Just How Much of a Headache it is to Commute Into New York City?

Just how much of a headache it is to commute into New York City?

Rockland County has long been the red-headed step child of the New York City metropolitan area. Despite our proximity, Rockland has far less transit integration with New York City than surrounding areas. Five commuter rail stations, Coach buses, and of course Hudson Link do their best to ferry Rockland residents to and from the city, but these methods are often slow, problematic, and expensive. 

Rockland County boasts a grand total of five NJTransit/Metro North stations at Suffern, Nanuet, Sloatsburg, Pearl River, and Spring Valley. We also boast an interconnected bus network run by the county, and of course, the Hudson Link meant to connect Rockland and Westchester via the new Tappan Zee Bridge. 

On our MetroNorth/NJTransit lines, both Pascack and Port Jervis, the time it takes to get to New York Penn Station is generally over an hour and requires at least one transfer. Trains themselves are also infrequent, especially late in the day. Trains into NY Penn seem to run every 40 minutes until 3:00 PM, and after 3:00 there are only a handful of trains. If April 1, 2026 is our reference, then trains run about every 40 minutes to an hour from 5:19 AM until 2:55 PM. After that, there are only three trains. One at 4:04 PM, one at 9:28 PM, and finally one at 12:18 AM. If you’re looking to leave the city, your options are limited as well. Despite frequent departures, again about once every 40 minutes, the trains stop after 11:06 PM. If you’re looking to have a night out, NJTransit gives you a hard time limit and forces you to cut the night short so as to not miss your train. 

Besides commuting to work, which is often considered the most important part of public transit, the options for traveling to NYC for anything besides that are pretty bare. Should you want to have a night out in the city, you’re inhibited by a lack of trains, often forcing you to rush to New York Penn or Newark Penn and catch the last train out. Comparing this to the train schedule for Tarrytown Station in Westchester is striking. Trains run about every 40 minutes both to and from Grand Central until after 1:00 AM. If you were in the city and taking the train from Grand, you would be able to remain in the city well into the night, with the last train leaving from Grand Central to Tarrytown at 1:50 AM as opposed to 11:06 PM for Pearl River commuters. 

Speaking of Tarrytown station, let’s talk about HudsonLink. HudsonLink was our consolation prize for the lack of a train running through the middle of the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The bus system is designed specifically for commuters. It is slow, with the H07 taking about 45 minutes to go from Lot J at the Palisades Mall to Tarrytown Station, compared to the H07X, the same line but express, which takes about 30 minutes. If you were to commute from Lot J to Grand Central Terminal, the trip would take you about an hour and a half to 2 hours one way, give or take traffic, delays, and if you’re catching the express. This is not counting your ride on the NYC subway, bus system, or cab. 

Long commutes to work have been linked to both physical and mental health issues. According to ADP Health, long commutes are considered any commute that takes over 45 minutes to an hour. These commute times are linked to increased obesity, increased stress, strain on personal relationships, and a decrease in physical activity. 

Now, let’s talk about money. If the time it takes to commute into the city from Rockland gives you pause, just wait. A one way ticket into NY Penn from Pearl River costs $11.45 before tax. If you were to do that every day for 30 days it would cost something around $687. Luckily, NJ Transit has monthly train passes, which cost $203 for those leaving out of Pearl River, Nanuet, and Spring Valley. If you leave from Suffern it would cost $239, and if you leave from Sloatsburg it would cost $247. This doesn’t factor in the cost it takes to get on the subway or bus in the city. 

As for Hudson Link, and by extension Metro North, there is a $2.75 ticket to take Hudson Link (From Lot J to Tarrytown) rounding out to about $165 a month before tax. This is accompanied by a $11.75 off peak train ticket from Tarrytown, with the peak ticket being $16. Weekly passes from Tarrytown cost $111.25, and monthly passes cost $313 according to the MTA train time app. Between the initial commute and subway/bus tickets, commuters can expect to pay well over $400 a month just to get to work via Hudson Link and Metro North. 

Driving isn’t a walk in the park, either. Either have you drive into Jersey to take the George Washington Bridge ,or to drive through Westchester after crossing the TZ Bridge. Either route requires tolls, buying gas regularly, paying for parking, and paying the congestion tax if you have to go below 60th street. With gas prices on the rise thanks to the ongoing war with Iran, average prices have hit over $3.00 a gallon in Rockland county, which has only put more strain on commuters. In fact, most methods for getting into the city from Rockland require some amount of driving unless you live within walking distance of a train or bus stop. 

All of this to say, Rockland deserves better. Our time and money is being stiffened out of us by uncaring state politicians who ignore our needs as a community and subject us to commutes that could convincingly be framed as a humiliation ritual. This article didn’t even take into account the other roundabout ways to get into the city, which can cost just as much, if not more and take just as long, if not longer. While hope for increased frequency for our NJTransit trains is on the horizon, there is still no immediate plan for reintroducing a robust rail network to Rockland County or any plan to try to ease the financial burden associated with a daily commute into the city. With the West Shore Feasibility study still a proposal, only time will tell if the State will finally help Rocklanders with these burdens, or ignore our needs and continue to squeeze us dry.