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171-975: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( MTA ) is a public benefit corporation in New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York City metropolitan area . The MTA is the largest public transit authority in North America, serving 12 counties in Downstate New York , along with two counties in southwestern Connecticut under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation , carrying over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday. In February 1965, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller suggested that

342-563: A "metropolitan commuter transportation mobility tax" . On April 1, 2019, Patrick J. Foye was appointed chairman and CEO. The MTA's immediate past chairpersons were William J. Ronan (1965–1974), David Yunich (1974–1975), Harold L. Fisher (1975–1979), Richard Ravitch (1979–1983), Robert Kiley (1983–1991), Peter Stangl (1991–1995), Virgil Conway (1995–2001), Peter S. Kalikow (2001–2007), H. Dale Hemmerdinger (2007–2009), Jay Walder (2009–2011), Joseph Lhota (2012), Thomas F. Prendergast (2013–2017), and Joseph Lhota (2017–2018). Lhota

513-651: A Delaware Otsego (DO) subsidiary, for $ 1.5 million via a promissory note payable for over ten years. The NYS&W subsequently retained the Staten Island's freight operations, which served only ten customers by that time, and they had hopes of attracting more to boost profitability on the line. In 1989, the NYS&;W embargoed the trackage east of Elm Park on the North Shore Branch , ending all freight service to Saint George. Procter & Gamble ,

684-568: A car float at Saint George Yard. A smaller eastern portion, which provided seasonal passenger service to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark station (where the Staten Island Yankees played), operated from June 24, 2001, to June 18, 2010. In 2008, restoration was discussed along the mostly abandoned 6.1-mile (9.8 km) line as part of the island's light-rail plan. An environmental impact assessment

855-539: A contactless fare payment system, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay , Google Wallet , debit/credit cards with near-field communication enabled, or radio-frequency identification cards. As of December 31, 2020, the entire bus and subway system is OMNY-enabled. However, support of the MetroCard is slated to remain until at least 2025. MTA also plans to use OMNY in the LIRR and Metro-North. The MTA has reported

1026-430: A $ 72-million project to enhance the old signal system was completed. The Signaling system was enhanced with an FRA-compliant 100 Hz, track-circuit-based automatic train control (ATC) signal system. As part of the project, forty R44 subway cars and four locomotives were modified with onboard cab signaling equipment for ATC bi-directional movement. A new rail control center and backup control center were built as part of

1197-541: A 12.6 percent increase in toll evasion on New York City bridges and tunnels during the first four months of 2024. This equates to an average of 398,975 missed monthly toll transactions, primarily due to drivers obscuring their license plate . The MTA estimates that this evasion costs the agency approximately $ 50 million annually. Of the unbillable toll transactions, roughly 80,000 per month are attributed to fake or unreadable license plates, while 155,000 are due to obstructed plates. Unregistered or temporary plates primarily cause

1368-585: A Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Mobility Tax, a payroll tax levied on employers in the 12-county area served by the MTA. Historically, some but not all chairmen of the MTA Board have also held the chief executive officer role, with the chairman providing an advisory and policy role and the Executive Director running day-to-day operations. The roles were combined in 2009 following the recommendation

1539-629: A balanced community of commercial, residential, retail, and park space within its designated 92-acre site on the southern tip of Manhattan. The Long Island Power Authority or LIPA ["lie-pah"], a municipal subdivision of the State of New York, was created under the Long Island Power Act of 1985 to acquire the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO)'s assets and securities. A second Long Island Power Authority (LIPA),

1710-514: A bond issue that provided $ 44.4 million in funding to these lines. Penn Central's operations were folded into Conrail in 1976. The MTA took over full operations in 1983, and merged the lines into the Metro-North Commuter Railroad . In 1994, the MTA rebranded its five subsidiaries with simpler names to convey that the different agencies were part of one agency. The MTA has the responsibility for developing and implementing

1881-437: A commission to study capital spending. The commission was appointed by then-Governor David Paterson and run by former chairman Richard Ravitch However, following Thomas Prendergast's retirement in 2017, they were split back again. The positions were merged back into one position in 2019 when Pat Foye was appointed Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. The current chairman, Janno Lieber, holds both positions. The following

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2052-659: A decade of false starts. SIRT was transferred from the New York City Transit Authority's Surface Transit Division to its Department of Rapid Transit on July 26, 1993, and that year the Dongan Hills station became accessible, making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 . MetroCards were accepted for fare payment at the St. George station beginning on March 31, 1994, and

2223-672: A favorable lease on a building in Amsterdam, New York . This company closed down, but the Overcoat Development Corporation continues to exist to service the long-term lease it signed. The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation 's responsibility is to develop Roosevelt Island , a small strip of land in the East River that is part of the borough of Manhattan . Some of the public benefit corporations outside of New York City's metropolitan area, or serving

2394-541: A filled-in bridge under McClean Avenue. This 4.1-mile (6.6 km) line left the Main Line at 40°37′08″N 74°04′18″W  /  40.61889°N 74.07167°W  / 40.61889; -74.07167 (south of the Clifton station), and was east of the Main Line. Although the right-of-way has been redeveloped, most of it is still traceable on maps; Lily Pond Avenue is built over the right of way where it passes under

2565-457: A fire destroyed the St. George Terminal; three people were killed, twenty-two were injured and damage totaled $ 22 million. The fire destroyed the ferry terminal, the four slips used for service to Manhattan and the SIRT terminal. Normal service was not restored until July 13, 1946, and a request for bids to build a temporary terminal was issued on August 21 of that year. On February 10, 1948,

2736-550: A line along the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge using B Division cars and loading gauge , but economic, political and engineering difficulties have prevented these projects from realization. In a 2006 report, the Staten Island Advance explored the restoration of passenger service on 5.1 miles (8.2 km) of the North Shore Branch between St. George and Arlington . Completion of a study

2907-701: A long-term lease of Penn Central 's Hudson , Harlem , and New Haven Lines. Before 1968, the Hudson and Harlem Lines had been operated by the New York Central Railroad , while the New Haven Line had been part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad . Penn Central continued to operate the lines under contract to the MTA. In April 1970, Rockefeller proposed that the state take over the Hudson and Harlem Lines. The next month, he signed

3078-452: A more complete list, see a list of New York State public-benefit corporations Below are some of the authorities operating in and around the New York City metropolitan area . Fully titled the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority , according to its official website, the authority is: a New York State public benefit corporation whose mission is to plan, create, co-ordinate and maintain

3249-524: A new regional transit authority. The new authority would encompass the existing MCTA, as well as the NYCTA and TBTA. Lindsay disagreed, saying that the state and city should have operationally separate transit authorities that worked in tandem. In May 1967, Rockefeller signed a bill that allowed the MCTA to oversee the mass transit policies of New York City-area transit systems. The unification agreement took place

3420-448: A number of previously existing agencies which have come under the MTA umbrella. These previously existing agencies were, with the exception of MTA Bridges and Tunnels , MTA Construction and Development & MTA Grand Central Madison Concourse , successors to the property of private companies that provided substantially the same services. In 1994, the MTA spent $ 3 million rebranding its five subsidiaries with simpler names to convey that

3591-697: A project began to extend the high-level platforms at six stations. A station-rebuilding program began in 1985, and the line's R44s were overhauled starting in 1987. The B&O became part of the larger Chessie System in a merger with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), and the island's freight operation was renamed the Staten Island Railroad Corporation in 1971. The B&O and C&O became isolated from their other properties in New Jersey and Staten Island with

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3762-679: A project. Similar construction projects in New York City, such as the Second Avenue Subway and 7 Subway Extension , had been more expensive than comparable projects elsewhere for the same reasons, even though other cities' transit systems faced similar, or greater, problems compared to the MTA. In March 2018, the federal Government Accountability Office ordered an audit of the United States' transit costs, which were generally higher than in any other developed country in

3933-581: A projected price of $ 3.5 billion per mile of track. Over the years, the projected cost of East Side Access had risen by billions of dollars due to unnecessary expenses. In addition to overpaying workers and overspending, politicians and trade unions had forced the MTA to hire more workers than was needed. In 2010, an accountant found that the project was hiring 200 extra workers, at a cost of $ 1,000 per worker per day, for no apparent reason. The bidding process for MTA construction contracts also raised costs because, in some cases, only one or two contractors would bid on

4104-473: A rapid transit system, and exempt from certain regulations. The line uses modified R44 and R211S subway cars, the latter of which will replace the R44s throughout 2024 and 2025. The Staten Island Rail Road was incorporated on August 2, 1851, after Perth Amboy and Staten Island residents petitioned for a Tottenville -to- Stapleton rail line. The railroad was financed with a loan from Cornelius Vanderbilt ,

4275-530: A replacement terminal was promised by Mayor William O'Dwyer . The new $ 23 million terminal opened on June 8, 1951, with ferry, bus and rail service in one building; portions of the new terminal were phased into service earlier. Ridership decreased from 12.3 million in 1947 to 4.4 million in 1949 as passengers switched from the rail line to city-operated buses due to a bus-fare reduction. In September 1948, about half of weekday trains were cut, night trains after 1:29 a.m. were cancelled, and thirty percent of

4446-729: A staff of 76 people. Its staffing compensation exceeded its operating expenses in 2017 by almost $ 1.5 million in the 2018 New York State Authorities Budget Office report. The New York State Thruway Authority maintains the New York State Thruway , a system of limited-access highways within New York State. The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) provides low-cost capital, grants, and expert technical assistance for environmental projects in New York State. The EFC has issued more than $ 13 billion in both tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds. In 2017,

4617-479: A unified mass transportation policy for the New York metropolitan area , including all five boroughs of New York City and the suburban counties of Dutchess , Nassau , Orange , Putnam , Rockland , Suffolk and Westchester . This twelve-county area make up the "Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District" (MCTD), within which the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance levies

4788-450: A way for riders to get information about any planned work, from late Friday night to early Monday morning, that is going on either on a service(s) or station(s) of the subway during the weekends. On June 11, 2012, the MTA duplicated "The Weekender" site as a free mobile app download for iOS . On November 29, 2012, an Android version of the app was released. The MTA announced plans to integrate all three apps in 2017. The combined app, which

4959-538: A wholly-owned subsidiary of the first, acquired LILCO's transmission and distribution system in June 1998. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) was formed after the September 11 attacks to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan. It was founded by Governor George Pataki and then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The LMDC is a joint State-City corporation governed by a 16-member Board of Directors, half appointed by

5130-457: A year) and employ about 74,000 people. The MTA's systems carry over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday. MTA carries out these planning and other responsibilities both directly and through its subsidiaries and affiliates, and provides oversight to these subordinate agencies, known collectively as "The Related Entities". The Related Entities represent

5301-711: Is a railroad line in the New York City borough of Staten Island . It is owned by the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority ( SIRTOA ), a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , and operated by the New York City Transit Authority Department of Subways. SIR operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing local service between St. George and Tottenville , along

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5472-527: Is a list of chairmen of the authority: Lhota did not serve as CEO in his second stint as chairman, as CEO responsibilities were carried out by Executive Director Ronnie Hakim. Lieber served as Chair and CEO in an acting capacity from July 30, 2021 to January 19, 2022. The following is a list of members of the MTA Board. The MTA has developed several official web and mobile apps for its subway and bus services, and also provides data to private app developers to create their own unofficial MTA apps. In 2012,

5643-832: Is a subsidiary of the New York Power Authority (it was a subsidiary of the Thruway Authority before 2017). It is responsible for the oversight, administration and maintenance of the New York State Canal System , which consists of the Erie Canal , Cayuga-Seneca Canal, Oswego Canal and Champlain Canal . It is also involved with the development and maintenance of the New York State Canalway Trail and with

5814-481: Is accessible from within the Ferry Terminal, and most of its trains are timed to connect with the ferry. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 6,151,400, or about 16,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. The line has a route bullet similar to subway routes: the letters SIR in a blue circle. It is used on timetables, the MTA website, some signage, and on R211S trains, but not on R44 trains. Like

5985-487: Is afforded the highest level of protection under the First Amendment." The MTA had received $ 116.4 million in revenue in 2011 from advertising sold throughout its subway, commuter rail, and bus systems. In April 2015, another ad became the subject of controversy when the MTA refused to display it, the refusal was again challenged in court, and the MTA again lost in court and was ordered by a federal judge to display

6156-656: Is also attractive because their independent corporate structure theoretically makes them more flexible and efficient than state agencies. Many restrictions placed on state agencies do not apply to public authorities, including, for example, general public bidding requirements (some public bidding requirements do apply under the Public Authorities Law). See Plumbing, Heating, Piping & Air Conditioning Contr. Ass'n v. N.Y.S. Thruway Auth. , 5 N.Y.2d 420 (1959). Most public authorities may also make contracts , and because of public authorities' corporate status, there

6327-704: Is being worked on for the implementation of a bus rapid transit line on the North Shore Branch. The South Beach Branch opened on January 1, 1888, to Arrochar , and was extended to South Beach in 1893. The branch closed at midnight on March 31, 1953. It was abandoned and demolished, except for a few segments: a concrete embankment at Clayton Street and Saint John's Avenue, the Tompkins Avenue overpass, trestle over Robin Road in Arrochar and

6498-495: Is generally, no remedy against the state for the breach of such contracts. John Grace & Co. v. State University Constr. Fund , 44 N.Y.2d 84 (1978). Many public authorities, such as industrial development agencies and the Empire State Development Corporation, can also condemn property. The New York State Public Authorities Control Board was created in 1976 to provide oversight for some of

6669-440: Is governed by a 21-member board representing the 5 boroughs of New York City , each of the counties in its New York State service area, and worker and rider interest groups. Of these, there are 14 voting members, broken down into 13 board members who cast individual votes, 4 board members who cast a single collective vote, and 6 group representatives who do not vote. Five members as well as the chairman/CEO are directly nominated by

6840-438: Is necessary to qualify the project for an estimated $ 360 million. A preliminary study found that ridership could reach 15,000 daily. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York requested $ 4 million of federal funding for a detailed feasibility study. In 2012, the MTA released an analysis of North Shore transportation solutions which included proposals for the reintroduction of heavy rail, light rail or bus rapid transit using

7011-510: Is performed at NYCT's Clifton Shops, and any work unable to be done at Clifton requires the cars to be trucked over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to the subway's Coney Island Complex in Brooklyn . The right-of-way includes elevated, embankment and open-cut sections, as well as a tunnel near St. George. The Staten Island Railway uses Baltimore & Ohio Railroad-style color position light signals dating back to its B&O days. In 2007,

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7182-578: Is provided by and Conrail Shared Assets Operations (CRCX) for its co-owners, CSX , Norfolk Southern Railway . As part of the project, a portion of the North Shore Branch was rehabilitated, the Arlington Yard was expanded, and 6,500 feet (1,981 m) of new track was laid along the Travis Branch to Staten Island Transfer Station at Fresh Kills. Soon after service restarted on the line, Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially commemorated

7353-586: Is represented by United Transportation Union Local 1440. Only the Dongan Hills , St. George , Great Kills , New Dorp and Tottenville stations have been renovated to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ; these stations have elevators and/or ramps. As part of the MTA's 2020–2024 capital plan, two additional stations are planned to be renovated to become ADA-accessible, Huguenot and Clifton . The Prince's Bay , Huguenot , Annadale , Great Kills, Dongan Hills, and Arthur Kill stations have park-and-ride facilities. The newest station on

7524-414: Is used on the LIRR and Metro-North. Both railroads sell tickets based on geographical "zones" and time of day, charging peak and off-peak fares. Tickets may be bought from a ticket office at stations, ticket vending machines (TVMs), online through the "WebTicket" program, or through apps for iOS and Android devices. In 2017 it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by OMNY ,

7695-749: The BMT Fourth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, the SIRT electrified its lines with third rail power distribution and cars similar to those of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). The first electric train was operated on the South Beach Branch between South Beach and Fort Wadsworth on May 30, 1925, and the other branches were electrified by November of that year. Electrification did not greatly increase traffic, and

7866-757: The Baltimore and New York Railway — 5.25-mile (8.45 km) line from Arthur Kill to the Jersey Central at Cranford, and was finished later in the year. On January 1, 1890, the first train operated from St. George Terminal to Cranford Junction . When the Arthur Kill Bridge was completed, the United States War Department was unsuccessfully pressured by the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania Railroads to have

8037-629: The Democratic and Republican parties, at the mayoral and gubernatorial levels, had gradually removed $ 1.5 billion of MTA funding. Other actions by city and state politicians, according to the Times , included overspending; overpaying unions and interest groups; advertising superficial improvement projects while ignoring more important infrastructure; and agreeing to high-interest loans that would have been unnecessary without their other interventions. The Times stressed that no single event directly caused

8208-650: The Governor of New York and half by the Mayor of New York City . The development corporation is a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority manages public transportation in the New York metropolitan area (this includes the New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations systems, as well as the Long Island Rail Road and

8379-469: The Governor of New York , while four are recommended by New York City's mayor . The county executives of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties nominate one member each. Each of these members has one vote. The county executives of Dutchess , Orange , Rockland , and Putnam counties also nominate one member each, but these members cast one collective vote. The Board has six rotating nonvoting seats held by representatives of MTA employee organized labor and

8550-677: The L train were also given to developers. When Bluetooth -enabled countdown clocks were installed in the B Division (lettered services) in 2016 and 2017, they were also configured to feed data to the Subway Time app as well as in an open-data format. MTA's Bus Time app originated as a pilot program to install bus countdown clocks along the M16 and M34 routes in August 2009. At the same time, many new buses were retrofitted with GPS -enabled automatic vehicle location systems. In October 2010,

8721-611: The Metro-North Railroad ). The MTA includes the following subsidiaries: The New York City Economic Development Corporation was founded in 1966 as the New York City Public Development Corporation. It is New York City's official economic development corporation . The Overcoat Development Corporation was founded in the 1980s in an attempt to convince a men's outerwear company to relocate to New York from Indiana by offering

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8892-566: The New York State Legislature create an authority to purchase, operate, and modernize the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The LIRR, then a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), had been operating under bankruptcy protection since 1949. The proposed authority would also have the power to make contracts or arrangements with other commuter rail operators in the New York City area . On June 1, 1965,

9063-474: The New York State Legislature , Governor Kathy Hochul proposed raising the MTA payroll tax, a move projected to increase revenue by $ 800 million, and also giving the MTA some of the money from casinos expected at present to be licensed soon for business in Manhattan. On November 18, 2017, The New York Times published an investigation into the problems underlying the MTA. It found that politicians from both

9234-481: The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), which operated toll bridges and tunnels within the city. Rockefeller offered his "complete support" for Lindsay's proposed unified transit agency, while longtime city planner and TBTA chair Robert Moses called the proposed merger "absurd" and "grotesque" for its unwieldiness. In June 1966, Rockefeller announced his plans to expand the MCTA's scope to create

9405-707: The United Nations with its real estate and development needs. There are public benefit corporations that oversee the operations of Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo (Erie County Medical Center Corporation), Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow (Nassau Health Care Corporation), and Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla (Westchester County Health Care Corporation). Staten Island Railway The Staten Island Railway ( SIR )

9576-498: The Vanderbilt's Landing -to- Tompkinsville portion of the North Shore Branch began on March 17, 1884, and the line opened for passenger service on August 1 of that year. The lighthouse just above Tompkinsville impeded the line's extension to St. George but, after the SIRT lobbied for an act of Congress , construction of a two-track, 580-foot (180 m) tunnel under the lighthouse began in 1885 for about $ 190,000. The SIR

9747-558: The transfer station began in April 2007. The Mount Loretto Spur is an abandoned branch whose purpose was to serve the Mount Loretto Children's Home . The spur diverged from the Main Line south of Pleasant Plains . The B&O Railroad served the non-electrified branch, which had some industry and a passenger station, until 1950. Although its track was removed during the 1960s and 1970s, some ties were visible until

9918-486: The 1930s and 40s. Much of Moses' power base resulted from his tight control of the Triborough Bridge Authority , which allowed him to earmark revenues from tolls on the bridge for other projects in New York City and around the state. He also served as president of the Jones Beach Parkway Authority (1933–1963), president of the Bethpage State Park Authority (1933–1963), and chairman of the New York Power Authority (1954–1962). Moses, through his control of these authorities,

10089-406: The 1960s, but runs more or less at street level for a brief stretch north of Clifton, between the Grasmere and Old Town stations, and from south of the Pleasant Plains station to Tottenville—the end of the line. The terminus at St. George provides a direct connection with the Staten Island Ferry . St. George has twelve tracks, ten of which are in service. Tottenville has a three-track yard to

10260-416: The 1980s. A coal trestle is all that remains of the branch. South of the Richmond Valley station , a non-electrified spur, branched off the Tottenville -bound track. The spur, built in 1928, was called the West Shore Line by the B&O Railroad and delivered building materials to the Outerbridge Crossing construction site near Arthur Kill. Years later, the track was used to serve a scrapyard owned by

10431-423: The 1994 case Schulz v. State , 84 N.Y.2d 231. As the court explained, state debt limits were first enacted as a reaction to fiscal crises caused by the state's lending of its credit to "irresponsible" canal and railroad corporations in the early nineteenth century. The state was forced to assume these obligations, which amounted to more than three-fifths of the state's entire debt. In 1846, a referendum requirement

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10602-494: The Authority Budget Office in order "to provide the governor and the legislator with conclusions and opinions concerning the performance of public authorities and to study, review and report on the operations, practices and finances of public authorities...." The ABO is intended to promote transparency and accountability and to improve authority governance. The New York State Constitution , Art. X, sec. 5, provides that public benefit corporations may only be created by special act of

10773-413: The B&O in 1900, after which the B&O became profitable again. On October 25, 1905, New York City took ownership of the ferry and terminals and evicted the B&O from the Whitehall Street terminal. The St. George Terminal was then built by the city for $ 2,318,720, equivalent to $ 78,630,372 in 2023. In anticipation of a tunnel under the Narrows to Brooklyn and a connection there with

10944-529: The Capital District of New York State ( Albany , Schenectady , and Rensselaer counties plus part of Saratoga). The function of CDTA is to operate public transportation as well as to operate the Amtrak stations in the service area (Albany-Rennselaer, Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs). It includes the following subsidies: The Central New York Regional Transportation Authority manages most public transportation in four Central New York counties - Onondaga, Oneida, Oswego and Cayuga. This includes bus service serving

11115-405: The Court of Appeals held in Williamsburgh Savings Bank v. State , 243 N.Y. 231, that the state could disclaim any moral obligation for public authority debts. However, amendments to the 1938 Constitution overruled this case and completely disclaimed the state's responsibility for any public authority debt. The widespread use of public authorities in New York State was pioneered by Robert Moses in

11286-458: The EFC had operating expenses of $ 442.35 million, an outstanding debt of $ 5.917 billion, and 115 employees. The EFC's 2009-2010 budget was in excess of $ 500 million. The statutory basis for substantially all EFC activity stems from Title 12 of Article 5 of the NYS Public Authorities Law (also called the "EFC Act") in 1970. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) is a public benefit organization which provides transportation services to

11457-464: The LIRR. The New Haven Railroad's trustees initially opposed New York Central's takeover of the New Haven Line, as they felt that the $ 140 million offer for the New Haven Line was too low. After some discussion, the trustees decided to continue operating the New Haven Line until June 1967. In January 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay proposed merging the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), which operated buses and subways in New York City, and

11628-552: The MTA allowed the ads. Previous advertisement proposals from companies, such as female-hygiene retailer Thinx 's ad proposal in 2015, had been rejected and later approved due to "dissemination of indecent material to minors" and "public display[s] of offensive sexual material." New York state public benefit corporations The growing influence of public authorities over state and local financing, coupled with their ability to avoid regulations applicable to government agencies, has led to calls for reform. Some reforms were passed in

11799-447: The MTA officially released the Subway Time app, which uses subway countdown clock data to determine the next-train arrival times on seven services. Real-time station information for the "mainline" A Division (numbered routes) , comprising all numbered services except the 7 train, was made available to third-party developers via an API . This was achieved through both the Subway Time mobile app and as open data . In early 2014, data for

11970-446: The MTA passed the $ 29 billion 2015–2019 Capital Plan, the largest capital plan in MTA's history; it will be funded by federal, state and city government as well as riders' fares and tolls. Three months later, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and MTA chairman Thomas Prendergast unveiled their plan to spend $ 26 billion to modernize the subway network, which includes adding Wi-Fi and cellphone services throughout all 278 underground stations by

12141-423: The MTA states it needs. If this is not funded, the MTA will fund the repairs with debt and raise fares to cover repayments. The MTA has consistently run on a deficit, but increased spending in 2000–04 coupled with the economic downturn led to a severe increase in the financial burden that the MTA bore. The budget problems stem from multiple sources. The MTA cannot be supported solely by rider fares and road tolls. In

12312-582: The MTA's Trip Planner; whereas the existing Trip Planner can only plan trips along MTA-operated modes of transportation, MYmta's Trip Planner can also suggest routes via other operators such as the Staten Island Ferry , NYC Ferry , PATH , and NJ Transit . A beta version of MYmta was released to the general public in July of that year. In future versions of the MYmta app, the MTA planned to integrate

12483-474: The MTA's board in a 9–2 vote banned all political, religious, and opinion advertisements on subways and buses, limiting any ads to commercial ones. Specifically, it banned advertisements that "prominently or predominately advocate or express a political message" about "disputed economic, political, moral, religious or social issues," and any ad that "promotes or opposes" a political party, ballot referendum, and "the election of any candidate". The board estimated that

12654-525: The MTA's inception until 2003, the agency collected subway and bus fares via a series of small metal tokens. The MTA cycled through several series of tokens throughout the late 20th century. In 1993, MTA started testing the MetroCard , a magnetic stripe card that would replace the tokens used to pay fares. By 1997, the entire bus and subway system accepted MetroCard, and tokens were no longer accepted for fare payment in 2003. A different fare payment system

12825-464: The MTA's systems, the agency requested $ 4 billion in federal funds, since the decreased fare revenue left the already-struggling agency in a financially tenuous position. After the subway was temporarily shuttered at night starting in May 2020, trains and stations were cleaned more than usual. Over 132 employees died of COVID-19 as of June 2020. On February 1, 2023, as part of her Executive Budget proposal to

12996-499: The New York City Subway, the line runs 24 hours a day every day of the year, and is one of the few 24/7 mass-transit rail systems in the United States. Fares are only collected at two stations, St. George and nearby Tompkinsville . Although the railway was originally considered a standard rail line, the existing line is severed from the national rail system , and only a small portion of the former North Shore Branch still sees freight use. The passenger operations are now regulated as

13167-707: The New York metropolitan area, two rail tunnels from Brooklyn (one to Staten Island and the other to Greenville, New Jersey ) were planned. On December 15, 2004, a $ 72 million project to reactivate freight service on Staten Island and repair the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge was announced by the NYCEDC and the PANYNJ. Projects on the Arthur Kill Bridge included repainting the steel superstructure and rehabilitating its lift mechanism. In 2006,

13338-549: The North Shore Branch and the South Beach Branch at midnight on March 31, 1953, due to competition from city-operated buses; the South Beach Branch was abandoned shortly afterwards, and the North Shore Branch continued to carry freight. On September 7, 1954, SIRT applied to discontinue passenger service on the Tottenville Branch on October 7 of that year; a large city subsidy allowed passenger service on

13509-479: The North Shore line's right-of-way. Other options included system management , which would improve existing bus service, and the possibility of future ferry and water taxi service. Bus rapid transit was preferred for its cost ($ 352 million in capital investment) and relative ease of implementation. In January 2018, the project had yet to receive funding. As part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, $ 4 million

13680-906: The Office of the State Comptroller had identified at least 640 state and local authorities. The current count stands at 1,098. Some of the most well known major public benefit corporations in New York State include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (actually a bi-state authority created by interstate compact ), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , and the Empire State Development Corporation . New York has hundreds of lesser-known public benefit corporations, including industrial development agencies and local development corporations. The Public Authorities Accountability Act of 2005 created

13851-571: The Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, which represent customers of MTA transit and commuter facilities. Board members are confirmed by the New York State Senate . In 2017, the MTA had operating expenses of $ 16.85 billion, an outstanding debt of $ 38.083 billion, and a level of staffing of 79,832 people (staff compensation totaled $ 6.762 billion). It collects revenue from passenger fees and from

14022-790: The Program for Action, saying, "We're making up for 30 years of do-nothingism". Ronan proposed that the MTA take over the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway Company from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and start a $ 25 million modernization project on the railway. The city's Board of Estimate approved this purchase in December 1969. The MTA took ownership of the Staten Island Rapid Transit in January 1971. The agency entered into

14193-513: The Public Authorities Accountability Act of 2005. The New York State Authorities Budget Office , in their 2018 annual report, noted that there were 47 state authorities and 531 local authorities, including 109 IDAs and 292 not-for-profit corporations created locally, that they provided oversight for in New York State. According to this same ABO report, the operating expenses in 2017 for the 47 state authorities

14364-562: The Rosebank neighborhood, which would bridge the longest gap between two stations ( Grasmere and Clifton ). The area was once home to the Rosebank station on the railway's now-defunct South Beach Branch, which was located east of the proposed station site. Several proposals have been made to connect the SIR to the subway system, including the abandoned, unfinished Staten Island Tunnel and

14535-630: The SIRT's accumulated debt, and the line was briefly profitable in the 1940s. All East Coast military-hospital trains were handled by the SIRT during the war, and some trains stopped at Staten Island's Arlington station to transfer wounded soldiers to a large military hospital. The need to transport war materiel , POW trains and troops made the stretch of the Baltimore & New York Railway between Cranford Junction and Arthur Kill extremely busy. The B&O also operated special trains for important officials, such as Winston Churchill . On June 25, 1946,

14706-555: The State". Because of this, the Court of Appeals has repeatedly affirmed that public authorities are distinct from the state and that the state carries no moral obligation to repay their debts. Although the Constitution prohibits the state from lending its credit to public authorities, it does allow the state to make gifts of money to authorities. As a practical result, this has resulted in some authorities receiving annual funding from

14877-713: The Staten Island Expressway. The Robin Road trestle is the only remaining intact trestle along the former line. Developers purchased the land on either side of its abutments during the early 2000s, and the developers, the New York City Department of Transportation , and the New York City Transit Authority all claimed ownership. Townhouses have been built on both sides of the trestle. The Travis Branch , from Arlington Yard to Fresh Kills , runs along

15048-776: The Staten Island Railway, Arthur Kill , opened on January 21, 2017, and is ADA-compliant. The station is between (and has replaced) the now-demolished Atlantic and Nassau stations, which were in the poorest condition of all the stations on the line. On June 1, 2005, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Police Department was disbanded and its 25 railroad police officers became part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department . The MTA Police Department

15219-662: The US District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan said the ad was protected speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and rejected the MTA's argument that the ad might endorse terrorism or violence. Pamela Geller , president of the group that sued the MTA in order to run the ads, lauded the decision, and a lawyer for the organization said the same decision had been made in Washington and Philadelphia. A week afterward,

15390-505: The ad. The ad, paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, showed a man with a scarf covering his face, with the caption "Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah ", which was attributed to " Hamas MTV," and then stated: "That's His Jihad . What's yours?" The ad included a disclaimer that the display of the ad did not reflect the opinion of the MTA. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl of

15561-446: The administration of Mayor Lindsay. This included Lindsay's Linear City plan for housing and educational facilities, and the projected construction of several Interstate Highways , many of which had originally been proposed by Robert Moses. On March 1, 1968, the day after the release of the Program for Action, the MCTA dropped the word "Commuter" from its name and became the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA took over

15732-408: The ads that the board was banning made up less than $ 1 million of the MTA's advertising revenue of $ 138 million in 2014. Nevertheless, lawyers for the American Freedom Defense Initiative called the MTA's action a "disingenuous attempt to circumvent" the judge's order. Another controversy regarding MTA ads arose in 2018. After initially rejecting proposed advertisements from Unbound, a sex-toy retailer,

15903-450: The advertising contracts expired. They were removed from subways, buses, and bus shelters by the start of 1993, from the commuter rail lines by the start of 1994, and from Long Island Bus vehicles by the start of 1997. The MTA refused to display an ad in the New York City Subway system in 2012, which read: "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad ." The authority's decision

16074-460: The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy , created and awarded contracts to his own engineering firm staffed with friends with few formal qualifications in engineering. After deleting thousands of company emails, Patel pleaded guilty to obstructing federal bid rigging and fraud investigations in March 2020. In 2022, construction manager Ramnarace Mahabir was found to have provided jobs for family members through

16245-634: The authority. Ciulla v. State , 77 N.Y.S.2d 545 (N.Y. Ct. Cl. 1948). However, public authority employees are covered by the ethics regulations included in section 74 of the Public Officers Law, and the Public Authorities Accountability Act of 2005 imposed additional ethics requirements on board members of some public authorities. Importantly, authority board members are now required to attend training sessions on ethics and governance issues. The New York State Comptroller's Office lists four types of public benefit corporations and authorities: For

16416-516: The branch to continue. In 1956, work began on the replacement of the Arthur Kill swing bridge by a single-track, 558-foot (170 m) vertical-lift bridge , which opened in August 1959. The prefabricated, 2,000-ton bridge was floated into place. The new bridge could rise 135 feet (41 m) and, since it aided navigation on Arthur Kill, the federal government assumed 90% of the project's $ 11 million cost. Freight trains started crossing

16587-596: The bridge when it opened on August 25, 1959. The Travis Branch was extended in 1958 to a new Consolidated Edison power plant in Travis (on the West Shore), allowing coal trains from West Virginia to serve the plant. Operation of the Tottenville line was turned over to the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (a division of the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority ) on July 1, 1971, and

16758-424: The card enables free transfers for a continuous ride on the subway and bus systems, for many riders there is effectively no fare for riding the SIR, as long as they do not need to make a second transfer. Riders can also transfer between a Staten Island bus, the SIR and a Manhattan bus (or subway) near South Ferry . Because of this, the SIR's 2001 farebox recovery ratio was 0.16; for every dollar of expense, 16 cents

16929-740: The cities of Syracuse , Utica , Rome , Oswego and Auburn . The CNYRTA includes the following subsidiaries: The New York State Bridge Authority owns and operates five bridges on the Hudson River . The Olympic Regional Development Authority was designed to administer and manage the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center and the other Winter Olympic venues used during the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics . The New York Power Authority provides electricity throughout New York State. The New York State Canal Corporation

17100-492: The company's employees were laid off . After backlash, service was slightly increased. On September 22, the Interstate Commerce Commission allowed the SIRT to abandon the ferry it had operated for 88 years between Tottenville and Perth Amboy, New Jersey , and the ferry operation was transferred to Sunrise Ferries of Elizabeth, New Jersey on October 16. SIRT discontinued passenger service on

17271-615: The creation of Conrail on April 1, 1976, in a merger of bankrupt lines in the northeastern U.S. Their freight service now terminated in Philadelphia , but for several years afterward B&O locomotives and one B&O freight train a day ran to Cranford Junction . In 1973, the Jersey Central's car float yard was closed; however, the B&;O's car-float operation was later brought back to Staten Island at Saint George Yard, after having ended in September 1976. This car-float operation

17442-415: The crisis; rather, it was an accumulation of small cutbacks and maintenance deferments. The MTA funds were described as a "piggy bank" for the state, with the issuance of MTA bonds benefiting the state at the MTA's expense. By 2017, a sixth of the MTA's budget was allocated to paying off debt, a threefold increase from the proportion in 1997. The city's $ 250 million annual contribution to the MTA budget in 2017

17613-677: The developers of the buses' GPS devices implemented the MTA system's first bus-tracking app, which monitored buses along the M16 and M34 routes. This evolved into the current web app, which originally tracked buses along the B63 route in Brooklyn when it started in February 2011. By January 2012, every local and express bus in Staten Island was equipped with the system. The M34 corridor began using

17784-663: The different agencies were part of one agency. Surveys found that a majority of riders did not know that the MTA owned the Long Island Rail Road or the Metro-North Railroad. As part of the changes, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority was renamed MTA Bridges and Tunnels; Staten Island Rapid Transit was renamed MTA Staten Island Railway; Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority was renamed MTA Long Island Bus. The New York City Transit Authority

17955-463: The eTix functionality, as well as make it easier for Access-A-Ride customers to view when their vehicle will arrive at a certain point. In October 2020, the MTA unveiled a new digital map providing real-time arrival estimates and service updates. It was developed pro bono by technology and design company Work & Co . The subway, buses, and Staten Island Railway charge a single flat fare for each trip, regardless of time or distance traveled. From

18126-656: The east of the station, which itself has two tracks and an island platform. Rolling stock consists of modified R44 subway-type cars built in early 1973, added to the end of the R44 order of subway cars for New York City Transit; they were the last cars built by the St. Louis Car Company . They are being replaced by seventy-five R211S subway cars, which entered service on October 8, 2024. The line also has four BL20G locomotives manufactured by Brookville , which were delivered in 2009 and are used for work service. Heavy maintenance

18297-417: The east side of the island. There is currently only one line on the island, and there is no direct rail link between the SIR and the New York City Subway system, but SIR riders do receive a free transfer to New York City Transit bus and subway lines, and the line is included on official New York City Subway maps. Commuters on the railway typically use the Staten Island Ferry to reach Manhattan . The line

18468-468: The end of 2016. Other plans call for making extensive renovations to 30 subway stations , allowing mobile ticketing by cellphone or bank cards, and adding security cameras on buses, charging stations for electronics, and more countdown clocks. Roughly $ 3 billion will be spent to improve bridges and tunnels. During the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City , following a 50% to 90% drop in ridership on all of

18639-408: The entire state, are listed below. The Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund serves equine interests in New York State and provides education concerning certain agricultural development. A 2004 audit of the fund found problems with its management. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) provides construction, financing, and allied services that serve

18810-577: The establishment of each new authority, and to prevent the enactment of general laws pursuant to which a municipal corporation can itself create a corporation of the authority type ' ". While major public authorities can only be created by special legislation, many local development corporations have been created under the general Not-For-Profit Corporation Law. These LDCs function in much the same way as other public benefit corporations and public authorities, but do not need to be established by specific state legislation. Additionally, many public authorities have

18981-542: The following March, with the MCTA taking over the operations of the LIRR, NYCTA, TBTA, New Haven commuter services, New York Central commuter services, and the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway . Initially, the TBTA was resistant to the MCTA's efforts to acquire it. Moses was afraid that the enlarged MCTA would "undermine, destroy or tarnish" the integrity of the TBTA, One source of contention

19152-598: The freight line connection reopened from New Jersey to the Staten Island Railroad, including the Arthur Kill Bridge. Regular service began on April 2, 2007 (16 years after it had closed) to ship container freight from the Howland Hook Marine Terminal and other industrial businesses. The service at the marine terminal is part of the PANYNJ's ExpressRail system completed with of the single-track Chemical Coast connector. Service

19323-486: The general development and promotion of the Erie Canal Corridor as both a tourist attraction and a working waterway. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority consists of numerous subsidiaries, including: The Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corporation operates Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. The United Nations Development Corporation was designed to assist

19494-445: The highest ridership since 1947. MTA employees also suffered due to the budget issues. By mid-July 2010, MTA layoffs had reached over 1,000, and many of those affected were low-level employees who made less than $ 55,000 annually. As of 2015, the MTA was running a $ 15 billion deficit in its $ 32 billion 2015–2019 Capital Plan. Without extra funding, many necessary construction and renovation projects would not be performed. In October 2015,

19665-542: The island's West Shore . The branch was built in 1928 to serve Gulf Oil along the Arthur Kill , south from Arlington Yard into the marshes to Gulfport. It was extended to Travis to serve the new Consolidated Edison power plant in 1957. In 2005, the branch was renovated and extended from the old Con Edison plant to the Staten Island Transfer Station at Fresh Kills; regular service to

19836-507: The island's most prominent residents, organized the Staten Island Rapid Transit Company (SIRT) on March 25, 1880, and partnered with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) to build a large rail terminal on the island and centralize the six-to-eight ferry landings. He secured an extension on a land-purchase option from George Law by offering to name it " St. George " after him. Construction of

20007-584: The legislature chartered the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA) to take over the operations of the LIRR. Governor Rockefeller appointed his top aide, William J. Ronan , as chairman and chief executive officer of the MCTA. In June 1965, the state finalized an agreement to buy the LIRR from the PRR for $ 65 million. The MCTA made a down payment of $ 10 million for the LIRR in December 1965, and it completed

20178-469: The legislature. In City of Rye v. MTA , 24 N.Y.2d 627 (1969), the court of appeals explained that "The debates of the 1938 Convention indicate that the proliferation of public authorities after 1927 was the reason for the enactment of section 5 of article X.... Abbott Low Moffat, who supported this proposal, told the convention that its purpose was 'to require the Legislature to pass directly itself upon

20349-470: The line was purchased by the city of New York. As part of the agreement, freight on the line would continue to be handled by the B&O under the Staten Island Railroad. The first six R44 cars (the same as the newest cars then in use on the subway lines in the other boroughs) were put into SIRT service on February 28, 1973, replacing the ME-1 cars which had been in service since 1925. Between 1971 and 1973,

20520-577: The line's primary customer, closed in 1990, resulting in a further decline in freight traffic. On July 25, 1991, the Arthur Kill Bridge was removed from service, and the line's final freight train operated on April 21, 1992. The North Shore Branch and the Arthur Kill Bridge were then taken over by Chessie's successor, CSX Transportation (CSX). The line and bridge were sold again in 1994 to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), followed by

20691-443: The line. Three afternoon express trains were added to the schedule on April 7, 1999, nearly doubling the previous express service. The express trains skipped stops between St. George and Great Kills. A several-hundred-foot section of the easternmost portion of the North Shore Branch was reopened for passenger service to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark , home of the Staten Island Yankees minor-league baseball team, on June 24, 2001;

20862-527: The marshes of the island's western shore to Gulfport in the early 1930s. The Port Richmond–Tower Hill viaduct, the nation's largest grade-crossing-elimination project, was completed on February 25, 1937. The viaduct, more than a mile long, spanned eight grade crossings on the SIRT's North Shore Branch and was the final part of a $ 6 million grade-crossing-elimination project on the island which eliminated thirty-four crossings on its north and south shores. Freight and World War II traffic helped pay some of

21033-492: The mid-2000s, the popular name has also been used for legal documents related to contract procurements where the legal name was used heretofore. Both are listed below. The Office of the MTA Inspector General (OIG), founded in 1983, is the independent Office of Inspector General specific to the MTA that is responsible for conducting monitoring and oversight of MTA activities, programs, and employees. The MTA

21204-411: The monthly MetroCard fare from $ 116 to $ 132. Each fare raise was met with increasing resistance by MTA customers, and many are beginning to find the fare increases prohibitive. 2010 also saw heavy service cuts for many MTA subsidiaries. Fewer trains spaced farther between resulted in heavy overcrowding beyond normal rush hours, leading to frustration for many subway and bus riders. In 2013, the subway had

21375-529: The name " Metropolitan Transportation, a Program for Action " alternatively called the "Grand Design". The city had already intended to build subway extensions in all four boroughs, so that most riders would need at most one transfer to get to their destination. The Program for Action also called for upgrades to the Penn Central railroads and area airports. The Program for Action was put forward simultaneously with other development and transportation plans under

21546-407: The newly built bridge replaced with a bridge with a different design; according to the railroads, it was an obstruction to navigation of the large numbers of coal barges past Holland Hook on Arthur Kill. In 1897, the terminal at Saint George (which served the railroad and the ferry to Manhattan) was completed. Improvements were made to the SIRT after the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took control of

21717-407: The older "M" logos survive on existing cube-shaped lamps on station lampposts dating to the 1980s, though such lamps have been updated with more modern spherical lamps over time. Today, each of these Related Entities has a popular name and in some cases, a former legal name . Since 1994, the legal name has only been used for legal documents, such as contracts, and have not been used publicly. Since

21888-544: The only two Staten Island Railway stations with turnstiles, received OMNY readers in December 2019. During the early 2000s, plans to reopen the Staten Island Rapid Transit line in New Jersey were announced by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). Since the Central Railroad of New Jersey became a New Jersey Transit line, a new junction would be built to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad . So all New England and southern freight could pass through

22059-483: The operations of the other New York City-area transit systems. Moses was let go from his job as chairman of the TBTA, although he was retained as a consultant. The construction of two proposed bridges over the Long Island Sound was put under the jurisdiction of the MTA. Moses stated that TBTA construction projects would reduce the MTA's budget surplus through to 1970. Chairman Ronan pushed for the MTA to pursue

22230-485: The original line (from Clifton to Tottenville) was called the Staten Island Railway. In 1886, Congress passed a law authorizing the construction of a 500-foot (150 m) swing bridge over Arthur Kill , after three years of effort by Wiman. The bridge was completed three days early, on June 13, 1888, at 3 p.m. The Arthur Kill Bridge was the world's largest drawbridge when it opened, and there were no fatalities in its construction. In 1889, construction began on

22401-630: The past, passengers had avoided paying the fare by exiting at Tompkinsville and walking a short distance to the St. George Ferry Terminal. As a result, the MTA installed turnstiles at Tompkinsville and a new station building, which opened on January 20, 2010. On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by OMNY , a contactless fare payment system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay , Google Pay , debit/credit cards with near-field communication technology, or radio-frequency identification cards. The St. George and Tompkinsville stations,

22572-399: The power to create subsidiary authorities without additional legislative authorization. An example is the Empire State Development Corporation, which decided in 2007 to dissolve 13 subsidiaries and merge 25 others into a single holding company. ESDC still encompasses many subsidiary organizations. The 1938 Constitution "expressly empowered public authorities to contract debt independently of

22743-487: The preliminary 2011 budget, MTA forecasted operating revenue totaled at $ 6.5 billion, amount to only 50% of the $ 13 billion operating expenses. Therefore, the MTA must rely on other sources of funding to remain operational. Revenue collected from real estate taxes for transportation purposes helped to contain the deficit. However, due to the weak economy and unstable real estate market, money from these taxes severely decreased; in 2010, tax revenue fell at least 20% short of

22914-466: The project. The line uses NYC Transit-standard 600 V DC third-rail power. Trains run up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) in passenger service, although trains are limited to 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) on tail tracks, sidings and in yards. Demetrius Crichlow has been the railway's president and chief officer since his appointment in October 2024. The workforce, about 200 hourly employees ,

23085-475: The projected value. Beyond this, steadily reducing support from city and state governments led to borrowing money by issuing bonds, which contributed heavily to the debt. This budget deficit has resulted in various problems, mainly concentrated in New York City . New York City Subway fares have been increased four times since 2008, with the most recent occurring August 20, 2023, raising single-ride fares from $ 2.75 to $ 2.90, express service from $ 6.75 to $ 7.00 and

23256-511: The proliferation of public authorities by specifying that they could be created only by special act of the state legislature. By 1956, 53 public authorities had been created. In 1990, the Commission on Government Integrity concluded that "At present, so far as Commission staff has been able to determine, no one has even an approximate count of how many of these organizations exist, where they are, much less an accounting of what they do." By 2004,

23427-471: The proposed MCTA and the existing Connecticut Transportation Authority would contract with New York Central to operate the New Haven Line to Grand Central Terminal . A September 1965 joint report from both agencies, recommended that the line be leased to New York Central for 99 years, with the MCTA and CTA acting as agents for both states. In October 1965, the MCTA found that the New Haven Line's stations and infrastructure were even more decrepit than those of

23598-488: The public good, to benefit specifically universities, health care facilities, and court facilities. The Empire State Development , also known as the Urban Development Corporation, maintains various programs and subsidiaries to encourage economic development in New York State. The Natural Heritage Trust supports natural resource conservation and historic preservation within New York State through

23769-583: The railroad and ferry were in receivership . On September 17, 1872, the company was sold to George Law in foreclosure . The following April 1, the Staten Island Rail Road was transferred to the Staten Island Railway Company. By 1880 the railway was barely operational, and New York State sued (through Attorney General Hamilton Ward ) to dissolve the company in May of that year. Erastus Wiman , one of

23940-628: The reactivation on April 17, 2007. As of 2019, the New York City Department of Sanitation's contractor was moving containers of municipal solid waste by barge from Queens and Manhattan to the Howland Hook Marine Terminal for transfer to rail there. Along the remainder of the North Shore Branch, there are still tracks and rail overpasses in some places. Elected officials on Staten Island, including State Senator Diane Savino , have demanded

24111-510: The reception and administration of donations and grants. It partners with several state agencies, including the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation , New York State Department of Environmental Conservation , and the New York State Department of State ; partners also include other public and private entities. The trust was established in 1968. In 2017, it had operating expenses of $ 1.54 million and

24282-414: The remaining balance. The budget deficit of the MTA is a growing crisis for the organization as well as for New York City and State residents and governments. The MTA held $ 31 billion in debt in 2010 and it also suffered from a $ 900 million gap in its operating budget for 2011. The capital budget, which covers repairs, technological upgrades, new trains, and expansions, is currently $ 15 billion short of what

24453-665: The replacement of the railway's aging R44 cars. Although the Metropolitan Transportation Authority initially planned to order R179s for the Staten Island Railway, it was later decided to overhaul R46s to replace the R44s. However, the R46 overhaul plan was also dropped, and 75 R211S cars will replace the R44s. In the meantime, the R44s are receiving intermittent rounds of scheduled maintenance to extend their usefulness until at least 2025. There has been discussion of building an in-fill station in

24624-599: The rest of the payment the next month. In February 1965, Rockefeller and Connecticut Governor John N. Dempsey jointly suggested that operations of the New Haven Line , the New Haven Railroad 's struggling commuter rail operation, be transferred to the New York Central Railroad as part of a plan to prevent the New Haven Railroad from going bankrupt. If the operational merger occurred,

24795-498: The routing of $ 18 million in bus depot contracts. At one 2018 board meeting, an MTA executive explicitly noted the sentiment that the authority is willing to assign jobs to contractors with prior histories of corruption. The MTA collected $ 707 million from advertising on its trains and buses in 2018. In June 1992, the MTA banned tobacco advertising on subways, buses and commuter rail, costing the agency $ 4.5 million in annual advertising revenue. The tobacco advertisements were removed once

24966-512: The service was discontinued on June 18, 2010. A new station building at Tompkinsville opened on January 20, 2010, with turnstiles installed to prevent passengers from exiting (free of charge) at Tompkinsville and walking the short distance to the St. George ferry terminal. Although the Staten Island Railway originally consisted of three lines, only the north-south Main Line is in passenger service. It has been grade-separated from all roads since

25137-533: The sole Staten Island-to-Manhattan ferry operator on the East Shore , his first involvement in a railroad. The line was completed to Tottenville on June 2, 1860. Under the leadership of Vanderbilt's brother, Jacob H. Vanderbilt, the Staten Island Rail Road took over several independent ferries. The Staten Island Railway and ferry line made a modest profit until the explosion of the ferry Westfield at Whitehall Street Terminal on July 30, 1871. By July 1872,

25308-459: The state had a moral obligation to repay the debts if canal revenues proved insufficient, and thus the certificates were deemed "an evasion if not a direct violation of the constitution". In 1921, the legislature chartered the first state public authority, the Port of New York Authority , as a new vehicle for financing public projects while insulating the state from long term debt obligations. In 1926,

25479-537: The state on a consistent basis. The Court of Appeals stated in Schulz v. State , 84 N.Y.2d 231 (1994) that, if "modern ingenuity, even gimmickry, have in fact stretched the words of the Constitution beyond the point of prudence, that plea for reform in State borrowing practices and policy is appropriately directed to the public arena". See also Wein v. State , 39 N.Y.2d 136 (1976); Wein v. Levitt , 42 N.Y.2d 300 (1977). Financing public projects through public authorities

25650-539: The state's debt and 80% of the state's infrastructure, leading some to refer to them as the "shadow government". Public benefit corporations and public authorities are controlled by boards of directors made up of political appointees. Board members have fixed terms and are, at least in theory, considered to be more independent of political influence than elected politicians and appointed agency heads. Board members and employees of public authorities usually are not considered to be state employees, but are rather employees of

25821-525: The state's most powerful authorities. Sections 50 and 51 of the Public Authorities Law currently require 11 authorities to receive approval from the PACB prior to entering into contracts for project-related financing. There are five members on the PACB board, all of whom are appointed by the governor and serve year-long terms. Public authorities are currently responsible for more than 90% of

25992-496: The station became the 50th MTA rapid transit station to accept them. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) restored the line's original name on April 2 of that year as the MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR). On July 4, 1997, the MTA eliminated fares for travel between Tompkinsville and Tottenville as part of the year's "One City, One Fare" fare reductions. United Transportation Union Local 1440,

26163-410: The station. The remainder of the North Shore Branch, to its terminus at Erastina , was opened in the summer of 1886. On January 1, 1888, the South Beach Branch opened for passenger service to Arrochar . In 1893, the South Beach Branch was extended from Arrochar to a new terminal at South Beach . The new lines opened by the B&O were known as the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway, and

26334-467: The system on April 6, 2012 with nearly every Bronx bus route using the system by the end of 2012. All five boroughs of the city used the system by March 2014, and a mobile app was released in 2015. In 2011, the MTA began to look at ways of displaying service disruptions due to weekend engineering works in a visual format. On September 16, 2011, the MTA introduced a Vignelli -style interactive subway map , "The Weekender", to its website. The web app provided

26505-409: The tunnel was never built. During the 1920s, a branch line along Staten Island's West Shore was built to haul building materials for the Outerbridge Crossing . The branch was cut back to a point south of the crossing after the bridge was built. The Gulf Oil Corporation opened a dock and tank farm along Arthur Kill in 1928; to serve it, the Travis Branch was built south from Arlington Yard into

26676-399: The union representing SIR employees, was concerned about the fare reduction in part because of an expected increase in ridership. No turnstiles were installed at the other stations on the line, and passengers at St. George began paying when entering and exiting; fares had previously been collected on board by the conductor. The removal of fares was blamed for an immediate spike in crime along

26847-403: The world. The GAO planned to devote special attention to the MTA's transit costs. The MTA has long struggled to control costs due to contracting fraud and corruption. In 2012, MTA executive Mario Guerra attempted to secure a job with train manufacturer Bombardier while evaluating their bid for a $ 600 million project. Paresh Patel, an MTA manager responsible for the oversight of repair contracts in

27018-400: Was $ 34.82 billion. Additionally, the 47 state authorities carried a total of $ 160.4 billion in outstanding debt. Public benefit corporations in New York State have origins in mercantile capitalism . A shared tradition of English common law and Dutch law may explain their origins. The New York Court of Appeals provided a thorough history of state laws regarding public authorities in

27189-478: Was Rockefeller's proposal to use TBTA tolls in order to subsidize the cheap fares of the NYCTA, since Moses strongly opposed any use of TBTA tolls by outside agencies. In February 1968, Moses acquiesced to the MCTA's merger proposal. New York Central and the PRR merged in February 1968, forming the Penn Central Transportation Company . In February 1968, the MCTA published a 56-page report for Governor Rockefeller, proposing several subway and railroad improvements under

27360-410: Was a quarter of the contribution in 1990. David L. Gunn , who helped end a transit crisis when he led the NYCTA in the mid-1980s, described the 2017 crisis as "heartbreaking". In December of the same year, the Times reported that the $ 12 billion East Side Access project, which would extend the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal upon its completion, was the most expensive of its kind in the world, with

27531-628: Was able to build some of New York's most important public works projects, including the Cross Bronx Expressway , the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway , and various bridges and parkways. The public authority model allowed Moses to bypass many of the legal restrictions placed on state agencies, allowing him to expedite development but also allowing him to hide project financing, contracting and operational information from public scrutiny. Because of this, he has been criticized for wasteful spending, patronage, and refusing to consider public opposition to his projects. The 1938 constitutional amendments attempted to limit

27702-491: Was added to the state constitution, prohibiting the state from contracting long term debt without approval by the voters. As early as 1851, the legislature began to search for ways to evade the constitutional debt limit in order to finance public works projects. Canal certificates, which would be repaid through canal revenues, and which by their terms were not state obligations, were nevertheless held to be unconstitutional in Newell v. People , 7 N.Y. 9 (1852). The court held that

27873-522: Was allocated for an analysis of Staten Island light rail . The North Shore Branch closed to passenger service at midnight on March 31, 1953. A small portion of the western end is used for freight service as part of the ExpressRail intermodal network at the Howland Hook Marine Terminal . The network, which opened in 2007, connects to the Chemical Coast after crossing the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge . The North Shore Branch served Procter & Gamble , United States Gypsum , shipbuilders and

28044-558: Was created in 1998 with the merger of the Long Island Rail Road Police Department and the Metro-North Railroad Police Department. The MTA Police Department then opened its newest patrol district, Police District #9, which began covering the Staten Island Railway. The cash fare is $ 2.90, the same fare as the New York City Subway and MTA buses . Fares are paid on entry and exit only at St. George and Tompkinsville . Rides not originating or terminating at St. George or Tompkinsville are free. Fares are payable by MetroCard or OMNY . Since

28215-471: Was leased to the B&O for 99 years in 1885. Proceeds of the lease were used to complete the terminal at Saint George, pay for two miles of waterfront property, complete the Rapid Transit Railroad, build a bridge over the Kill Van Kull at Elizabethport , and build other terminal facilities. The North Shore Branch opened for service on February 23, 1886, to Elm Park . The Saint George terminal opened on March 7, 1886, and all SIR lines were extended to

28386-441: Was overturned in July 2012 when Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the ad of the American Freedom Defense Initiative is protected speech under the First Amendment , and that the MTA's actions were unconstitutional . The judge held in a 35-page opinion that the rejected ad was "not only protected speech — it is core political speech ... [which as such]

28557-456: Was re-appointed in 2017 and resigned on November 9, 2018. The MTA considers itself to be the largest regional public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere. As of 2018, its agencies serve a region of approximately 15.3 million people spread over 5,000 square miles (13,000 km) in 12 counties in New York and two in Connecticut. MTA agencies now move about 8.6 million customers per day (translating to 2.65 billion rail and bus customers

28728-494: Was recovered in fares (the lowest ratio of MTA agencies). The low farebox recovery ratio is part of the reason the MTA sought to merge the SIR with the subway to form MTA Subways in October 2002: to simplify accounting and subsidy of a single line. Before the 1997 introduction of the one-fare zone, with the MetroCard's free transfers from the SIR to the subway system and MTA buses, fares were collected from passengers boarding at stops other than St. George by onboard conductors. In

28899-545: Was renamed MTA New York City Transit to seem less authoritarian, Metro–North Commuter Railroad was renamed MTA Metro-North Railroad to recognize the increase in non-commuter ridership. The MTA logo was changed from a two-toned "M" logo, to a blue circle with the MTA initials written in perspective, as if they were rushing by like a train. The large "M" logos on trains and buses were replaced with decals that state MTA New York City Bus, MTA New York City Subway or MTA Staten Island Railway, eliminating inconsistencies in signage. Today,

29070-409: Was scheduled for release in 2018, would include real-time arrival information for all subway and bus routes, as well as weekend service changes and travel planners. In April 2018, the MTA started testing MYmta , which provides arrival information for MTA railroad, subway, and bus routes; escalator and elevator outage information; and real-time service changes. The app also includes an improved version of

29241-408: Was taken over by the New York Dock Railway in September 1979, and ended the following year. Only a few isolated industries on Staten Island continued to use rail services, and the yard at Saint George was essentially abandoned. In April 1985, as a result of a decline in freight traffic, the Chessie System sold the Staten Island Railway to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (NYS&W),

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