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MTA Is the Best Way to Beat Traffic This Holiday Season

MTA
Updated Dec 20, 2023 1:00 p.m.

Subways and Commuter Rails Providing Additional Service for New Year’s Eve Festivities 


Off-Peak Fares in Effect on Commuter Railroads  

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the best way to beat traffic this holiday season as millions hit the roads to shop, eat and travel to their holiday destinations. Most MTA agencies are operating on weekend or holiday schedules for Christmas and New Year’s, while running additional trains for riders heading out for the holidays or heading into the city for New Year’s Eve festivities.  

Details for each agency are below: 

New York City Subway

Christmas Eve

On Sunday, Dec. 24, subways will run on a Sunday schedule with the following exceptions:

  • Woodlawn-boundtrains will skip 170 St, Mt Eden Av, 176 St, 183 St, Fordham Rd, Kingsbridge Rd and Bedford Park Blvd-Lehman College until 10 p.m. 
  •  trains will operate between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd & 86 St in Brooklyn. There will be no   train service at Coney Island-Stillwell Av between 5:45 a.m. and 8 p.m. 
  • Coney Island-bound  trains will operate via thefrom Canal St to DeKalb Av. 
  • Bay Ridge-bound trains will run express via the Manhattan Bridge from Canal St to 59 St, Brooklyn and skips DeKalb Av between 6 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. 
  • Coney Island-bound  trains will run express via the Manhattan Bridge from Canal St to 59 St, Brooklyn and skip DeKalb Av between 11:45 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 26 at 5 a.m. 
  • trains will operate between Whitehall St and Atlantic Av between 11:45 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 25 at 5 a.m.
  • trains will run express between Atlantic Av and 36 St and Bay Ridge-bound trains skip 45 St and 53 St between 11:45 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 26 at 5 a.m. 
  • Coney Island-bound  trains will skip DeKalb Av, Union St, 4 Av-9 St, Prospect Av and 25 St between 12:15 a.m. and Monday, Dec. 25 at 5 a.m. 

Christmas Day

On Monday, Dec. 25, subways will run on a Sunday schedule.

Between Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Dec. 29, the 42 St shuttle will not run. During this time customers are advised to take the train for service between Times Square–42 St Station and Grand Central–42 St Station. 

Customers can also take the M42 bus which makes stops along 42 St between First Avenue and 12th Avenue.  

New Year’s Eve

On Sunday, Dec. 31, subways will run on a Sunday schedule with the following exceptions.   

  • Uptown trains will skip 50 St between 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 and 12:15 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. 
  • trains will skip 49 St between 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 and 12:15 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. 
  • Exits to street level at Times Sq-42 St will be subject to NYPD closures on New Year’s Eve. 

Additional subway service will run on the and 42 St   lines on New Year’s Eve to help customers get to the festivities.  

New Year’s Day   
On Monday, Jan. 1 subways will run on a Sunday schedule. 

New York City Buses

Christmas Eve   
On Sunday, Dec. 24, buses will run on a Sunday schedule.   

Christmas Day 

On Monday, Dec. 25, buses will run on a Sunday schedule.  

Between Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Dec. 29, most New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company buses will run on a reduced weekday schedule as most schools will be closed.   

Special express bus schedules will be in effect. The following bus routes that normally have local and limited-stop services will only operate with local service: M1, M4, Q4, Q5, Q17, Q27, Q36, Q43, Q46, Q83, Q85. Staten Island express, limited stop, and local buses will, however, run on a regular weekday schedule.  

New Year’s Eve   
On Sunday, Dec. 31, buses will run on a Sunday schedule.   
Bus routes in and around Midtown are subject to detours around road closures.  

New Year’s Day   
On Monday, Jan. 1, buses will run on a Sunday schedule.  

Access-A-Ride – Paratransit

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day  

Paratransit is operating full service. Please be aware of alternate drop off locations when making reservations to NYC Open Street corridors.  

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day  

Paratransit is operating full service. Please be aware of alternate drop off locations when making reservations to NYC Open Street corridors. Specifically, the New Year’s Eve closures of the Times Square area.  

Long Island Rail Road

Christmas Eve  

On Christmas Eve, LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.  

Christmas Day  

On Christmas Day, LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.  

New Year’s Eve  

On New Year’s Eve, the LIRR will be on a weekend/holiday schedule with the addition of extra evening westbound trains.   

For westbound customers attending events in New York City, LIRR will operate twelve additional evening trains. Eight extra trains will operate to Penn Station and four extra trains will operate to Grand Central Madison.  

New Year’s Day  
On New Year’s Day, the LIRR will operate on a regular weekend/holiday schedule, with extra trains for customers heading home after New Year’s Eve events.   
Fifteen additional early morning eastbound trains will operate to Long Island. Nine extra trains will operate from Penn Station, six extra trains will operate from Grand Central Madison.  
In addition, the LIRR will provide extra post-event service from Elmont-UBS Arena following the Billy Joel concert scheduled for New Year’s Eve.  

Metro-North Railroad

Christmas Eve  
On Sunday, Dec. 24, Metro-North will operate on a Sunday schedule.  

Christmas Day  

On Monday, Dec. 25, Metro-North will operate on a special schedule with hourly service at most stations. The Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines will operate on a Sunday schedule on Christmas Day.  

Between Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Dec. 29, Metro-North will operate on a modified weekday schedule. Customers are encouraged to check TrainTime or new.mta.info to see if their normal train time has been adjusted.  

New Year’s Eve  

On Sunday, Dec. 31, Metro-North will operate on a Sunday schedule. Additional outbound service from Grand Central Terminal will operate after midnight until 5 a.m.  

On West of Hudson lines, additional service will run after midnight on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines.  

New Year’s Day  

On Monday, Jan. 1, Metro-North will operate on a special schedule with hourly service at most stations.  
 

For real-time service updates and information, customers can use the following options: 

MYmta app – Customers who use the comprehensive MYmta smartphone app will see real-time travel information for all MTA services all in one place.

TrainTime app - The MTA’s TrainTime app is the one-stop app for commuter rail customers in the region on both Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, showing all train schedules for 30 days in the future.

mta.info – The “Service Status” box at new.mta.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each line.

MTA Weekender – Customers can sign up for the “MTA Weekender,” a weekly digest of major weekend service changes throughout the transit system.

X – X users can follow @MTA, @NYCTSubway, @NYCTBus for service updates and customer service support.

WhatsApp – Customers can chat with NYC Transit via WhatsApp. Riders can receive customer service support in their native language through the help of Google Translate.

For those who prefer to contact the MTA by telephone, information is available by dialing 511. Connecticut customers should call 877-690-5114. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the MTA at 511.