New York commuter rail felonies fall 20.1% as ridership grows

Lead

On October 26, 2026, New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office released crime and ridership figures for January–August 2026 covering the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Metro-North Railroad and Staten Island Railway. The data, which apply to the three commuter rail systems policed by the MTA Police Department and exclude the New York City subway, show a 20.1% decline in major felonies compared with January–August 2025 and an increase in ridership over the same period.

Verified facts

The governor’s office released the figures on October 26, 2026. MTA open-data counts report 155 major felony incidents on the LIRR, Metro-North and Staten Island Railway for January–August 2026, down from 194 in January–August 2025 and 232 in January–August 2024. The 2026 total breaks down to 95 cases on the LIRR, 58 on Metro-North and 2 on the Staten Island Railway, compared with 105, 78 and 11 respectively in January–August 2025. Major felonies, as reported by the state, include burglary, felony assault, grand larceny and robbery.

MTA daily ridership data show about 103.1 million trips on the LIRR, Metro-North and Staten Island Railway from January through August 2026, versus about 99.3 million trips in the same months of 2025, a roughly 3.8% increase. Railway Supply calculated that the rate of major felonies fell from about 1.95 per million trips in 2025 to about 1.5 per million trips in 2026. The state counted 107 offenses against LIRR and Metro-North staff and MTA police officers from January through August 2026, down from 120 in the same months of 2025 and 240 in 2024. The report notes that no rapes have been reported on any of the three commuter systems since 2023.

Organizations and responsibilities

- Office of the Governor of New York: released the January–August 2026 figures on October 26, 2026 and provided the narrative attributing causes to security measures.

- Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) / MTA Police Department: responsible for policing the LIRR, Metro-North and Staten Island Railway; increased patrols were cited as a factor in the decline.

- Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad: implemented a Joint Security Strategy that equips train crews with tablets and cellular ticketing devices to receive real-time alerts; LIRR announced a camera-network upgrade with panoramic 360-degree coverage at stations, rail yards and grade crossings.

- Staten Island Railway / MTA: reported completion of a fleet replacement with R211 cars about a year ago, with every car carrying security cameras; stations on Staten Island have received brighter LED lighting.

Operational and commercial context

The governor’s office credited higher spending on security, expanded MTA Police Department patrols and the Joint Security Strategy for part of the reduction in major felonies. According to the state, tablets and cellular ticketing devices provide train crews real-time lists of persistent fare evaders, persons who may have committed crimes against employees or the railroad, and missing-person alerts. Comparing the first half of 2026 with the first half of 2025, the state reported 40% fewer disorderly customer incidents, 47% fewer fare disputes and 12% fewer requests for police assistance; these figures were presented by the governor’s office as indicators of improved conditions on the commuter lines.

The report documents concurrent investments in surveillance and lighting: LIRR’s announced panoramic-camera upgrade is intended to remove blind spots and speed emergency response through live feeds; Staten Island’s fleet-wide R211 deployment and station LED lighting increases were cited as completed security measures. The MTA Police-policed commuter rail systems showed declining staff-targeted offenses—107 incidents in January–August 2026—while the New York City subway, patrolled by the NYPD, recorded a different trend through September 2026, with 1,628 major crimes citywide on its transit system, up 0.9% from 1,613 a year earlier; the releases note the two data sets are not directly comparable because the NYPD figures run through September and the MTA Police figures run through August. The article did not disclose budget line items, exact security-spending totals, contract awards, or suppliers for equipment upgrades.

Sources

https://www.railway.supply/new-york-commuter-rail-felonies-fall-20-1-as-ridership-grows/ — Railway Supply

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