, once the giant of the state's transportation scene. Several years ago, he lost a battle with Rockefeller when the governor pressured him into giving up his post as head of the State Parks Commission. Rockefeller then named his banker-brother, Laurance, to the post. Moses not only quit the parks job he held, but also dropped his position as head of the state power commission.

A cornerstone of Moses' opposition to a merger, he has said, was the fear that Triborough bondholders might suffer financially. Apparently trying to meet this argument, Rockefeller said today that his plan would fully protect bondholders. He did not say how. He said, however, that each agency within the expanded transportation authority, which has the role of a holding company, would be required to maintain a fare or rate structure "sufficient to meet its operating costs." A spokesman for Rockefeller said further details would be released in a few days.

The Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority was founded in 1965 to operate the LIRR after the state purchased the line from the Pennsylvania Railroad to keep the commuter road operating. The agency is headed by Rockefeller's former executive secretary, William J. Ronan. Ronan also heads the Tri-State Transportation Commission, which was established to coordinate the mass transportation network of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In addition to operating the railroad, the transportation authority reportedly has expressed interest in using Republic Airfield in Farmingdale as a general aviation airport.

Rockefeller did not say what new areas would be represented on an expanded transportation authority. Suffolk officials have urged him to meet this representation on the board. The present board members are Ronan, Eben W. Pyne of Old Westbury, Bruce Gimbel of Manhattan, William L. Butcher of Scarsdale, and William A. Shea of Brooklyn.

If Moses stands by his previous position, the merger plan could result in one of the biggest fights of his career. He triumphed over Lindsay last year, but a clash with Rockefeller would be much more difficult, since the governor has far more control over the Legislature. Following the merger battle last year, Lindsay removed Moses from his last remaining city post, that of arterial coordinator. The mayor cannot remove Moses from the Triborough authority.