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Buying LIRR and Metro-North tickets

Updated Nov 12, 2024
The easiest way to buy tickets for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad is before you board. Learn more about getting tickets on your phone, from ticket machines, from ticket offices, through your employer, and on board trains.

Options for buying tickets

MTA's TrainTime app

With the TrainTime app, you can plan a trip, purchase a ticket, get train status and track location, and chat with a customer service representative for LIRR and Metro-North. 

Download the app on your Apple or Android device to easily buy tickets, manage refunds and receipts, and more. 

Learn more about TrainTime.

At a ticket office

Ticket offices sell all LIRR and MNR ticket types and also offer certain MetroCards. You can pay with cash, credit or debit cards, and some transit benefit cards. For LIRR tickets, you can use a personal check for monthly, weekly, and 10-trip tickets, or five or more one-way tickets.

See station information, including ticket office hours.

On board trains

Buying your ticket on the train will cost $5.75-$6.50 more than the regular price, and you can only buy one-way tickets onboard. This surcharge is waived if you are boarding at a station without ticket machines, or if you are a senior citizen, passenger with a disability, Medicare recipient, or active-duty military.

If you use an off-peak ticket on a peak train, or ride beyond the zones shown on your ticket, you will have to pay an additional fare onboard. This fare is not subject to the on-board surcharge, but will be rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Through your employer

If your company offers a tax-free transit benefit program, you can use it to buy LIRR or Metro-North tickets.

Note that transit benefit providers are independent of the MTA. If you refund tickets purchased through a pre-tax program, the money will be credited back to the benefit card you used to make the purchase.

Learn more about pre-tax transit benefits.

At a ticket machine

You can buy different tickets at different machines. Unless otherwise noted, they accept cash (up to $50 bills and coins, returning up to $17.75 in coin change) and credit and debit cards.

  • Gray machines: Buy all ticket types*, $30 MetroCards ($29 value), and UniTickets.
  • Red machines: Buy most types of one-way and round-trip tickets and $30 MetroCards ($29 value). These machines do not sell monthly, weekly, 10-Trip, or package tickets.
  • Blue machines: Buy all ticket types*, $30 MetroCards ($29 value), and UniTickets. These machines accept only credit and debit cards. They do not accept cash.
  • Green machines (LIRR only): Buy all ticket types* and AirTrain MetroCards.

*Group tickets and monthly school tickets cannot be purchased at ticket machines.

Ticket machine claims: If you encounter a problem using a ticket machine, such as incorrect change, a ticket that didn't print, or a misprinted ticket, let us know what went wrong by completing a ticket machine claim form for the LIRR or Metro-North. You can return the form at a staffed ticket window or by mailing it to the address printed on each form. Metro-North customers and also submit their claims through an online form.

Mail&Ride: Monthly ticket subscription

The Mail&Ride program automatically delivers your monthly ticket to the TrainTime app on your phone.

We also have a Mail&Ride program for students. Learn more.

See details and set up Mail&Ride for LIRR and Metro-North.