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If you're planning to ring in the new year in Times Square or anywhere else in the city, you can leave the driving to the MTA. Long Islanders won't have to sweat the crowds, because the MTA just announced extra train service on the Long Island Rail Road to handle the surge of revelers.
The LIRR will add 11 additional trains on Wednesday evening to serve Babylon, Montauk, Ronkonkoma, Port Jefferson and Port Washington branches. Those extra trips will run into both Penn Station and Grand Central Madison, starting in the early evening. Another 12 additional trains will run overnight into New Year’s Day, aimed at easing the post-midnight rush back to Long Island. On New Year's Day, the LIRR will operate on a Sunday schedule.
Subway riders will also see more service for the festivities. On New Year’s Eve, trains will run on a regular weekday schedule, with extra service added on lines that pass through Times Square. That includes the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, C, D, G, L, N, Q, R and the 42nd Street Shuttle, with increased frequency from the early evening through after midnight. The A train will run express until 2:30am.
For security reasons, subway trains will skip stops in and around Times Square from about 15 minutes before the ball drops until roughly 15 minutes after, so plan accordingly and be prepared to walk a few blocks if you're waiting until the last minute to get in on the action.
Buses will be running too, though many routes in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx will operate on reduced weekday schedules. Staten Island buses will follow a weekday, school-closed plan. Midtown riders should expect detours around street closures. On New Year’s Day, buses across all five boroughs will run on a Sunday schedule.
Metro-North will run a special New Year’s Eve weekday schedule with extra late-night and post-midnight trains on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines. West of Hudson lines will also see additional late service.
Whether you’re coming from Long Island, the suburbs or just traveling across the city, public transit will be the easiest way to welcome in 2026. Check schedules and other updates at mta.info.