Governor Hochul and MTA Announce Billionth Subway Rider of 2026

Governor Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today celebrated the one billionth rider on the New York City subway in 2026. Dr. Lynval Clayton-Rowe tapped into the subway system at the Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av (E, F, M, R, 7) station complex at 10:24 a.m. and received a $100 OMNY gift card. Dr. Clayton-Rowe is a professor of healthcare management and administration at the Mandl School, The College of Allied Health. This milestone follows a strong September 2026 performance, where the subway recorded ridership of over 4.2 million customers on the average weekday. September 23, 2026 also set a single-day post pandemic ridership record, with nearly 4.7 million passengers. In September 2026, we saw 15 days with 4 million or more riders, including the week of September 14, which recorded at least 4 million riders each weekday. July 2026 and August 2026 also featured 14 days of over 4 million riders each day, compared to only 8 days within that time period in 2025.

"A billion riders are a billion pieces of evidence that the subway is New York's lifeblood, and when the subway is thriving, New York is thriving," Governor Hochul said. "When I became Governor, I committed to improving safety and reliability in the subway and since, we've seen riders return in growing numbers every year. Reaching a billion riders a week earlier than last year is the latest sign of our transit resurgence in New York."

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "This is a milestone we love to celebrate every year - especially this time, because it comes so soon after a new ridership record. The subway has never felt more alive than in 2026, what with the Knicks championship, the World Cup, America 250, and surging office occupancy."

MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara said, "Reaching the billionth rider milestone speaks to our dedication to making the subway fast, safe and reliable. Customer satisfaction levels continue to rise each time we conduct our Customers Count survey and that's because we are listening to riders and constantly working to make the system the best it can be."

New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, "This station connects thousands of trips a day to jobs, schools, healthcare, family and friends. So, let's add to that notoriety the 1 billionth trip for 2026. This achievement is only possible because of the hard work of the New York City Transit team, who work tirelessly to deliver."

NYC Transit Executive Vice President of Subways Bill Amarosa, Jr. said, "This achievement attests to the trust that millions of subway riders put in us each day to get to where they need to go. We are always looking at data on service and ridership patterns to ensure we operate the subway system in a way that best serves all New Yorkers who rely on us."

MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo said, "Every elevator we open or replace in a subway station creates a more equitable, more accessible and welcoming transit system. We are making a historic investment in accessibility projects and completing them at a historic pace, ensuring a smoother ride for everyone who uses the subway."

One Billionth Subway Rider Dr. Lynval Clayton-Rowe said, "This is such a surprise. I was just doing my own thing on my way to work. I commute through the Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av station at least four days a week, and it is a pleasure and an honor to be the one billionth rider. Am I dreaming or what?"

Since 2022, increasing subway ridership has meant that the MTA has been achieving the billionth rider milestone earlier each year. This year's billionth subway rider comes one week earlier than 2025, three weeks earlier than 2024 and nearly three months earlier than 2022. The billionth riders have been recorded on Dec. 27, 2022, Nov. 14, 2023, Nov. 4, 2024, and Oct. 14, 2025.

This comes as the subway continues to see increases in overall customer satisfaction levels, including reaching an all-time high of 63 percent on the Spring 2026 Customers Count survey, which was first introduced in Spring 2022.

Summer ridership rebounded following a colder than usual winter, fueled in part by the Knicks' playoff run, including their NBA Championship win. 3.16 million people rode the subway on the night of the Knicks' Championship victory on June 13 - which is 15 percent higher than a typical Saturday in June as compared to 2025. To accommodate fans headed to World Cup games and watch parties, the MTA added extra service on the 1, C, F, and 7 lines.

The continued ridership boom follows the MTA's rollout of new, state-of-the-art R211 trains on more subway lines every year. Since March of 2023, New York City Transit has introduced the R211s on six different subway lines and the Staten Island Railway, most recently the D line in July. The Authority is expected to enter the 1,000th R211 into service later this month. In March, the MTA's new Rolling Stock Program announced it is seeking proposals from rail car manufacturers for its largest subway car contract in history with a base order of 1,140 R211 subway cars to replace the R62 and R62A fleets operating on the 1, 3 and 6 lines, and if an option to purchase the additional 1,250 cars is exercised, to replace the R142 and R142A cars on the 2 4 and 5 lines.

Additionally, the MTA is completing a record number of station accessibility projects and elevator replacements, as part of its commitment to creating a safe, convenient and equitable system. There are a total of 163 fully accessible stations across the MTA, 48 of which have been completed since 2020 - the most in MTA history. The MTA is also investing nearly $7.1 billion in station accessibility in the 2025-29 Capital Plan, to make 60 stations newly ADA-accessible and modernize an additional 48 subway elevators.