Long Island Rail Road ridership rose above its pre-pandemic monthly level in September, while Metro-North recorded its busiest weekend as fall travel brought more passengers to the Hudson Valley.
The LIRR carried 102% of its September 2019 ridership, and Metro-North reached 90% of its own September 2019 level, according to figures announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday.
Metro-North is running additional Hudson Line weekend service through Sunday, Nov. 8. The railroad said demand for fall foliage trips helped drive its Oct. 24-25 record of 323,423 riders.
Railroads recover at different rates
September was the second month this year that LIRR ridership exceeded its corresponding 2019 level. June also reached 102% of the pre-pandemic comparison month.
The LIRR carried 321,497 riders on Sept. 9, its second-highest weekday total of 2026. Its highest was 369,482 on June 18, the day of the Knicks championship parade.
For three consecutive weeks in September, LIRR ridership exceeded 300,000 on each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the first such stretch since the pandemic.
Railroad President Rob Free linked the growth to expanded service and reliability work. The opening of Grand Central Madison, along with the Main Line Third Track and Double Track projects, enabled a 41% increase in LIRR service, according to the announcement.
Metro-North’s September recovery was its second-strongest monthly comparison in 2026, behind June’s 93.2% of June 2019 ridership.
Its busiest Monday-through-Friday period was Sept. 21-25, with 1,294,011 riders. Excluding the June 18 parade, when it carried 302,486 riders, its strongest single weekday was June 17, with 277,410 riders — 93.8% of the June 2019 weekday level.
Fall demand extends weekend service
Metro-North’s Oct. 24-25 total surpassed its previous weekend record of 302,610, set June 13-14. It was also 25.5% above October 2019 weekend ridership, with trips to the Hudson Valley for foliage and events such as Tarrytown’s Halloween parade contributing to demand.
The railroad began its Leaf Peeper service Oct. 3 with five additional outbound and three additional inbound trains. On Oct. 17, it added another six outbound and six inbound trains.
Metro-North described the expanded schedule as 40 extra weekend trains. Additional Hudson Line weekend service continues through Nov. 8, and fall-season ridership is twice its 2019 level, according to the railroad.
The fall schedule includes 11 outbound trains each weekend day. In 2019, Metro-North operated three Saturday outbound trains and one Sunday outbound train for the comparable foliage service.
Across both railroads, Saturday ridership through October was 66% above the same period in 2022, while Sunday ridership rose 64%.
The LIRR’s busiest weekend this year was Sept. 5-6, when it carried 353,308 riders — 62% above its average September 2019 weekend ridership.
Express trains and fare options draw riders
Super-express trains introduced on Metro-North’s Hudson Line in April 2025 and New Haven Line in July 2022 can save passengers up to 14 minutes and 50 minutes a day, respectively, according to the announcement.
Since spring 2026, ridership on those trains has grown faster than overall peak-period travel on their lines: 8% on Hudson Line super-express service and 6% on New Haven Line super-express service.
CityTicket sales rose 361% between 2022 and 2025. The program expanded from weekend-only tickets to off-peak weekdays in February 2022, peak travel in August 2023 and a day pass in January 2026.
Station-level sales growth included Melrose at 503%, Laurelton at 478%, Bayside at 294% and Fordham at 173%, according to the governor’s office.
Railcars and infrastructure remain in development
The MTA approved the purchase of 316 M-9A railcars in June 2025, with 160 for the LIRR and 156 for Metro-North. In May 2026, it began seeking manufacturers for 252 additional single-level Metro-North passenger coaches.
The MTA’s 2025-29 capital plan includes $6 billion for Metro-North passenger cars and infrastructure. Broader work includes the Grand Central Train Shed, Park Avenue Viaduct, Hudson Line resiliency improvements and Penn Station Access, which would bring New Haven Line service to Penn Station.
On the LIRR, the Jamaica Capacity Improvements project is intended to ease bottlenecks. The fiscal 2027 state budget includes $50 million for design work on a Jamaica Station redesign intended to improve connections among subway, LIRR and AirTrain services for the hub’s 200,000 daily riders.
The MTA is also supporting development near rail stations in Beacon, Harrison and Westbury as it seeks to expand housing and attract future riders.
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