MTA Archives - State of the Planet

A crowded subway train in New York City

Tackling Crowd Management in Subways During Pandemics

Columbia researchers are working with the MTA to develop machine learning and traffic models to optimize traffic flow during pandemics.

by Holly Evarts |December 16, 2022

Congestion Pricing is Stuck in New York’s Political Traffic

The subway system requires new signals, switches, cars, and expanded routes. While congestion pricing can’t pay for all of that, it can help.

by |June 13, 2022

Let’s Build a Train From Brooklyn to Queens and Someday to the Bronx

Let’s build that interborough train line and once it’s up and running, build a second phase to the Bronx.

by |January 10, 2022

New York’s Overly Political Approach to Mass Transit

The time for a comprehensive fix for this region’s mass transit is long overdue.

by |January 28, 2019
home being elevated

New York Is Still Feeling the Effects of Hurricane Sandy, Five Years Later

In October 2012, Sandy devastated large swaths of the city with floods and fire. How well have we recovered? And will we be ready for the next big storm?

by |October 23, 2017

Going Electric Adds up to a Good Idea for NYC Buses

New York City Transit is considering adding electric buses to its fleet. The purchase price of electric buses is higher than for diesel buses-, but using them would reduce harmful emissions. So is this a good idea?

by |May 31, 2016

How to Rethink Urban Transit, and Pay for It, Too

“We have conflated mobility with access, but mobility is not the same as access. The best solution to a transportation problem is to not have to travel. The city itself was invented as a solution to a transportation problem. We have cities so we don’t have to travel.”

by |April 19, 2016