Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday, July 24, that the Long Island Rail Road had its busiest seven-day period since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MTA reported that the LIRR broke its post-pandemic record for riders in a single day with 295,419 passengers on Tuesday, July 22. That record was then broken one day later with 298,419 passengers on Wednesday, July 23.
The MTA also had 1.72 million passengers from Thursday, July 17, through Wednesday, July 23, marking a new post-pandemic record for riders in a one-week span.
“New Yorkers know that the best way to get to and from Long Island is by riding the Long Island Rail Road,” Hochul said. “From Mets games to beach days and beyond, the LIRR connects riders to so much of what makes summer in our state special.”
Before this week, the previous post-pandemic ridership high was 287,437 on June 19. The pre-pandemic 2019 average weekday ridership of 316,692 was the highest since 1949.
Hochul connected the increase in ridership to the opening of the revitalized Grand Central Station in Manhattan in 2023, which, along with Penn Station, connects Long Islanders and New Yorkers.
“The Long Island Rail Road is busier than ever, carrying more customers and with more trains and better on-time performance,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.
The MTA said through the first half of the year, 96.6% of trains reached their destination on time, the railroad’s best rate in its history outside of pandemic years.
The MTA also reported an 81% customer satisfaction rate in the spring, marking a 5 percent increase from the fall of 2024.
LIRR President Rob Free said the railroad is clean, safe and reliable for passengers.
“Ridership numbers like this show that people know that the LIRR is the best way to travel to work, school and everything that Long Island has to offer,” he said.
The MTA said the upward trend for the LIRR is similar to that of the New York City subway system, as it subway ridership had its best week since 2019, hitting four million subway riders three days in a row.
