LIRR Ridership Shatters Weekly Post-Pandemic Record: Hochul

LONG ISLAND, NY — The Long Island Rail Road has shattered its post-pandemic daily ridership twice this week, Governor Hochul announced.

A record-setting 298.419 passengers took the LIRR on Wednesday and more than 295,000 rode the rails on Tuesday, making it the busiest seven-day period since the pandemic, the MTA said.

The pre-pandemic 2019 average weekday ridership of 316,000, the hihest ridership since 1949.

“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," Hochul said.

Overall customer satisfaction with the railroad reached 81 percent in the spring of 2025, up five percentage points from the fall 2024.

“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," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.

The LIRR’s performance comes in the midst of a busy summer that has already seen multiple concerts, fans traveling to Citi Field to see the first place Mets, thousands going into Manhattan for dining and thousands traveling to the Hamptons and all the other Long Island beaches.

LIRR President Rob Free said: “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.”