Adapting infrastructure to the impacts of a changing climate
It's imperative that the MTA network is protected in the long term from climate impacts. Transit is the best way to get around the New York region, and the best way to a greener future. Shoring up our system through climate resilience helps keep our subways, buses, railroads, bridges, and tunnels—and our customers—safe.
Climate Resilience Roadmap
In spring 2024, we released the Climate Resilience Roadmap that describes how we will adapt our systems to climate change over the next ten years. Based on a vulnerability assessment that incorporates current and future climate risks, the Climate Resilience Roadmap outlines ten goals that will reduce exposure to coastal storm surge, sea level rise, torrential rain and extreme heat.
Rebuilding since Superstorm Sandy
In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy inundated our transit system. Subway tunnels flooded, tracks were washed out, and crucial parts of our infrastructure—including signals and electrical systems—were damaged by corrosive saltwater.
In the wake of the storm, we embarked on a $7.6 billion plan to repair damage from Sandy and ensure our system is able to withstand even bigger storms in the future. Storm surge is not the only way the system can flood, but the corrosive effects of saltwater make it even more destructive than heavy rain or melting snow.
Learn more about some of the projects we have completed in the past decade to keep New York moving.
Protecting our system from future storms
Post-storm assessments
The MTA regularly evaluates impacts of major storms on its systems. Selected examples include: