"Mass transit is the lifeblood of New York, and a 21st century city must protect and improve its mass transit infrastructure…New York has a natural advantage in this seemingly daunting task. We begin with an extraordinary enterprising spirit, unparalleled resiliency and a long history of engineering the impossible."
"When you look at the MTA’s network today, it’s easy to forget that we’re still recovering from Superstorm Sandy. Despite the fact that we’ve fought our way back—working non-stop, day and night—to serve all 5,000 square miles of our network, we still have years just to get back to where we were the day before Sandy struck. And all this work comes on top of another monumental job we’re tackling head-on: fortifying our network to prepare for big storms in the future. Because the fact is, extreme weather events are occurring more frequently, and will continue to occur more frequently. That’s why forums like this are critically important; they bring us together to share best practices and learn from one another. That makes all of us—and our organizations—better."
Public transportation is a powerful force to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Yet as New York saw during Superstorm Sandy, climate change can take a devastating toll on public transportation. That’s why making the Metropolitan Transportation Authority network more resilient against extreme weather is both a short-term tactic to keep service running and a long-term strategy to fight climate change.
By systemizing, improving, and expanding its efficiencies over the long term, the MTA can serve as a national model and regional platform for sustainable growth in the 21st century.