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    1. Rail

    MTA subway reaches new pandemic-era ridership record

    Oct. 18, 2021
    Subway ridership topped the 3.2 million mark on Oct. 14 for the first time since the pandemic.
    Related To: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY MTA)
    MTA
    Mta 616d94b68cc82

    The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) subway reached a new ridership record Oct. 14 of 3,236,904.

    Staten Island Railway also set a record, carrying 7,367 customers for a combined total of 3,244,271. Overall, the subway system has carried more than three million customers eight times in October so far.

    Service delivered on the New York City Subway, the percentage of scheduled trains that are provided during peak hours, measured along the busiest part of the line, improved to 92 percent in October with daily delays down by more than 13 percent.

    "Record-breaking transit ridership sends the signal that New York's comeback is only growing stronger," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. "Bus, subway and commuter rail systems are the backbone of our economy as people return to the workplace, and we will continue working with the MTA to keep this promising momentum going."

    Bus ridership continues a healthy recovery, carrying more than 1.4 million riders nine times this month. NYCT as a whole has carried more than four million riders nine days in October.

    In addition to the encouraging totals on subways and buses, both commuter railroads continue to show signs of a strong recovery. Metro-North weekday ridership has consistently hovered around 122,000 on weekdays. The Long Island Rail Road has averaged 150,000 customers every weekday in October. The totals of NYCT Buses and Subways combined with the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad surpassed five million riders on October 14.

    MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "New Yorkers are voting with their feet to show they feel safe and comfortable using transit, and we're thrilled to welcome them back. Let the ridership records show that the MTA is officially back on track and ready to lead the region's revival."

    The recent ridership records come a few weeks after the authority formally launched "Welcome Back New York," a robust public messaging campaign aimed at urging New Yorkers to return to the system.

    The MTA has undertaken cleaning and disinfecting protocols in the year since the pandemic began to ensure that the system is as safe as possible for its customers. The authority has also rolled out public education campaigns and issued millions of masks to its customers.

    Prior to the pandemic, average weekday ridership totals routinely exceeded 5.5 million in the subway system. That figure fell by 95 percent to a low of roughly 300,000 daily trips in April 2020 as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked in the New York City area.