2007 Ridership Highest in 60 Years

The MTA Long Island Rail Road set a modern-day ridership record in 2007 with 86.1 million passengers - the highest number of customers served since 1949.

Last year's ridership total surpassed 2006 by four million passengers (a 4.9 % increase).

The LIRR served the record number of customers last year while at the same time hitting a modern-day high for yearly on-time performance in 2007 (OTP) of 94.07%. Continuing the trend from last year, the LIRR reached an all-time monthly overall OTP record of 96.5% in January, 2008. Additional significant on-time performance records set last month include 96.3% for PM peak trains and 97.1% for off-peak trains, the highest monthly off-peak OTP since modern record keeping began in 1979.

"We are delighted and encouraged that more and more Long Islanders are turning to the LIRR to meet their transportation needs," said LIRR President Helena Williams. "While some of the growth is no doubt due to higher gas prices as well as job growth in New York City, we know that the efforts of LIRR personnel also are contributing significantly to the record ridership.

"The record ridership in 2007 proves that our customers know they can rely upon the LIRR to get them where they are going safely and on time," Williams said. "Our research shows customer satisfaction is directly tied to on-time performance and the LIRR is continuing to deliver in that important category."

Ridership growth in the commuter market in 2007, those traveling to and from work between 6 AM and 10 AM and 4 PM and 8 PM, increased 4% from 2006. Most significantly, non-commutation ridership increased 6.3% in 2007 from the previous year, reaching the highest level in LIRR history. It was back in 1949 when ridership (91.8 million) surpassed last year's total.

The LIRR's record ridership in 2007 provides additional evidence that the Railroad needs to be ready for the future when - for the first time - the LIRR will connect to Grand Central Terminal in 2014, bringing LIRR customers directly to the East Side of Manhattan. As part of that effort, the MTA last week submitted the Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement to the Federal Transit Administration as part of an effort to advance the 'Third Track' project. The Third Track project will improve service reliability for the LIRR systemwide by providing more capacity and flexibility to move trains in a critical 10-mile stretch of the Rail Road from Floral Park to Hicksville known as the Main Line Corridor - which serves 41 percent of the LIRR's total ridership.