THE population of metropolitan New York, say within a radius of ten miles, is about 7,000,000 people. On Long Island, and in Brooklyn and Queens, which are separated from Manhattan by the East River, and in Richmond, there are 2,500,000 people. On the Island of Manhattan and the Bronx and to the north within this radius, the population is 3,000,000 people. On the New Jersey side of the Hudson River there are about 1,5oo,ooo people.
The transportation needs for such a community present a tremendous problem. The problem is complicated by the fact that metropolitan New York is not only the great gateway o.f the country, but one of the great ports of the world. Here we have railroads, aggregating approximately 29,ooo miles, terminating on the Jersey side o.f the Hudson. On the Manhattan side of the Hudson there are termini representing about II,OOO miles, making a complete termini in lthe metropolitan area of approximately 4o,ooo miles of railroad. Moreover, there are seventy-seven foreign steamship lines operating from the port to all parts of the globe. There are more manufacturers in this district than the combined number in Chicago., Philadelphia and St. Louis. In this metropolitan area, Long Island and Manhattan districts are tied together over the East River by a number of bridges. These are the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensbo.ro bridges, which are among the largest structures o.f their kind in the world..Crossing the East River on these bridges are tweny-six railroad tracks and four highway roads for vehicles, with fourteen additional tracks in tunnels.
In striking contrast to the facilities over the East River are those across the Hudson River connecting the New Jersey district with the remainder of the metropolitan area. Here there are only six railroad tracks operating through tunnels under the Hudson River, two by the Pennsylvania Railroad and four by the Hudson *