MTA Considers Rate Hike

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board is considering changes to fares, tolls, and ticketing policies that would, if implemented, raise prices for commuters using the Pascack Valley Line. The MTA’s current proposal would raise the cost of a one way ticket from Spring Valley to NYC from $11.45 to $11.70: the cost of a weekly pass would jump from $99.75 to $102.00, and a monthly pass would now cost $337 as opposed to the current $329. The rate hike would impact the many Rockland residents who commute to and from NYC via MTA stations in Pearl River, Nanuet, and Spring Valley starting in 2026. 

Though fairly modest, the proposed rate hikes have drawn the ire of Rockland County Executive Ed Day, who labeled any effort to raise prices for West of Hudson Passengers “wholly unjustifiable.” 

“With Metro-North’s latest proposed fare hikes, the MTA once again shows its disregard for West of Hudson riders,” wrote Day in a statement shared with the RCT. 

“Our residents already face a value gap exceeding $40 million every year—paying far more into the system than they receive—while enduring inadequate, infrequent rail service and chronic under investment.

“Most egregious are the proposed increases for Pascack Valley and Port Jervis line riders traveling to Manhattan. These commuters already absorbed a 15% fare hike from NJ Transit last summer, followed by another 3% hike just last month. Now the MTA wants to pile on?

“Even worse, when Metro-North cut monthly fares on the East of Hudson lines three years ago, West of Hudson riders got no such relief. As a result, our monthly commuters have been paying far higher fares for years. In fact, Metro-North’s so-called “increase” for Hudson and Harlem line riders is actually lower than the rates they paid in 2022—while West of Hudson riders are asked to pay even more. Rockland County will not accept any fare increases for West of Hudson service until true equity is achieved—meaning improved service and stations, expanded rail and ferry options, and direct investment to close our decades-long value gap. In the meantime, the MTA should be looking to waive fares for Rockland riders, not raise them.”

Day and other proponents for Rockland’s rail commuters have long complained that the MTA has yet to deliver on promises to establish a one-seat ride from Rockland into NYC despite paying more than their fair share to maintain the railway. Lawmakers and residents alike have habitually criticized  rate hikes that have not been attached to any substantial improvement in the quality of service provided by the authority. The recent addition of congestion pricing for cars entering NYC has further exacerbated existing frustration, as some customers assumed that a projected windfall of $1.5 billion generated by the new toll would be enough to stave off the need to raise ticket prices.

Though the MTA has made no announcements regarding extended or expanded options for West of Hudson riders, commuters can look forward to the addition  M-9A cars that will be put to service in the Hudson Valley and Long Island by 2032. 162 state of the art cars, which were ordered this year, will replace the train cars currently in operation which are over 40 years old.