Hudson Valley Metro-North Riders Just Set an Impressive Record

If you've recently traveled on Metro-North, congratulations. You've set a record.

One of the perks of living in the Hudson Valley is having easy access to one of the many Metro-North train stations that are situated along the Hudson River. When people ask me why I love living in Dutchess County I usually rattle off a long list of reasons, but one of the biggest is the fact that I get to live in relative peace and quiet while still having the option to jump on a train and be in the middle of Manhattan in about an hour and a half.

Metro-North not only makes it possible for people to stay sane while commuting back and forth from the city every day, but it also allows anyone to spontaneously go to a Yankee game, head to a Broadway show and now even visit family out in Long Island without having to drive.

Commuters Set New Record

Governor Hochul announced on Wednesday that Metro-North riders set an important record this month, signaling a surge in popularity for rail travel. On Tuesday, May 9 Metro-North hit the 200,000-rider mark for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. There were just over 205,000 riders on Tuesday, which the governor says "smashed" the previous record. A record was also set on the same day for the Long Island Railroad.

Hochul credits the huge investments made to commuter rail services and the MTA for the huge increase in riders and says that ridership is only expected to grow.

From opening Grand Central Madison to securing more than $1 billion in sustained funding for the MTA, I am committed to expanding service and bringing riders back to the nation's largest transit system.

According to Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi, Before Metro-North hit the 200,000 mark it had been serving an average of 180,174 daily riders in April. On April 18, that number hit a record of 194,549. That record was broken the next day when Metro-North carried 195,086 riders and has stood until this week.