The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to announce today that they will lay off hundreds of subway station agents.

Subway station agents provide customer information, sell Metrocards, and assist commuters at various stations throughout the subway system.

The layoffs come after the MTA began to phase out station agents who do not handle money last September.

According to The New York Times, the MTA planned to allow the station agents to retire and that the cuts will save $50 million. amNewYork reports that the MTA will boot the workers by this summer.

The MTA has a $400 million deficit and is trying to bridge the gap in their budget. They have announced the elimination of several bus lines, two train lines, and free Metrocards for students. Public hearings for the proposed cuts are set to begin on March 1.

Mayor Bloomberg is taking issue with retired transit workers free train passes the New York Post reported today. The mayor’s office compiled the numbers after a caller into his weekly radio show asked him to. According to the article:

• About 15,000 retired transit workers get the free pass
• At full value the cards cost the MTA at least $16 million annually
• NYC transit rider numbers were not provided but between Metro-North and LIRR riders, approximately 11,600 passes are given out to former employees and their spouses
• As part of their pensions, transit retirees generally get the cards at age 55

It’s worth noting that the budget gap the MTA is trying to close is estimated at approximately $1.2 billion. Were the pass program to be eliminated, it would represent a little over 1% of what the MTA needs to make up.