Opinion: Lower LIRR and Metro-North fares for families make for a more affordable ride

In Westchester and Suffolk counties, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road are essential to the health and economic well-being of our communities and the people who live there. As elected officials on opposite shores of the Long Island Sound, we understand how vital the railroads are to our way of life, which is why ensuring they are affordable is so important. 

For the last few years, we have fought to expand the MTA’s “Family Fare” discount, which allows kids aged 5 to 11 years old to ride with an adult for just a dollar, to also cover 12 to 17-year-olds. The old practice was nonsensical and put the railroad out of reach for families with older kids.

A 12-year-old can’t drink, vote or drive and isn’t registered for the draft – yet on the railroads, they paid the full adult fare. That just made no sense, especially since families most often travel outside peak commuting hours when trains are far less likely to be crowded. The full fares made going to a game, to the theater or into the city to take in the vibrancy prohibitively expensive – it was cheaper to drive and park than get on board.

Now, thanks to our advocacy and the support of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Sen. Leroy Comrie, families are poised to save come January when the MTA fare changes go into effect.

To access this deal, simply open the MTA’s TrainTime app, enter your origin and destination, and purchase the $1 “family” option on top of your ticket for up to four children. Kids under 5 years old will still ride free. This discount will work 24/7/365 to make the railroads the best and cheapest way to get to and from the city or around the suburbs car-free. 

That’s not the only expanded discount launching in the new year. Thanks to Comrie and Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, senior, disabled and Medicare-eligible New Yorkers will be able to use their half-fare during the morning peak hours. This ensures these New Yorkers, who are less likely to drive and are often on fixed incomes, can ride the LIRR or Metro-North to their jobs, enjoy a fun day out or get to their medical appointments without paying up to double the fare. 

These ideas started at the tables of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee’s LIRR Commuter Council and Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council, and they’re a true testament to the power of riders’ voices. We’re thrilled that they’ll soon become reality for millions. 

With on-time performance on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North both above 95%, we’re glad the MTA is making sure more New Yorkers can afford to get on board. Fare discounts and incentives alone won’t solve our affordability crisis or traffic congestion, but they’re an important step in the right direction. And while there are challenges ahead for our commuter rail system, transit is greener, safer and far less frustrating than contending with gridlock. Now, it will be cheaper, too.