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Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York (MTA) is a public benefit corporation
responsible for public transportation in the U.S. state
of New York
, serving 12 counties in southeastern 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 800,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.
. The MCTA changed its name to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1968 when it took over operations of the New York City Transit Authority
(NYCTA) and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), now MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and MTA Bridges and Tunnels (B&T) respectively. Between 1971 and 1972 it assumed operation of Penn Central's New Haven, Hudson and Harlem commuter rail lines, which were given over to Conrail in 1976 and re-acquired in 1982 and operated as Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
, including all five boroughs of New York City
, the suburban counties of Dutchess
, Nassau
, Orange
, Putnam
, Rockland
, Suffolk
and Westchester
, all of which together are the "Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD)". Joseph Lhota has been nominated to replace Jay Walder
as Chairman and CEO of the MTA on October 21, 2011 by Governor Cuomo. Nuria Fernandez has also been nominated as Chief Operating Officer.
The MTA is the largest public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere. Its agencies serve 14.6 million people spread over 5,000 square miles (13,000 km²) from New York City through southeastern New York State (including Long Island
and the lower Hudson Valley
), and Connecticut. MTA agencies now move more than 2.6 billion rail and bus customers a year and employ approximately 70,000 workers.
) successors to the property of private companies that provided substantially the same services.
Each of these Related Entities has a popular name and in some cases, a former, legal name. The popular names were part of an overall corporate identification effort in 1994 to eliminate the confusion over the affiliations of the various "authorities" that were part of the MTA. Legal names have since only been used for legal documents, such as contracts, and have not been used publicly; however, since 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.
and each of the counties in its service area.
Members are nominated by the Governor of New York
, with four recommended by New York City’s mayor, and one each by the county executives of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. Each of these members has one vote.
The executives of the northern counties of Dutchess, Orange
, Rockland, and Putnam
also nominate a member each, but these members cast one collective vote. The Board also has six rotating nonvoting seats held by representatives of organized labor and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, which serves as a voice for users of MTA transit and commuter facilities.
All board members are confirmed by the New York State Senate
.
market, money from these taxes has severely decreased; in 2010, tax revenue fell at least 20% short of the projected value . Beyond this, steadily reducing support from city and state governments has led to borrowing money by issuing bonds, which has contributed heavily to the debt that is present today .
. New York City Subway
fares have been increased three times since 2008, with the most recent occurring December 30, 2010, raising single-ride fares from $2.25 to $2.50 and the monthly MetroCard
fare from $89 to $104 . Each fare raise has been 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 (see http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_approves_massive_service_cuts_ld0ihDzwNAygo2Hw9S0zlM). Fewer trains spaced farther between has resulted in heavy overcrowding beyond normal rush hours . leading to frustration for many subway and bus riders.
MTA employees have also suffered due to the budget issues. By mid-July of 2010 MTA layoffs had reached over 1000, and many of those affected were low-level employees who made less than $55,000 annually .
Public benefit corporation
A public-benefit corporation is a public corporation chartered by a state designed to perform some public benefit.A public authority is a type of public-benefit corporation that takes on a more bureaucratic role, such as the maintenance of public infrastructure, that often has broad powers to...
responsible for public transportation in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, serving 12 counties in southeastern New York, along with two counties in southwestern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
under contract to the Connecticut Department of Transportation
Connecticut Department of Transportation
The Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The current Commissioner of ConnDOT is Jeffrey Parker...
, carrying over 11 million passengers on an average weekday systemwide, and over 800,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels per weekday.
History
Chartered by the New York State Legislature in 1965 as the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA) it initially was created to purchase and operate the bankrupt Long Island Rail RoadLong Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
. The MCTA changed its name to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1968 when it took over operations of the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
(NYCTA) and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), now MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and MTA Bridges and Tunnels (B&T) respectively. Between 1971 and 1972 it assumed operation of Penn Central's New Haven, Hudson and Harlem commuter rail lines, which were given over to Conrail in 1976 and re-acquired in 1982 and operated as Metro-North Commuter Railroad.
Responsibilities and service area
The MTA has the responsibility for developing and implementing a unified mass transportation policy for The New York metropolitan areaNew York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...
, including all five boroughs of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the suburban counties of Dutchess
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
, Nassau
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, Orange
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
, Rockland
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
, Suffolk
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
and Westchester
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, all of which together are the "Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD)". Joseph Lhota has been nominated to replace Jay Walder
Jay Walder
Jay Walder is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, the largest transit agency in the United States. The positions of chairman and CEO of the authority were recently merged...
as Chairman and CEO of the MTA on October 21, 2011 by Governor Cuomo. Nuria Fernandez has also been nominated as Chief Operating Officer.
The MTA is the largest public transportation provider in the Western Hemisphere. Its agencies serve 14.6 million people spread over 5,000 square miles (13,000 km²) from New York City through southeastern New York State (including Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and the lower Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
), and Connecticut. MTA agencies now move more than 2.6 billion rail and bus customers a year and employ approximately 70,000 workers.
Related entities
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 a number of previously existing agencies which have come under the MTA umbrella. In turn, these previously existing agencies were (with the exception of MTA Bridges and Tunnels and MTA Capital ConstructionMTA Capital Construction
MTA Capital Construction was formed in July 2003 to manage major capital projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, USA. It mainly focuses on improving transportation infrastructure and facilities in the New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island areas.-External...
) successors to the property of private companies that provided substantially the same services.
Each of these Related Entities has a popular name and in some cases, a former, legal name. The popular names were part of an overall corporate identification effort in 1994 to eliminate the confusion over the affiliations of the various "authorities" that were part of the MTA. Legal names have since only been used for legal documents, such as contracts, and have not been used publicly; however, since 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.
Subsidiary agencies
- MTA Long Island Rail RoadLong Island Rail RoadThe Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
(LIRR)
(legal name - no longer used publicly: The Long Island Rail Road Company) - MTA Metro-North RailroadMetro-North RailroadThe Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
(MNR)
(legal name - no longer used publicly: Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company) - MTA Staten Island RailwayStaten Island RailwayThe Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway or SIR, is the operator of the lone rapid transit line in the borough of Staten Island, New York City, USA...
(SIR)
(legal name - no longer used publicly: Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority) - MTA Bridges and Tunnels (MTA B&T)
(legal name - no longer publicly used: Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority) - MTA Capital ConstructionMTA Capital ConstructionMTA Capital Construction was formed in July 2003 to manage major capital projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, USA. It mainly focuses on improving transportation infrastructure and facilities in the New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island areas.-External...
(MTACC)
(legal name used) - MTA Regional Bus OperationsMTA Regional Bus OperationsMTA Regional Bus Operations is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations operated by the MTA.-History:...
(legal name - not publicly used; but rather trading as):- Long Island Bus (or LI Bus)
(former legal name - Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority) - MTA BusMTA Bus CompanyMTA Bus Company is a service of MTA Regional Bus Operations used on routes previously controlled by the New York City Department of Transportation , and operated by private operators that provided service under contract to the NYCDOT...
(legal name - sometimes used publicly: MTA Bus Company) - MTA New York City BusNew York City Transit busesNew York City Transit buses, marked on the buses MTA New York City Bus, is a bus service that operates in all five boroughs of New York City, employing over 4300 buses on 219 routes within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States...
(former legal name - New York City Transit Department of Buses)- Select Bus ServiceSelect Bus ServiceSelect Bus Service , marked on the buses as +selectbusservice, is a brand used by MTA Regional Bus Operations for bus rapid transit service.-History:...
(the Bus Rapid Transit brand for MTA New York City Bus)
- Select Bus Service
- Long Island Bus (or LI Bus)
Affiliate agencies
- MTA New York City TransitNew York City Transit AuthorityThe New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
(NYCT)
(legal name - no longer publicly used: New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating AuthorityManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating AuthorityThe Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority is a subsidiary of the New York City Transit Authority that was created in 1962 to take over bus services from the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, Inc...
) (MaBSTOA). NOTE: The Bus division is now managed under Regional Bus.
Governance
The MTA is governed by a 17-member board representing the 5 boroughs of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and each of the counties in its service area.
Members are nominated by the Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, with four recommended by New York City’s mayor, and one each by the county executives of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. Each of these members has one vote.
The executives of the northern counties of Dutchess, Orange
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, Rockland, and Putnam
Putnam County, New York
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the lower Hudson River Valley. Putnam county formed in 1812, when it detached from Dutchess County. , the population was 99,710. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The county seat is the hamlet of Carmel...
also nominate a member each, but these members cast one collective vote. The Board also has six rotating nonvoting seats held by representatives of organized labor and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, which serves as a voice for users of MTA transit and commuter facilities.
All board members are confirmed by the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
.
Budget Issues
The budget deficit of the MTA is a growing crisis for the organization as well as New York city and state residents and legislature. The MTA currently holds $31 billion in debt and it also suffers from a $900 million gap in its operating budget for 2011 .Causes
The MTA has consistently run on a deficit, but increased spending in 2000-2004 coupled with the economic downturn has led to a severe increase in the financial burden that the MTA bears. The current budget problems stems from multiple sources. The MTA cannot be supported solely by rider fares and road tolls. In 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 has helped to contain the deficit. However, due to the weak economy and unstable real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
market, money from these taxes has severely decreased; in 2010, tax revenue fell at least 20% short of the projected value . Beyond this, steadily reducing support from city and state governments has led to borrowing money by issuing bonds, which has contributed heavily to the debt that is present today .
Results
This budget deficit has resulted in various problems, mainly concentrated in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
fares have been increased three times since 2008, with the most recent occurring December 30, 2010, raising single-ride fares from $2.25 to $2.50 and the monthly MetroCard
MetroCard
The MetroCard is the payment method for the New York City Subway rapid transit system; New York City Transit buses, including routes operated by Atlantic Express under contract to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority ; MTA Bus, and MTA Long Island Bus systems; the PATH subway system; the...
fare from $89 to $104 . Each fare raise has been 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 (see http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mta_approves_massive_service_cuts_ld0ihDzwNAygo2Hw9S0zlM). Fewer trains spaced farther between has resulted in heavy overcrowding beyond normal rush hours . leading to frustration for many subway and bus riders.
MTA employees have also suffered due to the budget issues. By mid-July of 2010 MTA layoffs had reached over 1000, and many of those affected were low-level employees who made less than $55,000 annually .
External links
- NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority home page
- Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA
- NYPIRG Straphangers' Campaign, a transit rider's advocacy group
- MTA's YouTube Video Information Channel
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Facebook General Information Web Link
- The MTA's Metro-North Railroad Facebook Information Web Link
- The MTA's Bridges And Tunnels Facebook Information Web Link
- The MTA's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Facebook Information Web Link
- The MTA's New York City Transit (NYCT) Facebook Information Web Link
- The MTA's New York City Transit Museum (Brooklyn) Facebook Information Web Link