LIRR offering 'winter weekend' discounts for monthly riders beginning in January

The MTA will be offering "winter weekend" discounts for monthly Long Island Rail Road ticket holders beginning Saturday, LIRR President Robert Free announced in a year-end letter to customers.

The discounts allow monthly riders to travel anywhere in the LIRR system on their monthly commuter ticket and to bring two additional travelers for $1 each. The $1 tickets may be bought on the Train Time app or on the train without the usual additional charge.

The program extends the Summer Saturday discounts introduced earlier this year.

The MTA said in a statement Friday the discount is intended to encourage the use of public transit as congestion pricing is scheduled to begin Sunday. Under the new toll plan, passenger cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street will pay a $9 toll ($13.50 if they don’t have E-ZPass) during peak hours, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. At night, drivers will pay $2.25 or $3.30 without E-ZPass. Drivers who stay on the FDR Drive, West Side Highway or Battery Park underpass won’t pay the toll.

The plan faces several court challenges, but federal judges on Dec. 23 rejected arguments to pause the tolls while the lawsuits are underway.

Ridership on the LIRR has already increased this year, rising 16% year-to-date as of late November over 2023. Non-commuter rides increased 21% over 2023 and 17% over the pre-pandemic year 2019, Free’s letter noted.

The letter said 95.6% of trains arrived on time in the past year.

"Taking the train is the fastest and most convenient way to get to the city this winter," Free said in a statement on Friday. "Skip winter traffic and enjoy the trip at great prices."

Metro North is also offering the winter weekend discounts to its monthly ticket holders, but LIRR discounts apply only to LIRR destinations, not to Metro North stations.