MTA Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng today joined Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and members of the New York Senate, New York Assembly and New York City Council to celebrate the LIRR’s newly introduced “Atlantic Ticket,” which offers discounted fares for customers traveling between Brooklyn and seven stations in Queens on a temporary basis. Atlantic Ticket is part of a six-to-12-month field study will measure what impact the lower fare will have on ridership on the LIRR and New York City subways and buses. The field study builds upon a program first proposed by the New York City Transit Riders Council, and has had the strong support of elected officials in Brooklyn and Queens. 

Elected official attending this morning’s press conferences at Queens Village and Atlantic Terminal were Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Senator Leroy Comrie, Assembly Member Clyde Vanel, Assembly Member Tremaine Wright and City Council Member I. Daneek Miller. For quotes from the officials please see the quote sheet below.

Under the study, the fare for a one-way LIRR ticket between Brooklyn and the seven Queens stations will be $5.00, a reduction of 51% from the current peak fare of $10.25, and a reduction of 33% from the current off-peak fare of $7.50.

The combined one-way fare covering the LIRR and NYC Transit portions of a trip will be $7.75 ($5 for the LIRR Atlantic Ticket and $2.75 for NYC Transit pay-per-ride fare). “This one-way fare is intended to attract customers traveling occasionally, or interested in trying out LIRR before purchasing the weekly pass,” Chairman Lhota said.

For commuters interested in more frequent travel on LIRR, the MTA will also offer a $60.00 joint weekly unlimited-ride ticket valid for LIRR travel between the selected stations and transfers to NYC subways and buses. (This amount is almost the same as the $59.50 current express bus weekly unlimited fare, which also offers unlimited trips on subways or local buses.)

Compared to the current fares, the special $60 weekly ticket will offer a 42.5% discount over the combined current two-system fare of $104.25.

The 10 LIRR stations listed below are covered under the field study. The stations with convenient subway connections are noted below.

Brooklyn

• Atlantic Terminal
• East New York at Atlantic Av
• Nostrand Avenue 

Queens

• Hollis
• Jamaica 
• Laurelton
• Locust Manor
• Queens Village
• Rosedale
• Albans

Customers can purchase the discounted LIRR tickets at ticket machines or from ticket sales offices and will have the option to add a $5.50 New York City Transit fare to their one way or round trip tickets. The tickets for this field study will not be available via the MTA’s eTix app.

The tickets offered in this field study will also not be available for purchase from conductors on board trains. Customers requesting tickets on board trains will be charged the existing higher on board sales rates: $16 for a peak-hour one-way rail-only ticket, or $14 for an off-peak one-way rail-only ticket. Weekly tickets are not sold aboard trains.

The $60 weekly tickets, like current LIRR weekly tickets, will be valid from 12:01 a.m. every Saturday through midnight on the following Friday for travel on LIRR and valid for 7 days after first swipe for travel on local buses and subway. The $5.00 one-way ticket, like the current CityTicket, will be valid on the day of purchase only.

At Hollis, Laurelton, Locust Manor, Queens Village, Rosedale and St. Albans, the LIRR offers rush hour service roughly every 20 minutes and hourly off-peak service. Off-peak trains serve Brooklyn stations directly. For some peak-hour trains, customers will need to change trains at Jamaica.

Between Brooklyn and Jamaica, the LIRR offers direct rush hour service of roughly every 10 minutes, and off-peak service every 30 minutes.

As part of the metrics it evaluates, the MTA will seek to evaluate whether existing LIRR customers who travel to Penn Station will switch their travel to Atlantic Terminal. The LIRR last offered discounts to Atlantic Terminal in summer 2017, when service to Penn Station was affected by track reconstruction work being conducted by Amtrak.

QUOTE SHEET:

LIRR President Eng said: “It is important that the LIRR find ways to better serve the entire metropolitan area, both the suburbs and the city. The LIRR is asset for the city, and city residents may not be taking full advantage of it, so we want to see if this lower fare encourages more city residents to use the service. We are looking forward to conducting this field study to gauge whether lowering LIRR fares has an effect on ridership of the LIRR, subway and express buses.”

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said: “I applaud the MTA for heeding the call of straphangers and advocacy organizations, such as the New York City Transit Riders Council and Tri-State Transportation Campaign, by introducing the Atlantic Ticket. This change, which forms part of the Freedom Ticket pilot program that I called for last year, will undoubtedly benefit commuters living in central and eastern Brooklyn as well as southeastern Queens — areas of the city that have long-endured poor transit options, with few reliable ways of getting around. We must maximize the opportunity this field study presents us to expand commuters’ options, and ensure this pilot becomes a permanent solution to empowering our city’s residents to be able to travel to their destination seamlessly.”

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said: “Residents in southeast Queens have some of the longest commute times to work in the entire City of New York. The reduced fare Atlantic Ticket will make ridership on the LIRR a more attractive option for many more Queens residents. Any alternative transit option that reduces the cost and offers time efficiencies in our commutes is most welcome. We still hope.”

Senator Leroy Comrie said: “Atlantic Ticket represents a positive step in the direction of integrating our transit systems and making commuting quicker and more affordable for countless New Yorkers who live in transit deserts like Southeast Queens. I thank LIRR President Phil Eng and his entire team for hearing the community's concerns and working with us to implement this pilot program, as well as my elected colleagues, especially Council Member I. Daneek Miller, for their tireless advocacy for this pilot program. I look forward to continuing the spread the word about this new affordable transit opportunity.”

Assembly Member Clyde Vanel said: “We are excited about the Atlantic ticket and South East Queens has been known to be a transportation desert. Therefore this study is a great way to close the transportation gap. Our residents are excited about this program and they are hoping for it to be extended long term. I want to thank the MTA and LIRR for working with the community to help improve the quality of life for our residents.” 

City Council Member I. Daneek Miller said: “After years of planning, organizing, and campaigning, we are one step closer towards our goal of achieving commuter rail equity for all underserved New Yorkers. The residents of my Southeast Queens district who have long endured prolonged and costly commutes from the far reaches of St. Albans, Queens Village, Locust Manor and Hollis will surely benefit from the reduced fare, faster commute time, and optional subway or bus transfer the ‘Atlantic Ticket’ will offer them. I thank MTA Chair Joe Lhota, LIRR President Phillip Eng, and NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg for their support of this program. I especially want to thank the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA for its partnership in advocating for the full ‘Freedom Ticket’ proposal that would also include LIRR rides to Penn Station and provide the same benefits to Metro North riders. Our work continues.”