Metro North Sweetens Rockland Commute into NYC

Cheap parking—really cheap—will be available this fall at the Pearl River and Nanuet train stations as Metro North markets train service into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties.

The pilot program offers 11 months free on a year’s worth of parking: buy an annual permit for $20 instead of the current $235.

Daily meter costs will drop to $1.25 a day from $2.75.

“We expect this move will encourage new customers in Orange and Rockland counties to try our reliable and comfortable train service,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast in a written statement.

Metro-North has 2,674 permit spaces and 1,020 daily meter spaces at six stations on the Port Jervis Line and all three Pascack Valley Line stations.

MTA officials hope the pilot, to begin November 1, will make Metro-North a more attractive travel option for customers from Orange and Rockland counties.

The West-of-Hudson lines are growing portions of Metro North’s service area.

Port Jervis Line ridership tripled from 516,000 annual rides in 1984 to over 1.5 million annual rides in 2008, making it MNR’s fastest growing line, though ridership fell in the aftermath of the recession and heavy storm damage from Tropical Storm Irene. Ridership is rising again, up 4% since the beginning of 2014 alone. This parking fee reduction is intended to recapture some of the ridership lost in recent years.

On the Pascack Valley Line, ridership has increased by almost 50% since the institution of weekday off-peak and weekend service in 2007. So far this year, ridership is up 10% on the line, almost all in the discretionary, non-commutation market.

In addition, beginning in late 2015, Metro-North plans to initiate a new outbound, midday Port Jervis Line train to close a nearly three-hour service gap.

“Metro-North is the most efficient and convenient way to get to Manhattan, and this change will save our customers money while also making commuting by train even more attractive,” said Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti. “This demonstrates our commitment to Orange and Rockland counties and to the many people there who can and do benefit from taking Metro-North to work and back.”