The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has reached new post-pandemic ridership highs, according to an announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul. On Wednesday, July 23, the LIRR carried 298,419 passengers, surpassing its previous daily record set just a day earlier with 295,419 riders on Tuesday, July 22. Over the seven-day period from July 17 to July 23, total ridership hit 1.72 million, marking the busiest week for the railroad since the pandemic began. The pre-pandemic average weekday ridership in 2019 was 316,692.
Governor Hochul commented on these figures: “New Yorkers know that the best way to get to and from Long Island is by riding the Long Island Rail Road. From Mets games to beach days and beyond, the LIRR connects riders to so much of what makes summer in our state special,” she said. “By delivering better, more frequent service since the opening of Grand Central Madison in 2023, LIRR ridership has grown considerably to near-record highs. I look forward to celebrating more milestones to come as New Yorkers continue to benefit from the ease and convenience of taking the train to get around.”
This increase in ridership coincides with improvements in customer satisfaction and on-time performance. During the first half of this year, 96.6% of trains arrived on time—the highest rate in LIRR’s history outside of pandemic years and up from last year’s rate of 95.7%. Customer satisfaction also rose; it reached 81% in spring 2025 compared with 76% in fall 2024 and 70% in spring 2024.
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber stated: “So much for the slow summer season. The Long Island Rail Road is busier than ever, carrying more customers and with more trains and better on-time performance. Under Governor Hochul, the MTA’s delivering fast, affordable and accessible transit regionwide.”
LIRR President Rob Free added: “The LIRR is consistently delivering clean, safe and reliable service for all New Yorkers. Ridership numbers like this show that people know that the LIRR is the best way to travel to work, school and everything that Long Island has to offer.”
MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara noted: “Riders are voting with their TrainTime tickets to use America’s busiest, and one of the most reliable, railroads as they tell us in the latest scientific survey that they are beyond satisfied with their experience. Whether it’s going to work, seeing friends, or heading for a summer afternoon at the beach, the LIRR is bringing New Yorkers together to get where they need to go.”
The surge comes during a busy summer season marked by concerts at local venues, increased attendance at Mets games at Citi Field as they aim for playoffs, trips into Manhattan for dining options at Penn Station’s concourse area—which now features expanded retail—and significant travel toward destinations such as beaches on Long Island and events like September’s Ryder Cup.
These trends at LIRR mirror broader patterns across Metropolitan Transportation Authority services. New York City Transit recently reported its best summer subway ridership week since before COVID-19 disruptions began; subway usage topped four million daily riders three times between July 15-17 despite heavy rainfall earlier that week which required rapid restoration efforts by transit crews.
