Momentum growing in call to lower commuter rail fares to the price of a MetroCard swipe
Comptroller Stringer report found that 1.4 million residents across the city – including 733,000 in Queens – are impacted by sky-high commuter rail fares
”Opening up” the city’s 41 commuter rail stations would eliminate vast transit deserts in Southeast Queens and dozens of other New York neighborhoods
(New York, NY) — Today in Southeast Queens, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer joined local elected officials and transportation advocates to call for an end to the steep pay wall – in some cases as high as $10.25 per ride – that is locking working New Yorkers out of the commuter rail system. The proposal would reduce in-city commuter rail fares to $2.75, the cost of a MetroCard swipe, and allow free transfers with the subway and bus systems – this would effectively open up the commuter rail system, integrating the city’s rail networks, and dramatically increasing mobility in the in the city’s fastest growing boroughs.
The rally comes just months after Comptroller Stringer released a comprehensive report on the millions of New Yorkers who would benefit from this proposal – and called on the MTA to immediately drop its inflated prices within the city. The Comptroller’s analysis showed that integrating Metro-North and LIRR fares with the subway and bus would cut commute times in half, improve job access, and extend the reach of the transit system at an estimated price tag of $50 to $70 million – a fraction of the cost of new station and tunnel construction.
“For New Yorkers across the city, getting around on public transit has become a complete nightmare. In Queens, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are being locked out of fast, reliable service every day by sky-high ticket prices for the commuter rail system. It’s a crisis of access that creates a two-tiered transit system propped up by a paywall – and the MTA has the power to tear it down,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Southeast Queens needs transit equity now. I’m standing with advocates and elected officials who’ve called on this for years – and together we’ll expand our system for millions of struggling straphangers.”
As part of the rally, Comptroller Stringer highlighted Queens-specific data detailing how lowering fares could be a game-changer for residents of the borough:
Metro-North and LIRR stations serve 31 neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, home to 327,000 jobs and 1.4 million residents — all of whom would benefit from improved mobility and a better integrated transit system. Queens is home to the majority of these commuter rail stations – 22 of the 41 across the five boroughs – which are located in close proximity to roughly 221,000 jobs and 733,000 residents.
However, expensive ticket prices – nearly four times as costly as a MetroCard swipe – leave locals stranded and force them to make lengthy commutes with multiple transfers on overcrowded roads, subways, and buses. In total, 18 Queens LIRR stations are located in “transit deserts” beyond the subway’s reach.
In those Queens neighborhoods with access to LIRR, but no subway station, the local community is 83 percent people of color and 45 percent are foreign-born.
Unfortunately, many of these New Yorkers are all but shut out of the commuter rail system. From Flushing, Hollis, St. Albans, or Laurelton to Penn Station, a one-way fare is an outrageous $10.25. The fare to Long Island City, the future home of Amazon HQ2, is also $10.25.
At the same time, much longer trips within Long Island are three-times less expensive, evidence that New York City residents pay a steep premium that must be eliminated. For example, it costs only $3.25 to travel dozens of miles on the LIRR from Montauk to Westhampton, Port Jefferson to Huntington, or Oyster Bay to Floral Park during peak hours.
As a result of exorbitant fares and meager service, commuters in these areas are forced to spend hours longer getting into Manhattan via subway and bus. The LIRR to Penn Station, for instance, takes 35 minutes from Queens Village and 25 minutes from Auburndale. The same trip on the subway and local bus requires 80 minutes and 75 minutes, respectively.
Simply lowering fares and allowing free transfers between commuter rail, subways, and buses for all trips within in the city would have system-wide benefits and help alleviate the city’s transit crisis.
“Residents of northeastern Queens are painfully aware of their exclusion from viable transit options.” Said John Liu, state Senator of District 11. “Reducing the LIRR fare and allowing transfers between the buses and subways, within city limits, would go a long way to making transit choices inclusive to all New Yorkers.”
“A MetroCard should be able to get you anywhere in New York City regardless of the mode you use; whether its bus, subway, or commuter rail,” said Assemblyman David I. Weprin. “I want to thank Comptroller Stringer for opening up this discussion on our transit system and fighting for equitable fares in Eastern Queens.”
“The Long Island Rail Road runs through the heart of Southeast Queens, but the high cost of commuter rail tickets forces thousands of residents to sometimes spend well over an hour on an MTA bus or a subway to get to where they need to go,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “By lowering the cost of in-city commuter rail fares, we can unlock the LIRR as a reliable method of transportation for so many in Southeast Queens. Not only does this reduce overcrowding on our subways and buses, it creates a more equitable transportation system worthy of our borough.”
“Many of residents of Eastern and Southeast Queens have some of the longest commute times to work in the City of New York,” said Council Member Adrienne Adams. “Unfortunately, the MTA’s existing fee structure forces many to spend extra hours on congested subways and buses to make ends meet. Reducing the price of commuter rail fares to the price of a MetroCard in New York City zones is sorely needed for riders in transit deserts to see relief.”
“The district in Eastern Queens that I represent has no subway stations, but several nearby Long Island Rail Road stations, which afford relatively quick access to downtown Brooklyn and midtown Manhattan,” said Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik. “If ferry fares are the same as those for bus and subway rides, and the city can provide significant funding to subsidize the cost of ferry service, rail road tickets from Queens should be sold for the same price. We are all one city, and residents of every neighborhood need affordable transit access.”
“Riders in neighborhoods far from the subway need better access to economic opportunities and city institutions that commuter rail discounts would make possible. Thanks to Comptroller Scott Stringer for making this important connection and highlighting the way forward. The governor and legislature need to consider all New York riders’ needs and adopt a truly comprehensive transit funding plan, starting with congestion pricing, in the next state budget,” said Danny Pearlstein, Policy and Communications Director, Riders Alliance.
“There are a number of plans and projects in the pipeline that will help bring New York City’s subway and bus system to a state of good repair, but it may be years before riders experience the benefits. Reducing commuter rail fares for travel within the city can be done much quicker, for a relatively low cost, and provide immediate relief to many New Yorkers who need better access to jobs, housing, and education,” said Liam Blank, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Tri-State Transportation Campaign.