Cuomo charges MTA to address quality-of-life issues on NYC subway

Quality of life on the subway is going to hell, Gov. Andrew Cuomo fumed Tuesday.

The governor raged about reports of increased fare evasion, filthy trains and worker assaults on the state-run subway system.

“It’s this quality of life [issue] that has now walked down the stairs from the street into the subway, and that is a new set of issues that the MTA is going to have to deal with,” he told reporters at an unrelated press conference.

He offered a vivid account of deteriorating conditions underground — attributed to an unnamed waiter at New York City restaurant, who purportedly told Cuomo he was randomly slugged on a platform waiting for a train.

“That is a new and difficult challenge for the MTA,” said Cuomo, who declined to provide any additional details about the interaction.

The governor — who appoints the MTA’s chairman and the plurality of its board — said it was up to the agency to deal with the problems.

“The MTA is responsible for the MTA. That’s why they’re called the MTA. They have a police force. They have 70-something-thousand employees. They are responsible for their rules and regulations,” he said.

Cuomo rarely rides the rails himself, but a rep insisted he often tours the system.

“The governor doesn’t ride the subway for photo ops, he actually tours stations, tunnels, depots, construction sites, homeless encampments,” Patrick Muncie said in a statement. “Don’t you remember the L Train tunnel redesign and the success of the Second Ave Subway?”

Additional reporting by Carl Campanile

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