As we approach the end of another year, we’re looking back and reflecting on some accomplishments—2024 was an eventful year for the MTA!
We’re endlessly thankful for our staff and our front-line employees for all of their hard work this year. Thanks to the efforts of our police partners, crime is down for the year. And of course, we're thankful to all of you for riding public transit this year.
Here are 24 things from 2024 that we’re proud of.
🥳 2024 was a year of big anniversaries for the MTA: The subway turned 120 years old, the LIRR hit 190, and Metro-North's Hudson Line turned 175. But that’s not all: Two of our biggest bridges—the Verrazzano and the Bronx-Whitestone—celebrated their 60th and 85th birthdays, respectively.
🚗 Congestion pricing became a reality: In the spring, the MTA Board approved a tolling structure for the Central Business District Tolling Program, and in the fall, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a phased-in approach that will start tolling at $9. The transformative program, which will reduce congestion and improve quality of life in the region, begins on January 5.
🟢 It’s easier than ever for riders to tap and go! This year we launched OMNY for both NYC students and Reduced-Fare program members, offering brand new benefits (like 24/7 free rides for students) and an easier way for all customers to move throughout the city.
🎶 Deck the train with festive lights: 🎶 For the first time, Metro-North brought a dazzling light show to its three East of Hudson lines with its now-iconic Holiday Lights Train. It joins the New York Transit Museum’s Holiday Nostalgia Rides in bringing cheer to the region throughout the season.
🛗 Stations across the entire MTA network got a lift: LIRR’s Babylon Branch and Metro-North's Harlem Line both saw three stations apiece become fully ADA accessible. We also made significant progress on the subway, making nine stations (including major hubs like 14 St and Queensboro Plaza) accessible in 2024.
🎉 Access-A-Ride hit a ridership milestone, with a one-day record of 38,800 scheduled rides on September 4! This increased ridership aligns with our dedication to enhance customer satisfaction by improving on-time performance and reducing no-shows.
🆕 It was the year of the R211, with the cutting-edge cars going into service on the Staten Island Railway and the line. Their debut on Staten Island marked the first new train cars in the borough in more than 50 years. train riders, meanwhile, can ride our first sets of open gangway railcars, which have wider doors, improved digital wayfinding, and more accessible seating.
🎂 In February, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Grand Central Madison! Our east side terminal has enhanced travel throughout the region, with more LIRR service and connections to Metro-North and the subway. It was also named 2024’s Most Beautiful Passenger Rail Station by UNESCO, highlighting its role as a vital transit hub.
🏆 We showed our love for New York’s sports champs: We caught Grimace fever on the train during the Mets’ run in the MLB playoffs, and after the NY Liberty won the WNBA Championship, the Liberty Av station in Brooklyn got a sign to honor the team’s colossal achievement.
🏠 In October, thousands of railfans visited Metro-North's Harmon Shop for the railroad’s first open house in 16 years. Riders got to explore the state-of-the-art facility, see our heritage railcars, and even snap selfies with two generations of Metro-Man.
🌈 To celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we unveiled Christopher St-Stonewall Station, a name for the West Village station that’s located just steps away from the historic Stonewall Inn and the newly opened Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center.
📱 The MTA App for a fresh look and improvements such as provide quicker access to real-time arrival info, live bus tracking, and multi-modal trip planning. It’s just one our innovating tools available to help customers on their journeys, including real-time email and text alerts and the TrainTime app.
🚌 We’re charging into the future with 60 new electric buses that will go into service in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island! We also partnered with NY Power Authority to install 17 fast charging system points at Grand Avenue Bus Depot in Queens.
🍕 The new and improved LIRR Concourse at Penn Station is brighter and roomier, sure, but as of 2024 is also has more than a dozen food and drink options, including old favorites like Rose’s Pizza.
🌎 We unveiled the Climate Resilience Roadmap, a comprehensive framework to fortify the transit system against the impacts of climate change. This in-depth plan underscores our commitment to ensure reliability and safety in the transit system for generations to come.
👏 We launched the I Move NY campaign, highlighting the dedicated people—bus operators, conductors, train operators, and more—who keep our transit system running 24/7/265. Don’t forget to thank them on your next journey!
📖 MTA Arts and Design celebrated the release of “Contemporary Art Underground,” a new book highlighting more than 100 public art commissions installed throughout the transit system between 2015 and 2023.
🚍 Following extensive public outreach and rider feedback, we unveiled an update to the Proposed Final Plan of the Queens Bus Network Redesign. The changes will help modernize the decades-old bus network by focusing improvements and dedicating resources in areas with greater transit needs.
✨ Thanks to our Re-NEW-Vation program, we’ve given more than 100 subway stations substantial glow-ups as of this year! The program take advantage of station closures due to planned service changes for deep cleanings, repairs, and adding new features (like LED lights).
💚 We made huge strides towards bringing modernized signals to the line, replacing 17 switches, installing more than 300 transponders and 3,000 feet of composite railroad ties, building new train control rooms, and more. That work was done during several weeks of shutdowns between Brooklyn and Queens, but sets us up for better service in the future.
📶 The 42 Street Shuttle got 5G cellular between Times Square & Grand Central, in partnership with Boldyn Networks. Other lines, including the and the , will soon follow.
💳 The MetroCard will be retired soon, and we sent it off with a bang this year with a slew of commemorative cards created in collaboration with icons like Ice Spice, Olivia Rodrigo, Victoria’s Secret, and Instagram. And thanks to a partnership with Barilla, we unveiled the next phase of commemorative fare media with an OMNY-equipped spaghetti box.
💪 New year, new leadership: Demetrius Crichlow, a 27-year-veteran of New York City Transit, was named president of that agency, while Rob Free, a 31-year-veteran of Long Island Rail Road, was appointed president of that organization.
🚇 We are so back, with over 1 billion subway rides in 2024, as well as post-pandemic ridership milestones on both the LIRR and Metro-North. We couldn't have done it without you.
Our mission going into 2025 remains the same: to provide fast, reliable, and safe service for all of our customers. Thank you, this year—and every year—for riding with us.