There’s been a slew of mass transit news since Friday. Here’s your update:

New Yorkers aren’t the only ones concerned about the MTA’s plan to lay off hundreds of station agents. U.S. representatives from other states are calling it a security threat, according to The New York Times.

Finally! The Post is reporting that MTA is soliciting proposals from contractors to install wi-fi at Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and on the LIRR and Metro-North.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle writes about an old MTA building that leaders say is a blemish on the Downtown Brooklyn’s resurgence.

Politicians from the Northern suburbs are calling for an end to the MTA’s payroll tax, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

It’ll be news the day that there’s not a rumor that the MTA is contemplating a fare hike. Today is not that day. The Post has a story on the latest fare-hike rumblings.

The 7 train is back – early! The Queens Courier has the announcement.

You have news that we missed? Let us know. Leave a comment or send an email to nyctracks@gmail.com.

I spotted this ad on the 3 train while riding to the Brooklyn public hearing earlier this month. It was the first time I had seen it since…well…probably 2008.

Two things struck me: 1) it’s obviously outdated and 2) it compares the 1986 standard fare to the reduced fare offered by the 2008 monthly MetroCard, which doesn’t seem fair. It made me wonder how cheap is it, really, to ride the subway these days?

Using the MTA’s comparison, a single ride is actually more expensive today than it was in 1986. One dollar back then is equal to $1.98 today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 27 cents less than the cost of a single ride now.

Of course, the MetroCard is a big help — if you are a commuter. To bring a ride back down to the 1986 price, you have to take 45 subway or bus trips per month.

* graph is based on standard adult single-ride rail fares

It’s difficult to compare New York’s mass transit fares to the other metro rails around the world. It’s one of few that do not have distance-based fares. But it is in line with Chicago and Paris, which also have set rates.

Take our poll and let us know what you think about New York City’s mass transit fares.

— Simone Sebastian

Need to know what’s been happening on the tracks for the past week? Here’s your roundup of the latest MTA news:

Just as we were getting over that extra quarter, a new report says that the MTA will have to hike the price per ride to $2.75 to help close its budget shortfall, according to wpix.com.

Proof that it’s never a good idea to stand close to that yellow platform line: One 18-year-old fell into the tracks after she suddenly got dizzy on an N-train platform last week. Most people in the station were stunned still, according to the guy who eventually saved her.

It’s an NYPD campaign we thought we could all get behind. But now the New York Post is reporting that police are ticketing people for taking up more than one seat in empty subway cars. Tickets for the crime saw a 17 percent jump between 2008 and 2009, according to the Gothamist.

And don’t forget, the public hearings on the MTA’s proposed budget cuts start a week from today. You can get a list of the times and places here.

– Simone Sebastian