A week after the activation of tolling in Manhattan, the first data on the traffic flows of passengers on trains and cars that passed through the tunnels and over the bridges have been made public on the New York State portal. It should be pointed out that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has not yet published an official report on the first results of congestion pricing.
In general, between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9, frequency growth on public transportation is still rather slow but steady, with the best results recorded by Metro-North and LIRR, and traffic on bridges and tunnels also appears not to have dropped, rising from 789,172 to a peak of 817,123 crossings. However, when comparing these data to the same period last year, it is striking to find that the flow of public transportation, from subways to buses to trains branching off to the Hudson Valley, New Haven, Connecticut (Metro-North), and Long Island (Long Island Rail Road), has increased.
As for the subway, the highest figure was 3.18 million passengers on Jan. 9, 2025, registering an increase of at least 300,000 more people than on the same day in 2024. The same applies to buses: 1,025,369 in 2025 versus 1,027,208 in 2024. LIRR trains went from 170,149 passengers on Jan. 5 to 194,574 on Jan. 9, and when compared to last year’s figures, it turns out that there is a disconnect of at least 20,000 more commuters. Metro-North within 4 days also increased by 30,000 more commuters: 139,885 on Jan. 5, 2025, to 167,983 on Jan. 9. Compared with the 2024 numbers, there are nearly 15,000 more tickets.
To cope with the increased demand for the service and to meet the commitment to run only zero-emission buses, MTA CEO Janno Lieber announced that by the end of 2025, an additional 205 electric vehicles will be added to the 60 already in operation for the past few months in the New York area. Recharging infrastructure will also be implemented: by 2027, a new ad hoc depot will open in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, and two sheds, the Grand Avenue shed in Maspeth, Queens, and the Michael J. Quill Depot in Manhattan, have been equipped with electric columns thanks to a $70 million federal grant.
However, commuters in New York City are still not satisfied. People complain that subway trains are old, delays are constantly reported on almost every line, and very often breakdowns occur, forcing everyone to get off and wait for the next ride.
