Tap-To-Pay System Goes Live At Penn Station Subway Station

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The MTA's new tap-to-pay turnstile system designed to one day replace the MetroCard went live Wednesday at one of the subway system's busiest stations.

Ninety-six turnstiles equipped with OMNY card readers were installed at 18 Penn Station entrances on the 1/2/3 and A/C/E lines, MTA officials announced Wednesday. More than 160,000 people swipe into the subway station every day.

"Penn Station is one of the system’s busiest subway stations and will allow hundreds of thousands of commuters the opportunity to tap and ride using a device or contactless card of their own choosing, including customers arriving on the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak, who connect with the subway system here at Penn Station," New York City Transit Presideny Andy Byford said Wednesday.

Turnstyles outfitted with the OMNY system, which stands for "One Metro New York," feature electronic scanners where riders tap either a smartphone or credit card to pay their subway fare. MetroCards can be used at OMNY-equipped turnstiles to ensure a smooth transition. The MTA plans to eventually roll out an OMNY contacless card in 2021 in both virtual and physical forms. The new system will not prevent riders from loading up their cards using cash.

Transit officials said that the system has outperformed MTA expectations since being launched at select stations in Brooklyn and Manhattan on the 4/5/6 line in June. The system recently passed four million uses and is expected to be installed in 85 subway stations by the end of December, MTA officials said.

"I’ve always known we had a great team working on this project, but even I’m not sure I knew just how successful the pilot would be," Alan Putre, OMNY program executive, said in a statement. "The success of the OMNY contactless payment pilot has brought new viability to our bus and subway network and I’m thrilled that we’re now expanding OMNY to our customers across the system."