An initiative to put surveillance cameras onboard subway cars took another small step forward Monday as the MTA announced a pilot program to install cameras on two subway cars.

The prototype cars will be the new R160 model, now in service on the L, N, J, M and Z lines.

Transit officials say there is no timetable in place yet, but that the pilot could be underway late this year or early next.

A similar pilot is already underway on buses. About half the Manhattan bus fleet has been outfitted with cameras as part of a $5 million pilot program, which officials say has been successful in combating vandalism.

Also Monday, the MTA detailed a number of ways it can cut down on skyrocketing construction costs, like those that at the Fulton Street Transit Center, a project more than $350 million over budget. The recommendations were made by a blue-ribbon panel formed last year, and include changing the way the MTA awards contracts and creating a reserve fund to hedge against cost overruns.

“We are looking at breaking up the contracts into smaller pieces so we attract additional contractors,” said MTA Executive Director Elliot “Lee” Sander. “We’re working with the construction industry, with labor, in terms of ensuring we have as many people available in terms of the trades.”

The panel found many of the MTA’s cost overruns are due to factors outside of its control, like the devalued dollar, and increases in the cost of materials. The cost of steel, just as one example, is up 91 percent since 2003.