Pricing and rule changes are coming this Sunday to the commuter train lines that connect Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and Connecticut to New York City. Monthly and weekly tickets for LIRR and Metro-North trains will go up 4-and-a-half-percent, while all other fares are going up 8-percent. They’re also adding a two-dollar surcharge to tickets bought on trains. Tickets will now expire every day at 4 am, day passes will replace round-trip tickets.
(New York, NY) – The new year is bringing new prices for Long Island Rail Road riders.
Starting January 4th, the cost of a monthly or weekly ticket will increase by up to four-and-a-half percent. Other tickets, including one-way, will cost up to eight percent more. There will also be a $2 surcharge if you buy your ticket from a conductor or on the MTA’s Train Time mobile app. Children ages five to 17 can ride for only $1, as long as they have a fare-paying adult with them. Riders beware for one sticker shocking change: mobile and paper tickets will now expire at 4 a.m. the following day and a new “day pass” will replace the old round-trip tickets.
The MTA fare increase for 2026 takes effect on January 4, 2026, raising the base subway/local bus fare to $3.00. Express bus fare goes to $7.25,and a 7-day Unlimited Fare Cap permanent at $35. MetroCards are phasing out, replaced with the OMNI tap-and-go system.
NJ Transit riders get a break until July 1, 2026 when a modest hike of around 3 percent is expected , to help fund its budget and address fiscal needs, building on the previous hikes and aiming for pre-pandemic revenue levels despite ongoing fiscal challenges.
