All Railroad Monthly Tickets Valid for Travel Systemwide; Monthly Ticketholders Can Travel with Up to Four Additional People for Just $1 Each
The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad are welcoming back customers with the return of the popular “Summer Saturdays” program.
Between Saturday, July 3, and Saturday, August 28, LIRR and Metro-North will honor all monthly tickets for travel to and from all LIRR and Metro-North stations, regardless of what stations are printed on the ticket. Monthly ticket holders traveling on these days will be able to bring up to four additional travelers for only $1 per person each way.
This means an LIRR customer whose monthly ticket was usually valid between Penn Station (Fare Zone 1) and Hicksville (Fare Zone 7) could ride as far away as the Hamptons, Montauk, or Greenport (all Fare Zone 14) on Saturdays at no added cost. And a Metro-North customer who’s monthly ticket is usually valid between Grand Central Terminal and Yonkers could ride as far away as Mount Kisco or Poughkeepsie.
“Summer Saturdays is a great way to thank our loyal monthly ticket holders and allow them to show friends and family how great it is to ride the Long Island Rail Road,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “Taking the train is the fastest and most convenient way to travel between the city and Long Island. Skip the traffic and leave the driving to us.”
“I’m excited to join the LIRR in bringing Summer Saturdays to Metro-North. It’s a great way for riders to explore the great trails, museums and more that the Hudson Valley and Connecticut have to offer,” said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. “So, bring your friends and family, hop on board and get more value out of your Metro-North commutation.”
There will be no cross-honoring between the railroads, meaning LIRR customers cannot use their monthly tickets to travel on Metro-North, and vice versa. Four Montauk Branch LIRR trains and one mainline train are exempt from the program: the 7:10 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 10:10 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. trains from Jamaica to Montauk and the 8:13 a.m. train from Penn Station to Ronkonkoma and its connection, the 9:40 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma to Greenport.
As an added value for LIRR monthly ticket holders, the My LIRR Loyalty program offers discounts to nearly 100 merchants, many of which are located near LIRR stations. The list of discounts can be found here.
The MTA has undertaken unprecedented 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 robust public education campaigns and issued millions of masks to its customers. The MTA is hosting public vaccination hubs at Grand Central and Penn Station.
Under updated CDC guidance masks are no longer required on outdoor NYC Transit platforms, outdoor Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and Staten Island Railway stations and platforms, and bus stops. Once a customer boards a train, bus or paratransit vehicle, masks are required.