Metro-North Posts Year's Busiest Weekend as Fall Travel Surges

Metro-North Railroad recorded its busiest weekend of the year as fall travelers headed to the Hudson Valley, carrying 323,423 riders on October 24 and 25, according to figures announced Wednesday.

The total beat the railroad's previous 2026 weekend high of 302,610 riders in June and was about 25 percent above its October 2019 weekend benchmark. The state credited strong demand for fall foliage trips and seasonal events.

Extra trains for fall travel

Metro-North added weekend service in October to handle the increase in passengers. The railroad is running 40 extra trains across Saturdays and Sundays, with additional Hudson Line weekend service continuing through November 8.

The railroad first expanded its Leaf Peeper service on October 3 and added more trips two weeks later as demand grew. State officials said fall-season ridership is now twice its 2019 level.

Weekend gains outpace the broader recovery

The strong weekend figures do not mean Metro-North's total ridership has fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. Its September ridership reached 90 percent of September 2019 levels, making it the railroad's second-strongest recovery month of 2026 after June.

The Long Island Rail Road, meanwhile, reached 102 percent of its September 2019 ridership. It was the second month this year that LIRR monthly ridership exceeded the comparable pre-pandemic total.

The MTA says weekend travel has recovered faster than weekday travel as more riders use commuter trains for leisure trips. More details are available in New York's announcement.