Increasingly in recent years, the Roosevelt Island Tram emerged as a tourist attraction. Long a reliable commuter resource, until the pandemic hit, it became a hybrid. Riders climb aboard, these days, with a wider range of perspectives.
On Monday, RIOC lifted ridership limits to 55, and we caught a cabin easing west in the direction of 2nd Avenue. Read all about the Roosevelt Island Tram, right here.
You Can’t Be All Three
Transit for the city, an attraction for visitors, and a liability on the Island’s books. The tram is already part of the MTA system. The only question is whether RIOC is ready to admit it.
April 9, 2026, during the full board meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, Fay Christian said something that should have landed harder than it did. She wished RIOC were not responsible for the tram. Then she asked what it would look like if it were given to the MTA. That was not a passing comment.
