Over the years, the Roosevelt Island Tramway has been the subject of commentary and praised as an icon of New York City, and it has been depicted in several works of media.

[6] After the state government leased Welfare Island from the city in 1969,[7] several large housing developments were built there in the early 1970s, necessitating the construction of a public transit connection.

[21] The Urban Development Corporation (UDC), a New York state agency, had studied the feasibility of a ferry, a bus, and an aerial tramway by 1972.

[24] UDC architect William Chafee proposed an aerial tramway,[25][26] which was ultimately selected because it was cheap, direct, and fit into Roosevelt Island's quiet character.

[9][29] The plans called for two 125-passenger cabins that would travel 2,470 feet (750 m) across the East River's western channel, just south of the Queensboro Bridge.

[14][48] The delays prompted numerous unfounded rumors about the route, including conjecture that the cabins were involved in collisions or were being secretly run at night.

[38] By March of that year, the route was complete, and it only needed additional testing and state government approval before it could open to the public.

[69][70] The tramway's liability insurance policy cost $900,000 per year (equivalent to $3,533,000 in 2023[55]), almost equal to its revenue from fares; such an expensive insurance cost was necessitated by the fact that there were no other aerial commuter tramways in the U.S.[69][71] In addition, operating expenses amounted to $1 million a year (equivalent to $4 million in 2023[55]),[69] and the state government was essentially paying a 95-cent subsidy for every rider.

[70] This prompted governor Hugh Carey to ask his aides to study the feasibility of having the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) take over the line.

[88] State officials warned in late 1985 that tram passengers could have to wait as long as 45 minutes if the subway line to Roosevelt Island were not completed within three years.

One local resident stated at the time: "For many Islanders, this could be a day that will live in infamy: When the subway finally comes, the cherished tram may go.

[103][104] New York magazine wrote that some residents opposed the tramway's closure because it provided a wheelchair-accessible connection to more bus routes in Manhattan than the subway did.

[109] In late 1990, NYNEX received permission to build a phone substation and an observation deck directly beneath the tramway, next to one of the support towers.

[141][142] On September 2, 2005, more than 80 people were trapped on the tram for over 90 minutes,[143][144] and an engineer had to be transported from his suburban home via helicopter to turn on a backup generator.

[145] After that incident, state inspectors issued two violations against the tramway[146] and ordered RIOC to install a diesel backup or motor-generator system.

[147] On April 18, 2006, at about 5:22 p.m. EDT, the two trams stalled over the East River, trapping 69 people for up to eleven hours;[148][149][150] they had to be rescued using a crane, as well as via a cage that traveled from one terminal to the stranded cabin.

[175] In the early 2010s, the Cornell Tech educational campus was planned on Roosevelt Island, and there were concerns that the tram and subway could not carry additional persons heading there.

[183] With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020, ridership decreased significantly, and each cabin was limited to 24 percent its normal capacity.

At the time, RIOC refused to implement a priority-boarding system, saying it violated a state law against giving "undue or unreasonable preference" to any group of riders.

[202] MTA Regional Bus Operations' M15, M15 SBS, M31, M57, Q32, Q60, and Q101 buses stop near the terminal, while the New York City Subway's Lexington Avenue/59th Street station, served by the 4, ​5, ​6, <6>​, N, ​R, and ​W trains, is one block west.

[211] The roof of each cabin had an emergency escape hatch, a vent, and an asymmetrical A-shaped arm that ran along a set of track ropes.

[221] The roof of each cabin has a set of two arms, which are suspended from a pair of cables;[171] this allows the cars to maintain stability in windy weather.

[197] The Roosevelt Island terminal also had the rescue drive unit, which could pull a second haul cable in case of an emergency[225][230] and could be activated within five minutes of a breakdown.

[236] The Roosevelt Island Tramway and the Portland Aerial Tram remain the only two urban gondola lines nationwide as of 2024[update].

[7] Children who were 5 years old or younger were allowed to ride fare-free until the 2010 closure, when RIOC stopped charging fares based on age.

[57] The same year, a writer for Time said that the cabin "began its stately ascent noiselessly and almost imperceptibly" and reached its destination in three and a half minutes.

[61] A writer for Newsday wrote in 1989 that "it's as if all aboard have plunked down a subway token in exchange for a great island getaway vacation".

"[254] In 2003, a reporter for the Financial Times wrote that the tramway was a landmark in itself, where "tourists receive a perfect photo opportunity and voyeurs get a quick glance into several luxury apartments and palatial offices".

[213] Over the years, the tram attracted notable riders such as actor Harrison Ford, tennis player Andre Agassi, and actor/filmmaker Sylvester Stallone.

[266] In addition, the tramway was shown in the opening credits of the TV series Head of the Class[106] and Archie Bunker's Place,[21] as well as a 2004 episode of Fear Factor.