Train rides are looking to be made more affordable in the coming weeks. At the end of April, voters compelled the MTA board to approve a pilot program offering a 10% discount on fares for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad for trips that begin and end within the city’s borough limits. These discounts are a way for the city to attract riders who would otherwise be affected by the congestion pricing policy.
The policy is set to take effect on June 30, which will require drivers entering Manhattan’s Central Business District from below 60th Street to be charged a $15 toll between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. The fare discount is an angle to get drivers out of their cars and onto MTA trains. This entails discounted monthly tickets offering the 10% cut which will be available for purchase starting June 25 and will go into effect on July 1. The discounted fares are only offered to those traveling within the five boroughs. The 10% price cut means a monthly MNR ticket from Grand Central to the Bronx will drop from almost $200 to $180, and a monthly LIRR ticket from Jamaica to Penn Station will drop from $220 to $198.
The MTA anticipates a loss totaling $4 million, which will be offset by New York State’s Outer Borough Transportation Account, a fund that was established the same time as congestion pricing in 2019.
The transportation authority has taken other measures to deter people from driving their cars adjacent to its roll out of congestion pricing. On June 30, six bus routes will offer express travel. Peak service will be covered on the SIM1C, SIM4C, SIM23, SIM24, BM2 and the BM5 routes. This will be the second 10% price cut offered by the MTA since March of 2022. In addition to the added express service, the last six months have seen the city consistently run 1,200 additional subway trains weekly.
A handful of subway lines, specifically the 3, 5, B, D, M and J lines will see increased service beginning in June. All of this is to ensure New York City can handle the projected inundation of commuters in the coming months. It is worth noting that the 10% price cut offer is separate from the existing price reduction and exemption offered to those earning under $50,000 annually, disabled citizens, commuter vans and emergency vehicles. The application portal for those meeting these conditions is now open.
