New Fare Options Start Jan. 4, 2026
More Flexible Ticket Offerings Make It Easy to Travel on Both Railroads
Installations Began in Mid-October and Will Be Complete in 2026
See Photos of New Machines
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that new Ticket Vending Machines equipped with multiple features that create a better customer experience are now in service at both LIRR and Metro-North stations.
New Machine Features:
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Sell each railroad’s tickets, giving customers the ability to purchase a ticket from a Long Island Rail Road station to a Metro-North station and vice versa.
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Riders have the option to scan the barcode of a previously purchased ticket to pull up a similar ticket purchase again.
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Change is now offered in bills ($5, $10), instead of all coins.
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The machines offer services in nine languages plus English instead of the previous three languages.
“The first thing every rider does before boarding an LIRR train is buy a ticket, and the LIRR offers several ways to do that including our groundbreaking TrainTime app and for riders who prefer a paper ticket, the new Ticket Vending Machines make that experience smoother and more convenient,” said LIRR President Rob Free. “We’ve been rolling out the new machines through the system over the last few months, and we’re excited to connect Long Islanders with all the great destinations in Metro-North territory and the new features they offer.”
“The MTA is a true regional rail system and these new TVM’s make it easier for riders to purchase tickets to any Metro-North or Long Island destination,” said Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek. “All of the Railroads’ new fare options will be available in these machines after the new year, making MTA riders’ trips even faster and smoother than ever.”
For nearly 25 years, our legacy TVMs have been the backbone of fare payment, maintaining 97% availability and generating about 30% of all ticket sales. However, by 2024 the OMNY project for Metro-North and LIRR was significantly delayed and our TVMs and TOMs urgently needed replacement. Teams at both railroads pivoted to launch a new contract with Scheidt and Bachmann, the vendor for the current legacy system, and kicked off a new project in June 2024. Moving from concept to implementation in just over a year is an extraordinary achievement.
Full installation began in mid-October with a scheduled completion of mid-2026 bringing new Ticket Vending Machines, featuring updated ticket designs, to all LIRR and Metro-North stations. This project also includes new Ticket Office Machines which are scheduled for deployment in 2026.
This success was driven by collaboration across Metro-North, LIRR, MTA IT, MTA Finance, MTA Construction and Development, Jacobs Engineering, and MTA Headquarters, with crucial support from our employees and long-time vendor, Scheidt and Bachmann.
There will be additional upgrades being rolled out in 2026 to the payment options as well as user experience in purchase flow.
Changes to LIRR and Metro-North fares
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Monthly and weekly tickets will increase up to 4.5% across both railroads.
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Even with this increase, monthly ticket prices will remain lower than they were pre-COVID and will not exceed $500.
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All other ticket types will increase up to 8%.
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Peak CityTicket will increase from $7 to $7.25 and Off-Peak CityTicket will increase from $5 to $5.25. This change will also apply to the Far Rockaway ticket.
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All one-way tickets in the city zones will match CityTicket prices, so no customer will pay more than $7.25 in the peak or $5.25 in the off-peak for travel within New York City.
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Peak CityTicket and Far Rockaway Ticket will become permanent fare products.
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There will be no increase to fares on all West of Hudson lines.
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The surcharge for tickets purchased onboard from a conductor will increase by $2. There will be an equivalent surcharge for tickets purchased or activated onboard using the TrainTime app.
Ticketing policies on LIRR and Metro-North
The policy changes described below simplify ticketing rules and speed up the fare-collection process. They would be adopted as a pilot program, subject to ongoing review.
All one-way tickets are valid until 4 a.m.
All One-Way paper and mobile tickets will expire at 4 a.m. the day after purchase. For example, if a customer purchases a one-way ticket on Monday at 10 a.m., it will be valid until Tuesday at 4 a.m. Customers still need to activate tickets before boarding.
More flexible ticket offerings
A new Day Pass for unlimited travel will replace the Round-Trip ticket. The Day Pass will be valid on the day of purchase until 4 a.m. the following day. On weekdays, the Day Pass will cost 10% less than two one-way peak tickets; on weekends, it will cost the same as two one-way off-peak tickets. Unlimited Day Passes are also available for CityTicket and Far Rockaway ticketholders, priced at $14.50 in the peak and $10.50 in the off-peak.
A new “pay-as-you-go” discount will be available for mobile customers. After 10 peak or off-peak trips in 14 days, mobile customers will get an 11th peak or off-peak one-way trip for free in the same 14-day period.
Reduced fare is always available
A reduced fare product will be available all day, every day for seniors, people with disabilities, and Medicare recipients, even in the morning peak period.
More affordable trips for families
Children aged 5-17 will be able to ride for $1 each on the Family Fare when accompanied by a fare-paying adult, even in the morning peak. Now, families can travel together on the commuter railroads to school, sporting events, or recreational activities at a more affordable price.
Avoid the onboard surcharge
The surcharge for tickets purchased onboard, whether from a conductor or the TrainTime app, will increase by $2. Customers who repeatedly purchase or activate mobile tickets onboard will be subject to the surcharge after an escalating series of warnings.