Outside of New York City, the tri-state region has the three busiest commuter rail systems in the country as well as bus systems that serve millions of local, regional, and long-distance trips. Funding for these transit systems has not kept pace with growing demand, and in some cases has been drastically cut. NJ Transit, Metro-North, and the Long Island Rail Road all need to scale up their operations. These agencies must carry out the specific capital projects outlined in this report, become more innovative and better funded, and coordinate their policies. NJ Transit’s bus system, along with systems like NICE Bus in Nassau County, Bee-Line in Westchester, and Suffolk Transit also need more resources to improve service, adopt on-demand transit options, and be prepared for autonomous vehicle technologies.
