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Group ticket sales
Group fares are available for groups of 20 or more on Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.
How to book group travel
Step 1: Make a reservation
For LIRR
Use our new self-service form to make a group reservation for a group of 20 or more. You can register, submit a reservation and track the progress of your request through your account.
For Metro-North
Use our self-service form to request a reservation for a group of 20 or more. Or dial 511, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. When prompted, please say the following options to reach Group Sales:
- MTA
- Metro-North
- More options
- Group Sales
You can also email Metro-North Group Sales with any questions.
Reservations depend on available space on trains. We recommend you make reservations at least two weeks in advance.
Step 2: Purchase your tickets
After you’ve made a reservation, you’ll get an email confirmation. Print that and bring it to any open ticket window. The ticket agent will print your group ticket.
In addition to making reservations, we can:
- Help you plan your trip
- Let our train crews know when you’ll be traveling
- Meet you at your station or on your train, depending on availability. (Priority is given to large school groups, those in need of special assistance, and people transferring to the subway.)
For smaller groups
Some smaller groups can also save money:
- Ages 5-17: Family fare allows up to four children (ages 5-17) to travel with each fare paying adult for $1 each way.
- Age 65+: Senior fares offer a 50% discount when compared to peak fares, and can now be used on all trains.
Travel for school field trips
Our mission is to help our children become comfortable with using mass transit. We offer:
Free subway transportation: The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development partners with us to provide free subway certificates to nonprofit youth-serving organizations. For more information, visit the city’s website, call 800-246-4646, or email transportation@dycd.nyc.gov.
Escorts for your trip: For school groups of 60 or more, we can arrange for a New York City Transit Conductor or subway escort to accompany you through the subway system, free of charge. Hours and days are limited. Reservations should be made at least two weeks before the trip.
Tips for buying and using a group ticket
- The whole group must board at the same station and travel together.
- Sit near the group if you can. The conductor needs to account for the entire group when they check the group ticket.
- Board the scheduled train shown on your group ticket. If you miss your train, talk with the conductor on the next train. They will accommodate you if they can. If the train would be too crowded, you may have to take a later train.
- The person whose name is on the reservation does not have to be traveling with the group.
- You must buy your group ticket from a ticket window. You cannot buy a group ticket from a ticket machine, in our TrainTime app, or onboard trains.
Refunds and cancellations
All refunds are determined on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. All approved refunds will require the return of the unused group ticket. Refunds are subject to a $10 processing fee.
If you need to change your reservation, let us know at least 72 hours in advance of your trip.
Lost group tickets are not replaceable.
You can travel with fewer people than your group ticket specifies. However, you won’t be refunded for the unused portion.
Any additional travelers not included on the group ticket must pay the applicable full fare.
Group travel restrictions
We reserve the right to establish which trains have excess capacity to handle groups, and rules for safety. The sale of any ticket includes no assurance of a seat on a particular train.
We won’t reserve space on a train when groups have already been reserved or when overcrowding is anticipated.
Groups will not be reserved:
- On peak trains that arrive before 9:30 a.m. on business days at NYC terminal stations.
- On trains for games/events at Mets-Willets Point, Yankee Stadium, and Belmont Park special event stations.
- On holidays or holiday eves (afternoons/evenings before major holidays)
- On major events dates such as large parades, major festivals, and regional bike tour dates.
- On Montauk Branch and Riverhead/Greenport trains on summer Fridays traveling east, or Sunday return trains.
- If family fare or ticket types other than group tickets have been purchased (with the exception of large holiday school groups purchasing the free-rail packages).
- If the group is mostly children under the age 5 and the child-to-chaperone ratio is greater than 2 to 1.
How to contact us
Buying tickets in bulk
You can buy 10 or more weekly or monthly tickets at once and pick them up at any available ticket office. Charity tickets are available to eligible institutions, subject to prior approval.
Bulk tickets save you time by ordering via email, can be paid for using a credit card, and offer the convenience of pre-ordering large numbers of tickets.
LIRR bulk sales
Long Island Rail Road bulk tickets are available for purchase starting at $1,000 or more. Bulk tickets can be bought in any combination of ticket types, including weekly or monthly tickets, and can be picked up at any available ticket office.
For more information, email LIRR Group Reservations at lirrgroupreservations@mta.info.