Not having piles of garbage on the sidewalk might be a good start for the rat problem, but I heard it's a union thing that they don't use trash bins there.
Why is it that Tokyo's train system runs so efficiently when it is much bigger than NYC's?
You provided your own answer. The politicians of the state and city generally do not want to upset labor by asking for increased productivity.
Can we start having commuter riots and protests now?
When my employees can no longer get to work on time because we all rely on the subway, I am moving my company. This has actually been a pretty bad issue all summer.