Tri-State Transportation Campaign

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) is a non-profit advocacy and policy organization that seeks to reduce car and truck dependency in downstate New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.^[1] Its stated mission is to promote a "more balanced, environmentally sound and equitable transportation network." TSTC's methods include political and media advocacy, a self-published blog ("Mobilizing the Region"), original research, and community organizing.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Company type	Non-profit
Industry	Non-profit and activism
Founded	1993
Headquarters	New York, New York , United States
Key people	Renae Reynolds (Executive Director)[1]
Revenue	321,962 United States dollar (2016)
Total assets	500,325 United States dollar (2022)
Website	www.tstc.org

History

TSTC was launched in the early 1990s by a coalition of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut environmental and planning organizations. The founders were concerned about the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life implications of increasing auto and truck dependence in the metropolitan area. They believed the 1991 ISTEA created new opportunities to advocate for sustainable state transportation policy.^[2] The fourteen founding member organizations included the Regional Plan Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign, among others.^[2] The Campaign's 1993 founding document, the "Citizens Action Plan," established a goal of reducing regional vehicle miles traveled by 15% by 2007 through improved transit, economic incentives for efficient road use, and land use measures that promote development near transit centers.^[2] The Campaign hired staff in 1993 and incorporated as an independent non-profit corporation in 1994.

Current Advocacy and Programs

Street Safety and Vision Zero

TSTC works to eliminate traffic fatalities and chairs the Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance, a coalition of safety advocates and community groups.^[3] The alliance advocated for a state bill to establish a "Target Zero Commission" tasked with creating a statewide action plan to end roadway deaths. The bill passed the state legislature in December 2024 and was signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy in January 2025.^[4] In New York City, the organization has pushed for street safety plans in neighborhoods such as Astoria, Queens.^[1]

Public Transit and Commuting

The organization campaigns for improvements to public transit service. In 2022, TSTC's "Bidding for a Better Bee-Line" campaign published a report criticizing Westchester County's bus system for its non-competitive contract with operator Liberty Lines, which it argued resulted in high costs and poor service.^[5] Following this advocacy, in 2023 the county issued a new, competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) for the bus contract for the first time, which included new performance metrics.^[6] TSTC is also a supporter of congestion pricing in New York City and helped organize the New Jersey Bus Riders Council.^[1]

Regional rail and Penn Station advocacy

In June 2022, TSTC published a comprehensive report, "From Here to There: Regional Rail for Metro New York," authored by its then-Policy and Communications Manager, Liam Blank.^[7][8] The report advocated for a shift from a terminal-oriented commuter model—which primarily serves suburban commuters traveling to Manhattan—to an integrated, all-day regional rail network similar to those in London and Paris.^[8][9] The goal was to create a more seamless transit experience, allowing riders to travel easily across state lines and to multiple job centers throughout the tri-state area. The report argued this shift would boost ridership and economic opportunity by making transit more accessible to a wider population beyond traditional 9-to-5 commuters.^[8] A central element of the report was a detailed proposal conceived by Blank, named "The Tri-State Solution," focused on Penn Station.^[9] The plan, described by observers as synthesizing concepts previously developed internally by the MTA and NJ Transit, proposed a hybrid operational model for the station.^[10] It called for widening platforms in the station's central core to facilitate efficient through-running, while adding a new platform and two tracks in a limited southern expansion designed to minimize demolition of the surrounding block.^[9] Proponents estimated the cost at under $7 billion, presenting it as a more than $9 billion savings compared to Amtrak's preferred southern expansion plan, which was projected to cost up to $16.7 billion.^[10] The proposal became a prominent counter-narrative in the public debate over how to accommodate increased train capacity from the Gateway Program tunnels, which is a crucial component of any regional rail plan.^[8] In June 2022, Amtrak announced it had hired the Arup Group to lead the design and engineering for the southern expansion project.^[9] At a public forum hosted by the Regional Plan Association and the Municipal Art Society in August 2024, consultants for Amtrak presented an analysis concluding that the Tri-State plan fell 13 trains short of the required 48 train-per-hour capacity goal.^[11] According to its 2023 Form 990 tax filing, RPA's "Build Gateway Now" advocacy coalition, which supports the Gateway Program (including the Penn South Expansion), was operating under a recently renewed and increased 18-month, $500,000 grant from Amtrak that had begun in January 2024.^[12] The analysis presented at the forum drew criticism, with press reports and advocates alleging that the consultants had altered the plan's parameters in their model, thereby reducing its calculated effectiveness.^[10] The core concepts of the TSTC proposal were subsequently included as a distinct "Hybrid" alternative by planning agencies in the formal environmental review process for the Penn Station Capacity Expansion project.^[13]

Climate and Sustainability

TSTC advocates for the electrification of public transit. As a member of the ElectrifyNY coalition, it has campaigned for the "Clean Deliveries Act," proposed state legislation to regulate emissions from e-commerce warehouses.^[14] This work occurs in the context of New York State's 2022 adoption of the "Advance Clean Cars II" rule, which requires all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035.^[1]

Transportation Equity and Justice

As part of the Alfresco NYC coalition, along with groups like the American Institute of Architects NY, TSTC advocated for making New York City's temporary outdoor dining program permanent.^[15] The organization worked with city officials on the design and implementation of the permanent "Dining Out NYC" program, which launched in 2024.^[16]

Historic Campaign Priorities

Historically, TSTC has focused on reducing funding for road expansion and increasing investment in mass transit. Reducing funding for road expansion: The organization has persuaded officials to cancel or reduce the scope of projects including Route 92 in New Jersey, the Cross-Westchester Expressway in New York, and the expansion of the Goethals Bridge. In 2009, TSTC sued the NJ Department of Environmental Protection over its approval of environmental permits for a project to widen the Garden State Parkway.^[17] Increasing funding for mass transit: TSTC has consistently advocated for increased subsidies for transit operations. In 2010, it opposed fare increases for NJ Transit^[18] and service cuts for New York's MTA.^[19] Reforming state transportation agencies: The organization's analysis of spending in New Jersey has been credited with contributing to a significant reduction in the state's spending on new highway capacity. In the mid-1990s, over 50 percent of the NJDOT's capital budget was spent on highway expansion; by 2008, that figure had fallen to 1.5 percent. Complete Streets: TSTC was a lead advocate for the passage of New York’s Complete Streets law in 2012 and has campaigned for similar local policies in New Jersey and Connecticut.