The Long Island Rail Road broke records for weekend ridership since the pandemic this month, the MTA announced Dec. 23.
“We continue to shatter ridership records because we are providing plenty of service to meet demand and remain focused on improving the customer experience,” said Long Island Rail Road President Rob Free. “The LIRR is the best way to travel not just during the holiday season but throughout the year and we look forward to breaking more records in 2026.”
The two record-breaking days were Saturday, Dec. 13, which saw 183,250 riders, making it the highest post-pandemic Saturday, and Sunday, Dec. 21, which had the highest Sunday ridership since COVID-19 at 152,661 customers.
The MTA said the LIRR is experiencing record-high customer satisfaction and timeliness. With an on-time performance rate of approximately 97% across both the LIRR and Metro-North, the authority reported that the LIRR has an 81% customer satisfaction rating.
A full 14% of Nassau County residents commute using public transit, according to the 2023 American Community Survey carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau. Bellerose and Plandome had the highest rates of commuters using public transportation as opposed to the county’s most common commute method: driving alone.
Record ridership comes just before the LIRR’s new ticketing policies come into effect on Jan. 4. Monthly and weekly tickets will increase by 4.5%, with all other ticket prices raised by up to 8%, according to MTA communications.
The Metro-North also hosted record numbers of commuters this month. The week of Dec. 15 marked Metro-North’s strongest post-pandemic ridership, with 827,015 customers – 88% of an average December 2019 week. The Dec. 20-21 weekend set a post-pandemic high with 245,638 riders, while midweek ridership (Dec. 16–18) averaged 244,809, the same proportion to pre-pandemic levels. “We’re thrilled to see record ridership on Metro-North,” said Metro-North President Justin Vonashek. “From Super Express trains to delighting customers with our holiday lights trains, we’re always finding new ways to enhance the rider experience. We look forward to welcoming even more riders in the new year and encourage everyone to take advantage of the new discounts taking effect in January.”
Officials across the city and state are lauding this year as a banner year for public transit.
“This has been the most consequential year in the history of the MTA for many reasons — surging ridership and customer satisfaction and our historic capital plan, but nothing is more important than safety,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “I want to thank Gov. Hochul, Commissioner Tisch, the NYPD and MTA PD for the progress we’ve seen and look forward to more in the year to come.”
“Crime is down and ridership is up on subways thanks to major investments to keep New Yorkers safe and run better, more reliable transit,” Hochul said. “By supporting transformational safety and mental health programs and upgrading transit service and infrastructure, we’re making our subways safer for millions of daily riders and tens of thousands of transit workers.”
