Metropolitan Transportation Authority facts for kids

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a government-chartered corporation that operates public transportation in the U.S. state of New York. The MTA runs buses and trains in 12 counties in southeastern New York. It also runs in two counties in southwestern Connecticut. On weekdays, about 11 million passengers use MTA buses and trains. Over 800,000 vehicles use its seven tolled bridges and two tunnels daily.

History

The MTA was chartered by the New York state government in 1965. In 1965, it was called the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority (MCTA). The MTCA was made by Governor Nelson Rockefeller to buy and run the Long Island Rail Road, which run out of money. The MCTA became the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1968. In 1968, it combined the operations of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), which are now MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) and MTA Bridges and Tunnels (B&T).

The MTA also took the lease of the Penn Central Transportation's Hudson, Harlem and New Haven commuter rail lines until 1976. In 1976, Conrail took over Penn Central. The MTA did not run these commuter rail lines by itself until 1983. In 1983, it formed the Metro-North Commuter Railroad from the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

MTA Bridges and Tunnels is the largest bridge and tunnel toll agency in the United States. More than a million people use its bridges and tunnels each day. MTA Bridges and Tunnels collect $900 million from tolls each year.

The seven bridges are:

• Triborough Bridge, connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Randalls and Wards Islands (Manhattan)
• Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, connecting the Bronx and Queens
• Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island
• Throgs Neck Bridge, connecting the Bronx and Queens
• Henry Hudson Bridge, connecting Manhattan and the Bronx
• Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and the Rockaways (Queens)
• Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, connecting Broad Channel to the Rockaways (Queens)

The two tunnels are:

• Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan
• Queens-Midtown Tunnel, connecting Queens and Manhattan

New York City Transit Authority

The New York City Transit Authority has 7 million riders per day, or over 2 billion a year.

The NYCTA runs:

• The New York City Subway, a subway system in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens
• The Staten Island Railway, a subway line in Staten Island
• The New York City Bus, a bus network in all five boroughs of New York City

Images for kids

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  Current MTA headquarters, 2 Broadway

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  MTA Bus Time app on an iPhone.

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  OMNY Payment System for Subway Trains

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  An MTA employee performs maintenance on a B Train bound for Brighton Beach after a brake malfunction on October 25, 2021.

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  Stairs in the Times Square–42nd Street station painted with the slogan, "If you see something, say something."

See also

In Spanish: Autoridad Metropolitana del Transporte para niños