New pandemic-era subway ridership records were reached on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Subway, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad (Metro-North).
Subway ridership continued a robust recovery with daily ridership surpassing 3.1-million riders for three consecutive days (Oct. 19-21), with a new pandemic-era record set on Oct. 21 of 3,264,278.
Staten Island Railway ridership continues its upward trend averaging more than 7,000 weekday riders six of the last eight days with a pandemic-era record 7,490 on Oct. 21.
“These ridership records are really encouraging,” said MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Life for New Yorkers is getting back to normal. People are going to Broadway shows and sporting events. They’re eating at restaurants and are back at school. They trust the MTA to get them where they’re going. The system is safe and prepared to set new ridership records in the weeks ahead.”
“As we continue to set pandemic-era records, it validates the tremendous efforts our employees have undertaken to make sure the system is safe and accommodating for our customers,” added New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano. “The city’s recovery is going strong and I’m so happy that New York City Transit is playing large part in it. We will work tirelessly to encourage New Yorkers and visitors to return to mass transit. It really is the best way to get around our hometown.”
Paratransit customers are fueling a ridership rebound as well by booking an average of more than 24,000 weekday rides, which is 80 percent of pre-pandemic ridership.
The LIRR topped 150,000 riders per day Oct. 18 through Oct. 20 carrying a record 155,242 customers on Oct. 20.
Metro-North carried a record 131,127 trains on Oct. 20. Average weekday ridership has averaged approximately 125,000 since early September.
“As the recovery of New York continues, Metro-North is thrilled to be an integral part of bringing people to all of the exciting activities that the Hudson Valley and New York City have to offer,” said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. “Metro-North provides the fastest and safest way to travel, and the continuing jumps in ridership show that our customers have confidence that we will deliver.”
The total of NYCT Buses and Subways combined with LIRR and Metro-North is now regularly surpassing five million weekly riders.
As riders return to the system, they’ve discovered that the MTA’s contactless payment system, OMNY, makes traveling simple and easy. Usage is up in the last year from seven percent late summer 2020 to 25 percent in the same period this year.
