More people are riding Metro-North. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it’s adding more trains to keep up with demand.
The MTA said it’s returning eight trains to the track during peak service on the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson Lines next week. That brings service up to about 60% of where it was pre-pandemic.
Metro-North said more people are riding the train on weekdays — with June 1 being its busiest day since the pandemic began.
Jim Cameron with the Commuter Action Group said he’s encouraged by the news.
“You just have to look at your local train station parking lot and you can tell that slowly commuters are coming back. I don’t think they’re gonna come back to the old pre-COVID numbers, but I think it’s crucial that the service be there to attract riders back onto the trains,” Cameron said.
He said many commuters are probably taking the train to avoid increasing traffic.
“Those people who have been going into the city may have been enjoying lighter than pre-COVID traffic levels are now back in carmageddon. The highways, I-95 and the Merritt Parkway in particular at rush hour are just intolerable,” Cameron said.
The MTA said it’s planning an even more significant increase just before Labor Day in August, bringing trains up to more than 80% of their pre-COVID levels.
