Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a season of noteworthy performances for New York's train services, as both Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have posted high marks for punctuality and a surge in ridership this 2025. The first two months of this year have proven to be particularly strong for Metro-North, boasting a 100 percent on-time performance on March 9 across all lines, according to official statements. Hochul said, "New Yorkers know that they can depend on the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road trains every single day."
The LIRR isn't lagging with nearly 97 percent on-time performance this year, seems to be three percent above the goal for each month and an improvement over last year's 95.65 percent, Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi marked the success, "Last week more than 99% of Metro-North trains operated on time." In terms of numbers, Metro-North Railroad witnessed the ninth occasion since 2023 where all lines operated at 99 percent or better on-time performance in the same week while the LIRR's peak performer, the Port Washington branch, reached 98.7 percent.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber noted, "MTA’s commuter railroads keep delivering better and better service," crediting the rise in ridership and daily operations for their ongoing success. On a closer look, Metro-North Railroad saw a significant uptick of 13.8 percent in average daily ridership the week of February 24 through March 2, compared to the week before, and the LIRR enjoyed a bump of 617,096 customers in January, which was 11.2 percent higher than in January 2024.
Analyses of travel patterns across New York's train lines reveal a robust recovery in various ridership categories; for instance, commutation ridership has climbed by 17.1 percent, including upticks of 17.1 percent for monthly ticket riders and 17.8 percent for weekly ticket holders, which underscores, along with an overall swell of 8.7 percent for single trip tickets, how the city's populace has warmly embraced the revamped commute. Curiously, peak single-ticket rides surged by 24 percent, despite a slight dip by 3.4 percent in off-peak single ticket purchases, but New York City's local travel saw a notable increase of 15.8 percent in the CityTicket program.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson exclaimed over the revamped service, "The Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad are...providing reliable service and enhancing ridership," and highlighted the impact these improvements have on Bronx communities’ connectivity and transit reliability. Governor Hochul and local officials are touting these trends as a triumphant stride forward for public transportation in New York, setting an aspirational benchmark for similar services nationwide.
