LIRR ridership hitting pre-COVID levels, as trains get more crowded

Long Island Rail Road ridership has almost fully recovered from its COVID-19 collapse, a milestone MTA officials and the governor celebrated Wednesday, even as one advocate called it a "mixed blessing" for commuters who want a seat.

The 7.7 million riders that rode the railroad in September was more than the LIRR carried during the same month in 2019, before COVID-19 decimated transit ridership throughout the United States. It’s the second month this year, after June, that the LIRR surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Through September, the LIRR has handled about 95% of the volume it did during the first nine months of 2019 — a year in which the railroad carried 91 million riders, the most in 70 years. The LIRR’s post-pandemic ridership recovery has far outpaced other Metropolitan Transportation Authority transit agencies, including the New York City subway system, which has hovered at around 80% of pre-COVID levels.

The ridership milestone led Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a "transit renaissance" in the region, led by booming demand on the LIRR and sister-railroad Metro-North, which is back to around 90% of pre-COVID levels.

 "Many said we would never see pre-pandemic ridership again, but I doubled down on our railroads with investments in safety, increased and faster service, and completing historic projects like Grand Central Madison," Hochul said in a statement.

MTA officials have attributed the LIRR’s ridership gains to a number of factors, including the boost in service that came with the 2023 opening of Grand Central Madison, the popularity of the MTA’s TrainTime app and expanded fare discount programs.

"We made riding the railroad easier and more affordable," MTA chief customer officer Shanifah Rieara said at the MTA’s monthly board meeting in Manhattan Wednesday. "Those choices are bringing riders back to mass transit. And on the commuter railroads, we see it happening in droves."

But the added passengers have meant fewer seats available on trains and fewer spots available at station parking lots. LIRR Commuter Council chairman Gerard Bringmann called it a "mixed blessing," but a worthwhile trade-off given the surging health of the railroad, which brought in $543.2 million in fares through September, up from $517.1 a year earlier.

"In the big picture, it’s worth it. But there will be some minor inconveniences, because there will be a few less seats," Bringmann, a nonvoting member of the MTA Board, said in an interview Wednesday. 

Some of the biggest ridership gains on the LIRR have come during off-peak hours and weekends — times during which the LIRR has already surpassed 2019 levels for three straight years. Also booming is ridership in Queens and Brooklyn, driven by the expansion of the railroad’s City Ticket, with use more than quadrupling from 2022 to 2025, according to the LIRR.

The City Ticket allows customers to ride within the boroughs — including Penn Station and Grand Central Madison — at significantly reduced rates. An off-peak ticket from Rosedale to Manhattan costs $5.25, compared with $10 from Valley Stream, less than two miles east.

The increased demand at Queens stations has coincided with increased stops there, according to Rockville Centre commuter Kristian Geller, who said trains are as crowded as any time he can remember, including before the pandemic. And many of those getting on and off at Queens stations are "getting cheaper rides," he noted.

"It definitely seems more crowded now," said Geller, 46, a high school special education teacher, who questioned whether the LIRR’s soaring ridership is a reason to celebrate. "They can tout these numbers, but they can’t handle the numbers."

LIRR president Rob Free said even with rising demand, "there’s still plenty of capacity on our trains." He noted, over the last month, only around 1% of trains were at 90% capacity or higher. During rush hours, it’s been around 3%, Free said.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.