Tri-State Regional Rail Authority

Forging a New Governance Model for Regional Rail

The technical challenges of through-running at Penn Station—power systems, signal integration, rolling stock—are all solvable engineering problems. The single greatest threat to a modern, unified regional rail network is not concrete or code; it is a century of institutional inertia and fragmented governance.

Amtrak, the MTA, and NJ TRANSIT have historically operated as independent fiefdoms, each with its own priorities, funding streams, and political loyalties. This structure makes true regional coordination nearly impossible. As MTA CEO Janno Lieber's recent public frustrations with Amtrak on the Penn Access project demonstrate, even contractually-obligated cooperation can break down, leading to costly delays and finger-pointing.

"Inefficiency due to lack of interagency cooperation can result in higher administrative and congestion costs... To achieve organizational change across multi-agency functions requires a holistic strategic plan."

— U.S. Federal Highway Administration, "Elements of Business Rules and Decision Support Systems"

This is not a new problem, but it has reached a crisis point. With a federal mandate to re-evaluate operations and a generational investment in the Gateway Program on the line, we cannot afford to have the project's success held hostage by inter-agency rivalries. A world-class rail network requires world-class governance.

The Solution: A Tri-State Regional Rail Authority

The only way to "lock in" the victory of through-running and ensure its long-term success is to build a new institution with the power and mandate to manage the unified system. Drawing on best practices from global cities and guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation, I am advocating for the creation of an empowered, independent **Tri-State Regional Rail Authority** via a new interstate compact between New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

This is not another layer of bureaucracy. It is a purpose-built entity designed to replace chaos with coordination. Its core mandate would be to:

Implement Unified Operations: Have the final say on scheduling, dispatching, and track usage to run a seamless, high-frequency through-running service that prioritizes the rider experience over individual agency convenience.
Drive a Unified Customer Experience: Oversee integrated fare policy, real-time information systems, and consistent branding across the entire regional network. A trip from Stamford to Secaucus should feel like one system, because it is.
Lead Integrated Capital Planning: Prioritize and sequence capital projects based on what delivers the most benefit to the entire network, not just one part of it.
Enforce Accountability: Serve as a single point of accountability for the public and elected officials, with transparent performance metrics for reliability, on-time performance, and customer satisfaction.

The federal takeover of Penn Station created a once-in-a-century opening. We have the right technical plan and the right operational leader in Andy Byford. Now is the moment to build the permanent governance structure that ensures their work endures for generations.