New Ticketing App for Metro-North, LIRR Unveiled by Gov. Cuomo

The LIRR ticket counter at Penn Station may be a little less crowded later this year. Photo Credit: Eliza Rubin/Patch
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The days of having to buy a ticket in the station before boarding are over. More than half a million commuters on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North can download a new app from the MTA to directly buy and use tickets from their smartphones.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the new app at a press conference Tuesday morning. The app was available for use Tuesday on the LIRR's Port Washington Branch and Metro-North's Hudson Line, where it has been in limited testing. It will be rolled out to the rest of the LIRR and Metro-North lines throughout the summer. It is free to download.

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The app, called the MTA eTix app, will work similar to one already in use by Amtrak. Riders can purchase the tickets, pull them up in the app and conductors on the trains will verify them. The MTA eventually plans to scan the tickets from your phone.

“Our administration remains committed to building a transit network that is responsive to the needs of travelers who rely on mass transportation, and the launch of the MTA eTix app is a major step forward in our efforts,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement. “This new app puts riders first by eliminating the ticket line and helping New Yorkers and visitors get where they need to go with more freedom and convenience than ever before. We will continue to create a 21st century transit system that embraces innovation to ensure that we are building a stronger, more competitive New York.”

The MTA expects the Metro-North Harlem Line to have eTix roll out the week of July 25, while the Metro-North New Haven Line and all the remaining LIRR lines will be rolled out the week of Aug. 22.

The MTA said they plan to allow New York City customers transferring to an MTA bus or subway to do so using a single app by next year. The MTA is currently soliciting vendors to build a mobile-ticketing app for the subway, but that still appears to be years down the road.

Over 300,000 commuters travel each weekday on each the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, the Nos. 1 and 3 busiest commuter lines in the nation.