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Heads up, commuters: Your Long Island Rail Road ticket could cost more starting next year.
During Wednesday’s MTA board meeting, officials proposed new fare hikes and policy changes set to take effect in 2026.
Starting in January, monthly and weekly LIRR tickets would increase by up to 4.5%. All other tickets would go up as much as 8%.
Still, the MTA says prices would remain lower than they were before the pandemic.
Another big change: If you wait to buy your ticket until after you board, you’ll face a $2 surcharge — even if you use the TrainTime app. Tickets will now be automatically activated at the time of purchase and valid for four hours. Same goes for paper tickets bought from a machine.
Also on the table is a new “Day Pass” that would replace round-trip tickets. The pass would allow unlimited travel from the time of purchase until 4 a.m. the following day.
According to the MTA, weekday Day Passes would cost 10% less than two one-way peak tickets. On weekends, the price would be the same as two off-peak one-way fares.
Toll hikes were also proposed — a 7.5% increase across all MTA bridges and tunnels, including the Throgs Neck, Whitestone, Verrazzano and Midtown Tunnel.
The public will get a chance to weigh in during three hearings at the New York City Transit Authority in Brooklyn.
You can attend in person or join via Zoom.
Top: Doors close as aLong Island Rail Road train departs for its inaugural trip from Jamaica station towards Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Queens. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
