Who would pay for a railroad that crossed the Hudson?
A regional rail plan reached the state legislatures. Why did the new transit district never exist?
Explore the caseRegional governance timeline
THE HISTORY OF DECISIONS NEW YORK · NEW JERSEY · CONNECTICUT
Follow the decisions that shaped a divided transportation region.
Regional transportation institutions took shape through agreements and disagreements over money, jurisdiction, representation and operating control. This chronology follows those decisions across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, with links to the reporting and records behind them.
Begin with a historical conflict below, or use the complete timeline to trace events by date. The companion newspaper archive preserves the reports themselves. Event dates describe when something happened; publication dates describe when its sources appeared.
THREE PATHS INTO THE RECORD
Start with a consequential question.
Read the history, follow dated turning points, then examine the original evidence.
How did a regional planning commission lose its region?
Why could eleven affirmative votes fail to approve a regional plan—and how did the commission disappear?
Explore the caseWhat did a through train at Penn Station actually prove?
What did the football train demonstrate about coordinating railroads—and what remained untested?
Explore the caseArticles and other sources, arranged by publication date. Undated items appear separately.
580 items
1952
March 3, 1952
Planners Back Transit Study
RPA endorses the New York and New Jersey bills creating a metropolitan rapid-transit commission. Paul Windels argues that highway improvements cannot solve congestion without comparable rail investment and a region-…
August 2, 1952
Transit Commission Named By Driscoll
TRENTON, Aug. 1—The membership of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission was appointed today by Gov. Alfred E. Driscoll before his departure on a Maine vacation. State Senator David Van Alstyne, Republican of Eng…
1953
August 12, 1953
State Transit Unit Accused Of Inertia
The Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission was sharply criticized yesterday by City Planning Commissioner Goodhue Livingston Jr. for "dragging its feet." Mr. Livingston indicated that the transit agency, set up by th…
August 12, 1953
November 12, 1953
November 13, 1953
November 13, 1953
November 13, 1953
November 14, 1953
December 1, 1953
Regional Planning
The hearings held before the New York Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission, with a twin commission from New Jersey sitting in, renewed interest in the desirability of seeing the region's mass transportation needs w…
1954
March 28, 1954
October 19, 1954
November 30, 1954
December 22, 1954
1955
January 5, 1955
January 14, 1955
January 16, 1955
February 21, 1955
Transit: There Is A History
Editor, Bergen Evening Record. Dear Sir: In your section entitled “Voice of the People” of the Saturday edition, February 12, there was a very interesting letter by a Mr. Walter Zullig Jr. of Maywood. In my opinion,…
February 24, 1955
August 2, 1955
Studying Rapid Transit
Governor Meyner's announcement that he will approve a $150,000 appropriation for the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission apparently clears the way at last for the completion of a well-financed study of New York-Ne…
August 4, 1955
August 15, 1955
August 15, 1955
August 15, 1955
August 19, 1955
August 25, 1955
Monmouth County Planning Board
The Monmouth County Planning Board has announced that it has adopted a resolution on the recommendation of their railroad transportation advisory committee, headed by Irving Feist of Shrewsbury, urging the newly-cre…
October 4, 1955
October 4, 1955
October 4, 1955
Norton Is Leader in Transit Field
Profile of Henry K. Norton, author of an aerial-transit plan presented to the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission. The clipping includes a Manhattan loop map, suburban feeder network, overhead-rail illustration an…
October 4, 1955
October 4, 1955
October 4, 1955
October 5, 1955
The New Transit Plan: Thinking Big
It is difficult with only brief opportunity for reflection to grasp the whole significance of the proposed aerial rapid transit plan for the Metropolitan Area. It is big: it is revolutionary; whether it would work i…
November 2, 1955
1956
March 3, 1956
March 14, 1956
March 14, 1956
April 16, 1956
April 17, 1956
May 10, 1956
May 15, 1956
May 15, 1956
May 16, 1956
May 24, 1956
July 5, 1956
August 24, 1956
12 Point Program For Queens Submitted To Transit Committee
The Queens Chamber of Commerce will present its 12-point Queens Transit Program, designed to meet the boough’s requirements for the next 50 years, to the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commission on Sept. 10th, accordin…
October 10, 1956
Narrowing Down The Transit Question
Neither the proposal for a regional transportation authority nor the proposal for community-supported rapid transit is new. Indeed, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Commissio…
October 10, 1956
Rapid Transit Costs Cut, Real Estate Board Told
Jersey City, Oct. 10 – Towns and cities of the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area will have to pay part of the bill for a new rapid-transit system, but they may find that the bill will be far less than they expec…
November 19, 1956
1957
May 23, 1957
May 23, 1957
May 23, 1957
May 25, 1957
June 4, 1957
Rapid Transit Loop Expensive But Officials Say It’s Needed
Teaneck - It looks expensive, but we really need it. This was just about the sentiment of 100 County leaders and other interested persons as they listened intently at the Town House to an outline of the proposed rap…
June 11, 1957
June 25, 1957
June 28, 1957
July 10, 1957
August 5, 1957
August 20, 1957
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