“MTA Announces Record Pandemic-Era Ridership on Metro-North Railroad”

MTA: 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced Metro-North Railroad reached record pandemic-era ridership yesterday, April 18, with 194,549 riders, or 74% of the pre-pandemic average. 

"Record ridership means more and more people are realizing that commuter rail is the fastest and most efficient way to travel,” said Metro-North Railroad President and Long Island Rail Road Interim President Catherine Rinaldi. “Our riders can count on public transit to get them to work, school, and everything the region has to offer this summer.” 

The milestone comes as the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has exceeded 200,000 riders on 16 days since Feb. 27, a threshold the railroad had only crossed twice during the first 57 days of 2023. During the seven days between April 9 and April 15, the LIRR carried an average of 168,726 daily customers, the best seven-day average since March 2020. 

Metro-North and the LIRR rolled out fare offerings including a 10 percent discount for monthly passes, and a 20-trip ticket tailored for the hybrid work schedule. The 20-trip ticket saves riders 20 percent on regular peak one-way fares. For rail riders traveling within the five boroughs, the City Ticket offers a reduced, flat fare of $5.00 for rail travel within New York City during off-peak hours on weekdays and on weekends. The new joint Metro-North LIRR Combo Ticket encourages regional travel between Metro-North and Long Island stations via Grand Central for only $8 more than the customer’s ticket to New York City.