Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a record number of Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains operated on time in February. Metro-North Railroad had the best month in its history on East of Hudson service with a nearly perfect on-time performance of 99.3 percent on Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines. Metro-North was able to achieve the record on-time performance while still maintaining its aggressive infrastructure program, with crews working to complete a major switch replacement project on Grand Central Terminal’s upper level. In addition to the infrastructure work, the railroad navigated two major snow events. Combined with January’s 98.5 percent on-time performance on East of Hudson service, the first two months of 2024 are a record for Metro-North trains operating on time.
“New York leads the nation in public transportation, and our commuter rail network is moving New Yorkers at a record pace,” Governor Hochul said. “Mass transit is the most reliable, cost-effective and environmentally responsible way to travel, and we will continue our significant investments in commuter rail to make it even better.”
The LIRR’s 96.3 percent on-time performance was the best mark the railroad has posted for the month of February since 2012. The February 2024 record includes 6,400 more monthly trains, as the railroad added a historic 271 trains per day to its schedule to accompany the opening of Grand Central Madison last year.
Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi said, “The best way to keep customers coming back is to deliver excellent service. For four straight years we have maintained an on-time performance of at least 97% – all while still completing major infrastructure work that will make our service safer and even more reliable. It is a true credit to the Metro-North workforce and sets a standard that when you ride the railroad, we will get you where you need to go safely and on time.”
Acting LIRR President Rob Free said, “Last February we completely rebuilt the schedule, adding a historic level of trains for the opening of Grand Central Madison. One year later, we post record our best February in 12 years. So much work goes unnoticed every day to make sure the hundreds of daily trains run on time. It is further proof that the best way to travel on Long Island is the LIRR.”
The record month for Metro-North featured two days in which 100 percent of trains operated on time – Thursday, February 22 and Saturday, February 24. The railroad’s West of Hudson Pascack Valley Line also reported strong on-time performance for February with 97.2 percent of trains operating on time. These performance trends have continued into this month, with Metro-North trains operating 100 percent on time on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10.