The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is celebrating what it says is a record-breaking year, boasting its best-ever on-time performance and a continued recovery in ridership following the COVID-19 pandemic.
LIRR On-Time Performance
The LIRR reported a record-high on-time performance in 2025, with 95.65% of its trains running on time.
Daily riders, however, may view these metrics with skepticism — and with good reason.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) defines “on-time performance” as the percentage of trains arriving at their final destination within 5 minutes and 59 seconds of their scheduled time.
For those needing to transfer to another train or make a meeting, nearly six minutes can amount to a significant delay.
The LIRR’s Best and Worst Lines
In 2024, the Atlantic and Port Washington lines led the LIRR in punctuality, achieving on-time rates of 98.6% and 97.9%, respectively.
On the other hand, the Montauk line recorded the lowest average on-time performance at 92.3%, followed closely by the Port Jefferson line at 92.8%.
The most improved line was the Huntington line, which saw a 3.39% increase in its on-time performance.
Notably, LIRR performance tends to dip during the summer months, adding seasonal challenges to its operations.
Ridership Recovery
The LIRR also reported a 16% increase in ridership in 2024 compared to the previous year. This follows a remarkable 50% surge in 2022 as commuters began returning to public transit.
Although ridership plummeted during the height of the pandemic, it has steadily recovered year over year and is now within 17% of pre-pandemic levels.
With the implementation of congestion pricing in New York City, LIRR ridership is likely to rise even further.