John R. Ross

Highly accomplished Transportation Strategic Planner with 36 years of experience.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Some parts look undeveloped in Troy, New York. Thank God the Amtrak station looks new.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@Colin_d_m I was just up there on Monday, for my grandson graduation. Some of those buildings remind me of Baltimore.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@Colin_d_m I was just up there on Monday, for my grandson graduation. Some of those buildings remind me of Baltimore.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

What's next for New York City!
Go @Yankees.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

The city demonstrated remarkable resilience and its true essence. The primary factor enabling this was the transportation system. They played a big role in all of this; they deserve to be acknowledged. Thanks again @nyknicks.
@stefanoschen @nytimes @bfurnas @Colin_d_m @EmpireStateBldg @espn @ABC7NY @LIRR @MTA @MTANewsroom @MetroNorth @NYCTBus @NYCkopp

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Knicks understood the assignment, word to the streets.
They locked in, handled business, and delivered that championship straight back to New York City — where it always belonged.
Big Apple on top again. That’s New York grit. 🏆🗽💯
@nyknicks @espn @NYCMayor @stefanoschen @GovKathyHochul @EmpireStateBldg

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@thequeenslink project plans.
https://t.co/PZkTUl5FcV

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

What an incredible view from my @Delta Air Lines flight from Georgia into LaGuardia!

Gazing down over Queens, I spotted the unfinished stretch of the historic LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch — the heart of the QueensLink Project. From 30,000 feet, this abandoned right-of-way already looks like it’s holding its breath, waiting to come back to life.

The QueensLink vision would finally deliver a true north-south transit artery: 4 new stations with seamless transfers to the A, J/Z, E/F/R, 7, and LIRR lines, while weaving in up to 33 acres of parks, protected bike paths, and green space along the corridor.

What a powerful reminder of how much untapped potential still exists in our city’s rail network — and how connected Queens (and all of New York) could become. Can’t wait to see this corridor wake up and start moving people again. 🚇🌳✈️
#QueensLink #NYCTransit @stefanoschen @bfurnas @nytimes @the_transit_guy @Colin_d_m @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice @LIRR @NYCTSubway @ABC7NY @CBSNewYork @NBCNewYork @JFKairport @thequeenslink

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@bryantparknyc It's a beautiful view from the @AmericanExpress Centurion New York on the 55th floor in @one_vanderbilt.
@EmpireStateBldg

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

For communities long shaped by disinvestment and isolation, the non-negotiable requirements of equitable mobility are ACCESS, TRUST, SPEED, and PROXIMITY. These four pillars are not optional amenities; they are the structural foundation upon which economic mobility, public safety, family stability, and neighborhood vitality are built.

ACCESS means direct, seamless connections to the region’s centers of employment, education, healthcare, and commerce—without forcing residents into lengthy, unreliable transfers or circuitous journeys that consume hours of their lives each week. TRUST is earned through predictable headways, clean and secure stations and vehicles, transparent operations, and a demonstrated institutional commitment to the communities served. SPEED respects the finite value of human time, delivering competitive door-to-door travel times that make public transit a rational choice rather than a last resort. PROXIMITY places high-quality service within comfortable walking distance of homes, schools, and job sites, eliminating the first- and last-mile barriers that render many “transit” proposals functionally inaccessible.

A light rail system engineered primarily as a shuttle—typically at-grade, with frequent stops, modest speeds, limited capacity, and minimal integration into the regional network—cannot satisfy these imperatives. It offers the appearance of investment while delivering incremental, localized movement that fails to unlock broader opportunity. In practice, such systems often replicate the very constraints they claim to solve: slow average speeds, vulnerability to traffic and weather, insufficient peak-hour capacity, and station spacing that still leaves many residents with long walks or additional transfers. The result is symbolic infrastructure that consumes capital and political capital without producing the transformative connectivity these communities have been denied for generations.

What these neighborhoods require—and what responsible planning demands—is high-capacity, grade-separated rapid transit that embodies the four principles at every scale of design. This means protected rights-of-way that enable true speed and reliability, station placement calibrated to actual walking radii and development patterns, seamless fare and schedule integration with the existing subway, bus, and regional rail networks, and the operational discipline to maintain headways and service quality over decades. Only then does transit cease to be a barrier and become an accelerator of opportunity.

Anything less is not progress. It is managed disappointment dressed in new technology.
@stefanoschen @nytimes @bfurnas @Colin_d_m @the_transit_guy @ABC7NY @CBSNewYork @NBCNewYork @NY1 @News12 @pete_manhattan @MTA @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice @MarkLevineNYC @Amtrak @LIRR @MetroNorth @GovKathyHochul

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

🗽 NEW YORK KNICKS — THIS IS OUR TIME 🗽
The Garden is shaking. The five boroughs are roaring. The Knicks are 3-1 up in the NBA Finals after one of the most insane comebacks in league history — down 29 points and still walked out of MSG with the W!
One more win. One more battle. Bring that Larry O’Brien Trophy home where it belongs.
KNICKS IN 6. OR LESS.
💙🧡🏆🔥
LET’S GO KNICKS!!!
New York Forever.
@stefanoschen @nytimes @nyknicks @MTA @NYCTSubway @NYCMayor @GovKathyHochul @Timberland @secret__nyc

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Rest easy New York the @nyknicks won tonight.
@nytimes @GrandCentralNYC @MetroNorth
@MTA @LIRR @NYCMayor @ABC7NY @ninapineda7
https://t.co/SNMSixZkAN

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@NYCMayor Alright @NYCMayor @nyknicks in game #5.

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Knicks fans, this is what New York basketball feels like. 🔥
The Knicks brought the fire, the fight, and that unbreakable championship energy straight home to the Big Apple 🍎💙🧡
From the roar shaking Madison Square Garden to every borough lighting up tonight, the city is alive with pride. Heart. Hustle. That signature New York grit that refuses to back down.
Proud of our team. Even prouder to be from the city that never sleeps — and never quits.
Let’s keep this wave rolling, New York. The Apple is shining brighter than ever tonight. 🗽🏆🏀.
@stefanoschen @nytimes @EmpireStateBldg
@AmericanExpress @Chase @NYCMayor @MTA @GovKathyHochul @nyknicks @gregmocker
Manhatt#Knicks #NewYorkForever #BigApplePride

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

#tbt, I remember those days driving the X25 from Grand Central Terminal to Wall Street. @scorsesemartin caught it perfectly in the "The Wolf of Wall Street."
#movieclips #greatvibes #positiveenergy #citylife #films #motivation @LeoDiCaprio @NYCTBus @MetroNorth @LIRR @GrandCentralNYC 🎥.
@stefanoschen @nytimes

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

@MTA @Derrick_NYC @nyknicks That New York vibe hits different every single time. The grit, the glow, the stories echoing off every block… it’s pure magic. @NYCTSubway really hooked up this subway to be a icon. Let's see if @LEGO_Group going to make it happen.
@ninapineda7 @ABC7NY @nyknicks @nytimes

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Hell yeah — that New York vibe hits different every single time. The grit, the glow, the stories echoing off every block… it’s pure magic.
@ninapineda7 @stefanoschen @nytimes @ABC7NY @NYCTSubway @nyknicks @TheGarden @Colin_d_m @the_transit_guy @bfurnas @EmpireStateBldg @NYCMayor @GovKathyHochul

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

Stay close to people who want more for you, not from you. Have a fantastic day and be safe 😉!
@ChelseaPiersFit

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

The free shuttle bus from Domino Square Park and Developments is no longer in service. 🚌 #Shuttle #Bus #DominoSquarePark. This leaves an opportunity for both the @MTA & @NYCMayor to create a great combination. Ramp up OMNY card services on the @NYCferry. Bring back the B41 to the Brooklyn Bridge with limited stop service to Prospect Park. Mayor Mamdani has pushed for Flatbush Avenue bus lanes @NYC_DOT and the reconfiguration of Grand Army Plaza. This outcome represents a mutually beneficial scenario. Let me know what you think.
@stefanoschen @nytimes @MTANewsroom @News12 @Colin_d_m @bfurnas @MarkLevineNYC @the_transit_guy

https://t.co/kvpekvgoH9

[John R. Ross @crossing5000]

I’m thrilled to see Penn Station Access finally moving forward. But let’s not forget—this project has the potential to deliver real benefits to Brooklyn and Queens as well.
While the Interborough Express is a solid concept, it still falls short of the original Triboro RX vision. That full Class 1 Railroad would have been a true game-changer for all five boroughs (Ferry services from Staten Island to BayRidge, Brooklyn), giving commuters the extensive range, frequency, and connectivity only a proper mainline rail system can provide.
We should be pushing for the biggest, boldest solution—not just the easiest one. New York deserves nothing less.
@stefanoschen @WinnHu @bfurnas
@the_transit_guy @Colin_d_m @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice @nytimes @LIRR @MetroNorth @danrivoli @NY1
https://t.co/15EIUQmZuw

[News12BX @News12BX]

EXCLUSIVE: The initiative, known as the Penn Station Access project, aims to transform travel for residents in the #EastBronx. See more details - https://t.co/LR53T8EaiB

[News12BX @News12BX]

EXCLUSIVE: The initiative, known as the Penn Station Access project, aims to transform travel for residents in the #EastBronx. See more details - https://t.co/LR53T8EaiB