Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a public benefit corporation in New York State. It helps people travel around the New York City metropolitan area by managing many different kinds of public transportation.

The MTA is the biggest public transit system in North America. It serves 12 counties in Downstate New York and also helps two counties in southwestern Connecticut. Every day, more than 11 million people use the MTA’s buses, subways, and trains. The MTA also manages seven toll bridges and two tunnels, where over 850,000 vehicles pass each weekday.

History

Founding

In February 1965, New York governor Nelson Rockefeller suggested creating an authority to manage the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The LIRR was struggling financially and had been under bankruptcy protection since 1949. On June 1, 1965, the state legislature officially created the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA) to take over the LIRR. Governor Rockefeller appointed William J. Ronan as its leader. The state bought the LIRR from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $65 million, with payments made in late 1965 and early 1966.

Around the same time, Rockefeller and Connecticut governor John N. Dempsey discussed plans to help the struggling New Haven Line by having it operated by the New York Central Railroad. They suggested leasing the line for 99 years, with both states working together.

Expanded purview

In January 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay suggested combining the city's bus and subway system (New York City Transit Authority) with the toll bridges and tunnels operator (Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority). Governor Rockefeller supported expanding the MCTA into a larger regional transit authority. In May 1967, Rockefeller signed a bill allowing the MCTA to manage transit policies for the New York City area. The following March, the MCTA took over several transit systems, including the LIRR, city buses and subways, toll bridges and tunnels, and commuter rail services.

On March 1, 1968, the MCTA changed its name to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA also took on projects like building new bridges over the Long Island Sound. In 1971, the MTA took over the Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway and began modernizing it. The MTA also took over operations of several rail lines, including the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines, which are now part of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad.

Responsibilities and service area

The MTA is in charge of public transportation in the New York metropolitan area. This includes all five boroughs of New York City and the suburban counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester.

In January 2022, Janno Lieber became the leader of the MTA. The MTA is the largest public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere. It serves around 15.3 million people across 5,000 square miles. Every weekday, the MTA moves about 8.6 million people and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels.

Subsidiaries and affiliates

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) manages its work through several groups that help it run public transportation. These groups are called "The Related Entities." Most of these groups used to be separate agencies but are now part of the MTA.

In 1994, the MTA changed the names of its five main groups to make them easier to understand. Many people didn’t know that the MTA owned services like the Long Island Rail Road or the Metro-North Railroad. The changes included renaming the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority to MTA Bridges and Tunnels, and the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority to MTA Long Island Bus. The MTA also updated its logo to a blue circle with the MTA initials.

Today, each of these groups has a common name that is used most of the time. The older legal names are only used for official documents.

Subsidiary agencies

• MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
• MTA Metro-North Railroad (MNR)
• MTA Grand Central Madison Concourse (GCMC)
• MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR)
• MTA Construction and Development (MTAC&D)
• MTA Regional Bus Operations, which includes:
  • MTA Bus
  • MTA New York City Bus
• First Mutual Transportation Assurance Company

Affiliate agencies

• MTA Bridges and Tunnels (MTA B&T)
• MTA New York City Transit (NYCT)

Former subsidiaries

• MTA Long Island Bus, now operated by Nassau Inter-County Express.
• Metropolitan Airports Authority, which operated Republic Airport and Stewart Airport from 1969–1981.

Governance

The MTA is led by a board with 21 members. These members represent the five parts of New York City, the counties it serves, and groups of workers and riders. There are 14 members who can vote, with some voting together as a group. Others can only give advice but cannot vote.

Some board members are chosen by the governor of New York, others by the mayor of New York City, and some by leaders of different counties like Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Putnam. These leaders help pick members who represent their areas. The board also includes people who represent workers and customers but cannot vote. All board members need approval from the New York State Senate.

Board chair position

Sometimes, the leader of the MTA board also acts as the main boss, but this is not always the case. In 2009, these jobs were combined, but they were separated again in 2017. In 2019, they were combined once more. The current leader holds both jobs.

Board members

Here is a list of the current members of the MTA Board.