Original Penn Station (1910)
About Us
Our Mission
The New York metropolitan region has long enjoyed one of the most diverse mass transit networks in the world. However, the ambition and ingenuity that once put New York at the forefront of transportation infrastructure is no longer present in our transit-based planning. Where we once strove to build palaces dedicated to railroads, we now make piecemeal plans that often become delayed, scaled back, and forgotten.
Real Transit launched in 2012 with the mission of advocating for the wide-scale renewal of the metropolitan region’s transportation infrastructure. Where transit-based planning has become an unimaginative process of maintaining the status quo, Real Transit champions bold and creative proposals for the future.
Responsible transit investments require that government agencies look beyond the immediate future when considering the scale of proposed improvements and the desired impact on affected populations. To that end, minor improvements to transit networks will have only minor benefits for the growing population of riders in the region. It is important to think big when making large capital contributions to the transportation infrastructure of the largest city in the nation. Where poor planning and aging infrastructure poses sizable challenges, we provide
Our Executive Staff
Matthew Handler, President
Matthew Handler is President of Real Transit, the metropolitan region’s newest independent transit policy, research, and advocacy group. Handler authored Real Transit’s The Hudson Terminal Plan, A Bold Transit Proposal for New York and New Jersey's Long-Term Prosperity, and has authored and co-authored papers and articles on infrastructure and planning for the five boroughs and the metropolitan region.
E-mail: matthew@realtransit.org
Adam Handler, Chief Policy Analyst
Adam Handler is the Chief Policy Analyst of Real Transit. He co-authored Real Transit’s The Hudson Terminal Plan and is currently overseeing Real Transit’s second publication, which focuses on the future of Stewart International Airport.
E-mail: adam@realtransit.org
Daniel Isaacs, Transportation Policy Analyst
Daniel Isaacs is the Transportation Policy Analyst of Real Transit. During the past year, Daniel has taken a leading role in studying the future of the metropolitan region’s transportation infrastructure. He has significant interest and background in transit-based policy and analysis.
E-mail: dan@realtransit.org
L.T. Mcateer, Historian
L.T. Mcateer is Real Transit’s historian and lead researcher. He is a lifelong resident of New York City and has published several articles documenting the history of New York’s diverse transportation infrastructure. L.T. received his B.A. in History with a specialization in Urban Studies from Wesleyan University in 2001.
E-mail: lt@realtransit.org
Joseph Manteria, Chief Engineering Analyst
Joseph Manteria is Chief Engineering Analyst of Real Transit. Joseph has spent over 30 years working as an engineer in various roles for Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Long Island Railroad, and New York City Transit.
E-mail: joseph@realtransit.org
In The News
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