Audit finds New York City subway stations in deplorable conditions

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A new study found that New York City subways are dirtier than ever and that the MTA is not cleaning up the tunnels well enough to prevent the garbage and rats from getting out of control.

The new audit finds underground subway tracks in deplorable condition, with filthy stations and repainting that is way behind schedule.

"Some are very clean and some need a lot of work," straphanger Poogy Bjerklie said. "The ceilings are kind of falling apart."

"I feel like they should do a better job with the cleaning," rider Anthony Lessane said. "it's been looking terrible the past couple of weeks."

The audit was ordered by City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who found vacuum trains just don't work.

"This is about decay of the system," Stringer said. "It's a Throwback Thursday to the 1970s. For those of us who were riding the rails back then, we recognize that the city was falling because our transit system was crumbling."

One of the findings of the audit is that 88 percent of all the stations inspected were cleaned only about eight times a year. That can cause all kinds of problems, from rats to track fires.

The MTA responded with a statement saying "resources for station cleanliness have increased 25 percent from $111 million to $139 million today."

But more and more, people are saying it's not enough and that our subways desperately need help now.