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

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.

-via Press Release