NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering a request by Connecticut for a combined 10% fare hike on its portion of the Metro-North Railroad.
The fare increase — a 5% raise on Sept. 1 and another on July 1, 2026 — would affect riders on the section of the New Haven Line that runs in Connecticut. The commuter line connects the state to New York City.
The MTA operates the Metro-North Railroad along with New York City’s subways, buses and the Long Island Rail Road. The agreement between MTA and Connecticut gives the state the authority to propose fare hikes on its portion of the New Haven Line, but both parties need to approve any increase in order for it to be implemented.
The MTA is set to vote Wednesday on the proposed increase at its monthly board meeting.
Some MTA board members are pushing back against the size of Connecticut’s proposed fare hike. Neal Zuckerman, who chairs the agency’s finance committee, called for increases closer to the rate of inflation. The MTA plans to boost its fares by 4% later this year across its transit network, although that increase wouldn’t affect New Haven Line riders in Connecticut.
“I personally fear that in fact we will be tainted by this exorbitant increase,” Zuckerman said Monday about Connecticut’s plan during an MTA committee meeting.
The anticipated fare boost would bring in $1.4 million this year, $16.1 million in 2026 and $20.5 million in 2027, according to MTA board documents. The plan would still allow Connecticut to cancel the second 5% increase in 2026 if state lawmakers allocate more funding to the New Haven Line.
Riders traveling from Greenwich, Connecticut, to Manhattan would pay $294.75 for a monthly pass, up from $280, according to MTA documents. The monthly charge between Waterbury, the northern-most stop in Connecticut, and Manhattan would be $449.25, up from $424.75.
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