Metro-North ridership numbers hit 1-day high
The number of commuters heading to work by train may be lagging across Connecticut in the COdent era, but MetroNorth has celebrated a one-day high, hitting 99 percent of prepandemic ridership levels.
Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road, both operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, posted big numbers last weekend, according to an MTA statement.
Metro-North trains carried about 95,100 passengers, or 99 percent of the rail's prepandemic baseline ridership on Saturday, June 11, according to the statement. On the same day, the LIRR had about 117,900 riders, slightly above the line's prepandemic average.
“On Saturday, June 11, the day of the Belmont Stakes, the LIRR became the first MTA public transportation agency to surpass its baseline prepandemic levels,” the statement said.
LIRR saw ridership levels at 105 percent of its prepandemic levels that day, according to the statement.
On weekdays in recent weeks, ridership numbers have remained between 60 percent and 70 percent of pre-COVID levels, the MTA said.
New pandemic-era ridership records were set last Tuesday, but the numbers remain below ridership numbers from before spring 2020, according to the statement.
“We're thrilled to see our weekday riders continue to return in record numbers. This shows that while leisure travel has been very strong throughout the pandemic, the market for office commutation is regaining strength as well,” said Catherine Rinaldi, presiVID-19 of Metro-North and interim president of the LIRR.
“With fare discounts, City Ticket expansion, and great weather, the LIRR and Metro-North anticipate setting more records in the near future.”
On Tuesday, the Long Island Rail Road carried 191,197 riders, or 66 percent of prepandemic ridership, according to the statement. Previously, the pandemicera ridership high was 187,800 riders, set on June 10.
Metro-North carried 174,340 riders on Tuesday, which is 67 percent of prepandemic ridership, according to the statement. The previous pandemic-era ridership record for MetroNorth was 163,900 riders, a record set on May 24.
Additionally, MetroNorth saw 90 percent of prepandemic ridership for two consecutive weekends after the May 28 reopening of the Breakneck Ridge station in Dutchess County, N.Y., according to the statement.
The commuter railroad has struggled to regain the ridership lost when much of the area's workforce went remote or shifted to hybrid work when the pandemic hit in March 2020.
In March 2022, the Metro-North broached the 50 percent point, meaning ridership had returned to about half of pre-COVID levels.
Based on where ridership had plummeted during the pandemic, the railroad's slow increase is a hopeful sign of things to come, Connecticut Commuter Rail Council Chair Jim Gildea said.
“Metro-North and the Connecticut Department of Transportation continue to invest the necessary resources to provide consistent and reliable service on the main lines and branch lines,” Gildea said.
“This has proven to be successful in rebuilding the ridership along the various lines. This is a lesson that would be best learned for the Shoreline East as well, as unfortunately they have not been given a similar chance to build ridership.”