Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) trains and buses will operate on special schedules during the New Year’s holiday weekend, with lots of extra service to help customers enjoy the three-day weekend and celebrate the New Year.

Also for holiday travelers, as part of the Port Authority’s measures to alleviate roadway congestion at LaGuardia Airport during the peak holiday travel rush, MTA New York City Transit’s LaGuardia Link Q70 Select Bus Service will be fare-free through Tuesday, January 2. The LaGuardia Link provides non-stop service linking the main terminals of the airport (Terminals B, C and D) with New York City Subway at the Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av  station and the 61 St-Woodside  station-Long Island Rail Road stop in Woodside, Queens.

Additional details follow, organized by day.

Friday, December 29

To help customers get a head start on the long holiday weekend, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and the Staten Island Railway are adding additional afternoon service.

The Long Island Rail Road will operate 13 extra trains departing Penn Station between 12:43 p.m. and 3:49 p.m. and Metro-North Railroad will operate 17 extra trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 12:58 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. For additional details, please see the attached press releases from the LIRR and Metro-North.

Staten Island Railway is offering an “Early Departure Getaway” schedule, allowing customers to catch earlier afternoon express trains beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal. There will be one express train and one local train awaiting every boat until 7:50 p.m.

New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31

The MTA is the best way for revelers to get to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and to travel home afterwards. We strongly recommend that customers purchase their MetroCards or train tickets in advance.

New York City subways and buses and the Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule. As a reminder, due to scheduled Subway Action Plan maintenance and repair work occurring in the 53 St Tube until late morning, Sunday, December 31,  line riders are advised to allow additional travel time. More information on these significant upgrades and travel alternatives can be found here.     

On Metro-North, an enhanced Sunday schedule will be in effect with additional service to Grand Central Terminal in the late afternoon and early evening. The Long Island Rail Road will operate on a regular weekend/holiday schedule with 10 extra trains added. For additional details, please see the attached press release from the Long Island Rail Road.

On the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line, a regular weekend schedule will be in effect, with an additional inbound train from Port Jervis and additional outbound service to Port Jervis and Spring Valley after midnight. For additional details please see the attached press release from Metro-North.

Customers heading to Times Square for the celebration should avoid using the 42 St-Times Square subway complex, since they may not be allowed to exit onto the street.  In addition, the northbound platform at 50 St  and both north and southbound platforms at 49 St  will be closed from 7 p.m. until shortly after midnight. Riders are urged to exit at stations at 50 St or 57 St and walk to Times Square. Additional service will be provided in the  lines. Station entrances in the Times Square area are subject to closure based on instructions from the NYPD.

Buses are not recommended for traveling to Times Square because of the numerous street closures in the area. The following bus routes may be subject to reroutes: M5, M7, M20, M42, M50, M104 and X1. Regular overnight bus service will resume as streets reopen after midnight. 

New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1

Following the celebration, subway trains on lines in and around Times Square will run every 8 to 12 minutes until approximately 3 a.m. The 42nd Street shuttle  will operate all night.

After midnight, Metro-North Railroad will continue operating into the early morning hours, adding 48 departures between midnight and 5 a.m. from Grand Central Terminal to get customers safely home after the New Year’s Eve festivities, 12 additional trains toward Grand Central, and three additional trains to or from Hoboken Terminal on the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line, offering connecting service to/from Penn Station via Secaucus Junction. For additional details please see the attached press release from Metro-North.

Between 12:30 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. on New Year’s Day, a total of 14 extra Long Island Rail Road trains will operate from Penn Station to accommodate customers heading home after celebrating the arrival of the New Year. For additional details, please see the attached press release from the LIRR.

For the remainder of the day, New York City subways and buses, Metro-North Railroad and the Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule. The LIRR will operate on a holiday/weekend schedule. Customers may visit www.mta.info and check out “The Weekender,” accessible by clicking the “Weekender” tab located within the Service Status Menu.  Customers using bus routes in the five boroughs should use MTA Bus Time to track real-time bus positions and gauge arrival times.