MTA Looks to Increase Cost of LIRR Tickets

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released a new plan Wednesday that proposed increasing the cost of Long Island Railroad tickets by approximately four percent over the next two years.

New York City subway and bus fares as well as tolls at bridges and tunnels will be affected by the proposed increase as well, the MTA says.

The plan is similar to one proposed by the MTA in July, the "July Plan," which proposed a 4 percent hike to overall revenue yield for the MTA, not a direct hike on fare prices.

About 51 percent of the MTA’s 15.6 billion annual operating budget comes from fares and tolls. MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said these increases are “necessary to keep our system running,” but says they will remain as low as possible and be done in a fair and just way.

The last time LIRR riders saw ticket increases in March 2015. The new fares and tolls could take effect on March 19, 2017.

• Related: 136 LIRR Employees Made More Than $200K Last Year, 4 Top $300K

LIRR and Metro-North Railroad Proposed Changes

• The proposed increase for regular commuters, those who use monthly and weekly tickets, is capped at 3.75 percent.

• Weekly ticket increases are capped at a maximum of $6.75 for the longest trips.
• These increase must occur in 25-cent increments, which means some single-trip rides would increase by as much as 60 percent, but not by more than 50 cents.
• Fares for travel to, from or within Connecticut are not affected by this proposal, the MTA says.

NYC Subway and Buses Proposed Changes

• Fares could increase to $3 by March 2017 and increasing it to more than $3 in 2019.
• Monthly and weekly MetroCard prices could also go up.
• Read more on the subway increases here.

Bridges and Tunnels Proposed Changes

• Fees for New York Customer Service Center E-ZPass holders will increase by 4 percent or less.
• Non-E-ZPass users will see higher increases to encourage drivers to use E-ZPass. The MTA also hopes this increase will reduce congestion in advance of cashless tolling coming to bridges and tunnels.
• Substantial discounts are available to residents of Staten Island and the Rockaways, but it is not available to Long Island residents.

“This modest increase is needed to ensure that subway, rail, bus and paratransit services continue operate safely and reliably and to fuel the region’s economic and financial growth,” Prendergast said in a press release.

The MTA insisted that the fare hike was needed because the agency is looking at a huge operating deficit come 2020. In July, the MTA predicted the 2020 deficit could be $371 million, but if the November Plan is adopted the deficit could be reduced to $319 million, according to materials from the MTA's board meeting.

The proposals will be discussed at eight public hearings across the MTA region in December. The MTA Board will review public input before a final proposal is selected and voted on by the full board in January.

Patch photo, additional reporting by Brendan Krisel