New York, NY – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced plans to introduce new fare discounts for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trips that both begin and end within New York City’s five boroughs. This move comes as the agency prepares to implement its congestion pricing program in Manhattan.
The MTA board is expected to approve a 10% discount on monthly tickets for fare zones within the city, aiming to make commuting more affordable for residents traveling within the metropolitan area. Specifically, monthly passes for the LIRR between Jamaica and Penn Station would see a decrease from $220 to $198, while monthly Metro-North passes between Grand Central Terminal and the northern Bronx would drop from $199.75 to $180.
These fare discounts are presented as a one-year pilot program by transit officials, slated to take effect on July 1 following the announcement of congestion pricing tolls by the MTA. Aaron Donovan, spokesperson for the MTA, emphasized that this proposed discount would stack on top of the 10% reduction already implemented for all monthly commuter railroad tickets in March 2022.
Additionally, the MTA had raised fares on the commuter railroads by approximately 4% in the previous year. With the impending congestion pricing charging a $15 daytime fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, MTA officials anticipate a shift from private vehicles to public transit among commuters.
Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, highlighted the superiority of New York City’s public transportation system, advocating for its use to save time, money, and contribute to environmental conservation efforts.
Funding for these fare discounts will be drawn from New York state’s Outer Borough Transportation Account, established in 2019 alongside the congestion pricing legislation. While Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers allocated over $20 million from the fund earlier this year to provide toll discounts to Queens and Bronx drivers on MTA bridges, the exact cost of the new fare discounts remains undisclosed by MTA officials.