The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) set new post-pandemic ridership records this week, according to an announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul. On Wednesday, July 23, the LIRR carried 298,419 passengers, surpassing the previous day’s total of 295,419. This marks the railroad’s busiest seven-day period since the pandemic began, with a total of 1.72 million riders between July 17 and July 23. The previous post-pandemic daily record was 287,437 on June 19. In comparison, the average weekday ridership in pre-pandemic 2019 was 316,692.
Governor Hochul commented on the milestone: “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.”
The increase in ridership comes alongside improvements in customer satisfaction and train punctuality. For the first half of this year, LIRR trains reached their destinations on time at a rate of 96.6%, which is its best performance outside pandemic years and nearly one percentage point higher than last year’s rate for the same period. Customer satisfaction reached 81% in spring 2025, up from 76% in fall 2024 and from 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 also 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.”
This surge comes during a busy summer featuring concerts at Citi Field—home of Major League Baseball’s Mets—and events drawing thousands into Manhattan or out toward destinations such as Hamptons beaches.
High levels of punctuality are expected through major upcoming events like Mets playoff pushes and September’s Ryder Cup at Farmingdale via expanded Ronkonkoma Branch service.
Additionally, Penn Station’s LIRR Concourse now offers a range of dining and retail options for travelers.
These strong figures mirror trends seen elsewhere within Metropolitan Transportation Authority operations; New York City Transit recently achieved its highest summer subway ridership week since before COVID-19 disruptions began. During one week in July alone—despite heavy rainfall—daily subway usage topped four million three times consecutively for the first time since early 2020.
