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Two years after the MTA made drastic cuts to subway and bus service, sources say the agency is now planning to bring some of that service back

The MTA is expected to detail the improvements at a board meeting next week.

"I'm happy, very happy," said one rider. "I hope they put everything back the way it was."

Sources say only some of the 2010 cuts will be restored.

A source confirms that among the upgrades being considered is a permanent extension of the G train by five stops in Brooklyn as well as some type of increased service for riders in Red Hook, who complain they were hit hard when two bus lines in the neighborhood were turned into one.

Transit advocate Gene Russianoff has some concern about how the MTA decides what riders get more service.

"They try and pretend it's a science but at the very most it's an art," he said. "Counting the number of people who are on a bus, you do it by visual check and guesstimate and they don't do it frequently sometimes. Long periods of time go by before they really double check on buses so they don't have a good timely gauge."

Russianoff said that typically, crowded routes with the most vocal community leaders will see improvements.

"I think some of those leaders will find their work has been rewarded," he said.

An MTA spokesperson would only say "We believe in being able to provide more and better service for our customers when it's financially viable and sustainable."

The service improvements may provide some cover for the scheduled fare hike that is also slated for next year.

There is no official word on how much the MTA is planning to spend, but their latest financials show that the authority is running about $90 million better than budgeted. Some board members have said about $20 million of that should go for service improvements.