Discounts to Metro-North tickets are coming

The often-maligned New York City congestion pricing has a more attractive sister, and she’s about to bring discounted monthly Metro-North tickets to the dance.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced April 30 it will pilot programs alongside congestion pricing intended to make public transportation more desirable for commuters.

Metro-North commuters purchasing monthly tickets will get a 10 percent discount within New York City. For greater Riverdale, a monthly ticket from the Riverdale or Spuyten Duyvil stations to Grand Central costs $199.75. With the applied discount, the price will lower to $180.

The program is expected to run for a year beginning July 1. Any continuation beyond that has not yet been discussed.

Part of the MTA’s goal for congestion pricing is to reduce traffic and the number of cars traveling in and out of Manhattan while building interest in public transportation. The city boasts a robust subway system, more than 200 bus routes, and a railroad system that reaches beyond Westchester County.

But, even with all of the current infrastructure, it and accessibility need work.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for Riders Alliance, a grassroots organization of subway and bus riders who aim to hold elected officials accountable while advocating for better public transportation that is reliable, affordable, and accessible.  He said the railroad discounts are a win for the riders.

“Rail, if it’s accessible to people in the community, can be life-changing because it can dramatically shorten commutes,” Pearlstein said.

Advocating for congestion pricing has been part of the Rider Alliance mission for several years. Dating back to 2018, the group has organized riders from across the city to petition for congestion pricing so the money earned could be utilized to fix the city’s subway infrastructure.

As it has turned out, the money collected from congestion pricing will be used to fund capital projects, with 80 percent of the funds directed toward the subway.

For the alliance, seeing progress on congestion pricing feels like hard work paying off. The group recruited thousands of residents to call, petition, and advocate to state legislators in support of fixing the subway by passing the law for congestion pricing.

Part of the alliance’s work includes the city’s successful Fair Fares program, which cuts the prices of subway and bus fares in half for low-income city residents. Pearlstein said he thinks this program is one of the alliance’s most successful campaign projects but there is always room for growth.

“We would like to see eligibility increase to New Yorkers earning 200 percent of the federal poverty line, so for a family of four that would be $60,000 a year,” Pearlstein said. “For too long, a lot of people have been priced out of infrastructure in their own communities with high commuter rail fares.”

The change in affordability is coming from the state budget, which will make a difference in the lives of those residing in the outer boroughs. MTA chief executive Janno Lieber applauded the state’s initiative.

“These are the kinds of investments outer borough commuters want to see, and the state legislature understands that, as proven by this year’s budget,” Lieber said.

The piloted program will be funded by the Outer Borough Transportation Account, created in 2018 alongside the law that put congestion pricing into effect. The account provides $50 million every year to improve transportation throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The discount coming out of this fund also means neither the MTA nor city residents will be footing the bill for the price reduction.