Five Additional Daily Trains Added to 7 Line Service
For First Time, LIRR Runs Direct Service from East Side via Grand Central Madison; Tickets Between Manhattan and Willets Point as Low as $5 with CityTicket
Listen to Recordings of Tennis Legends Billie Jean King and Andy Roddick Promoting Mass Transit Playing Throughout the Subway and LIRR
View Video of Today’s News Conference
View Photos of News Conference
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is the best way to get to the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for all the action as the US Open is back in Queens. MTA leadership today helped kick off US Open Fan Week which runs from Tuesday, Aug. 22 to Sunday, Aug. 27. The Authority encourages New Yorkers and the more than 880,000 anticipated attendees to take mass transit to the tournament for both US Open Fan Week and the US Open Main Draw, which takes place Monday, Aug. 28 to Sunday, Sept. 10.
For a second consecutive year, the MTA has teamed up with USTA tennis legends to provide recorded audio messages throughout the subways and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), along the 7 line, at Grand Central, Times Square and the Times Square Shuttle. Starting Monday, Aug. 21, 37-time Grand Slam champion and four-time US Open Women’s Singles champion Billie Jean King and Andy Roddick can be heard on platforms and in stations for the duration of the tournament.
“Every year, hundreds of thousands of fans take public transit to get in on the action at the US Open,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “It’s the most cost-efficient way of getting out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to watch the world’s best players battle it out on the courts. Whether you’re taking the bus, subway, or railroad, the MTA is proud to support this iconic New York event.”
“The LIRR makes it easy to get to US Open matches without the stress and expense of parking,” said LIRR Interim President and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “The railroad now offers an off-peak $5 and peak $7 CityTicket option for those traveling within New York City, and with the opening of Grand Central Madison on the East Side of Manhattan, fans have two options to get to Mets-Willets Point in just 19 minutes.”
“The 7 train is about as synonymous with the US Open as a Carlos Alcaraz ace,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “Mass transit makes this annual NYC tradition possible, carrying thousands of tennis fans to and from Mets-Willets Point throughout the tournament, and we will have additional trains staged for peak periods after evening matches. The fastest, most convenient way to get to and from the action is by taking transit.”
“To all the passionate tennis fans, there’s no better way than taking public transit to the US Open as it’s the greenest, most convenient and cost-efficient way to get to enjoy the matches,” said MTA Acting Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “Customers can tap with their mobile device or payment card with ease, convenience and flexibility to get to the National Tennis Center in a breeze.”
“I'm incredibly thankful to be standing here with representatives from the MTA. I’d like to encourage everyone to take mass transit out to the Open this year,” said USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Chief Operating Officer Danny Zausner. “All these new services available for people from Westchester, from Long Island, from New Jersey, and from places north, south, east, and west is a wonderful opportunity for people to avoid the traffic that tends to come to this area during the US Open.”
Customers have a variety of public transportation options to get to the tournament including New York City Transit subway and buses, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad.
New York City Subways
The Mets-Willets Point station serves the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Fans can always take either the local or the express to reach the Mets-Willets Point station. After the last match at Arthur Ashe Stadium starting Friday, Aug. 25, New York City Transit will run five additional trains to supplement regularly scheduled service. Supplemental trains will run express from Mets-Willets Point to 74th St-Broadway and then make all local stops to 34 St-Hudson Yards.
New York City Buses
The Q48 bus stops at 126 St and Roosevelt Ave, providing convenient access to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Customers can use the real-time bus ridership tracking feature on the MYmta app before boarding.
Long Island Rail Road
For the first time, customers have two options to travel from Manhattan to Willets Point with the opening of Grand Central Madison. The LIRR provides direct service to Willets Point station via the Port Washington Branch, a 19-minute ride from Penn Station or Grand Central. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington. Fans traveling from Long Island on other branches can reach the US Open by changing trains at Woodside, which is a five-minute ride.
As of Aug. 21, the CityTicket expanded to peak trains at a rate of $7, covering travel between commuter railroad stations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. The expansion to peak trains makes the CityTicket valid any time and day of the week, with the off-peak fare remaining at $5.
Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 22 through Friday, Sept. 8, the LIRR will be adding a Mets-Willets Point stop to three morning peak Port Washington trains within the 8 o’clock hour to supplement service to US Open events. After 9:00 a.m. all westbound Port Washington trains already have a scheduled Mets-Willets Point stop, as do all weekend trains.
- The 8:14 a.m. train from Port Washington to Grand Central will make an added stop at Mets-Willets Point at 8:38 a.m.
- The 8:20 a.m. train from Little Neck will make an added stop at Mets-Willets Point at 8:35 a.m.
- The 8:33 a.m. train from Port Washington to Grand Central will make an added stop at Mets-Willets Point at 9:01 a.m.
Access-A-Ride (AAR) Paratransit
AAR customers may make reservations 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling AAR at 877-337-2017 or 718-393-4999 and pressing prompt #2, online at https://new.mta.info/accessibility/paratransit, or via the MYmta app.
The AAR Command Center operates 24/7 to assist customers on the day of trip, such as confirming a reservation or ascertaining a vehicle’s estimated time of arrival. Customers should call 877-337-2017 or 718-393-4999 and press prompt #5.
Service Information Available
Information about how to get to the tournament is available through the MTA’s many real-time service information sources.
mta.info – The definitive source for real-time arrival information and service change information for each line or route in the MTA system. Customers can find current statuses on mta.info and upcoming planned service changes using our lookup tool at mta.info/alerts.
MYmta app – Customers who use the comprehensive MYmta smartphone app will see real-time train and bus arrival times and other travel information for all MTA services all in one place. The app is available in the Apple Store and in Google Play.
Email & Text Alerts – Customers can sign up for email and SMS alerts tailored to their specific commutes and travel times by texting ALERT to 511-682 or online.
Twitter – Twitter users can follow @MTA, @NYCTSubway, @NYCTBus, and @LIRR for service updates and customer service support.
WhatsApp – Riders can chat with NYC Transit via WhatsApp for 24/7 customer assistance. With the help of Google Translate, NYC Transit staff offer real-time customer support in up to 108 languages.
511 – For those who prefer to contact the MTA by telephone, information is available by dialing 511. 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.
About the US Open
This year, the US Open will celebrate its 50th anniversary of equal prize money for men and women. Fifty years ago, in 1973, the US Open became the first sporting event in history to offer equal prize money to both men and women competitors, with each competing for total purses of $100,000, including a $25,000 payout to both the men’s and women’s singles champion.
US Open Fan Week, a predominately free week of activity, will begin with the start of the US Open Qualifying Tournament on Aug. 22 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Each day of Fan Week will be anchored by a signature event that runs the gamut from tennis stars and legends to a food festival and a concert and includes the annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, the largest grassroots tennis event in the world.
Entry to the grounds is free each day of Fan Week, with the US Open Qualifying Tournament taking place from Tuesday, Aug. 22, through Friday, Aug. 25, on the field courts of the US Open. The 128-draw tournament determines the final 16 men and 16 women competitors to gain entry into the Main Draw of the US Open. The Main Draw begins on Monday, Aug. 28.
Fans can enjoy free access to featured practices during US Open Fan Week in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, or on the Grandstand courts, where the biggest stars are preparing for the Grand Slam event.
The US Open Main Draw takes place Aug. 28 - Sept. 10.