Metro-North Plans Off-Peak Service Increase

New York’s Metro-North Railroad, which provides commuter services to northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut, plans a substantial increase in rail service in response to increasing customer demand.  The railroad plans to add 230 trains per week, the largest increase in service since the company took over the commuter services in 1982, according to Matt Flegenheimer’s report in The New York Times (July 20).  Most of the new trains will run during weekday off-peak and weekend hours; the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro-North’s owner, notes that “non-commutation ridership” is increasing at 6% per year, and that overall commuter train ridership is approaching record highs.