Metro-North Provides Extra Service for Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend Save with Discounted Holiday Travel Fares

Avoid the traffic, save money and travel on MTA Metro-North Railroad as part of your Thanksgiving holiday plans. Metro-North is providing special service and extra trains throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Off-peak fares will be in effect on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, through Sunday, November 27, and customers can take advantage of free parking at many stations.

A Thanksgiving weekend timetable is available at Grand Central Terminal and outlying stations, or online at http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/thanksgiving2016.htm

Customers are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, and those traveling into Manhattan can purchase a ten-trip off-peak ticket to save 30 to 40 percent off of the one-way fare. The ticket can be used by more than one person, even when you are traveling together. The “Family Fare” costs $1 per ticket for up to four children (ages 5 to 11) when they are traveling with a fare-paying adult.  Metro-North recommends customers use MTA eTix®, the mobile ticketing app that enables you to purchase one way, round trip, ten trip, weekly and monthly passes on your smartphone or mobile device.  For information about the eTix® app, please visit:  http://www.mta.info/mta-eTix-promo

Historically, the day before Thanksgiving is the heaviest travel day of the year for Metro-North customers. On Wednesday, November 23, there will be 18 early getaway trains that depart Grand Central Terminal during the mid-day. The extra service includes three additional trains on the Harlem Line between 2:18 p.m. and 3:34 p.m., five extra trains on the Hudson Line between 1:38 p.m. and 4:11 p.m., and ten extra trains on the New Haven Line between 12:58 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Times are shown in the current timetables. Due to the heavier mid-day travel patterns, some evening trains may be canceled or combined, so be sure to check the timetable.

For West-of-Hudson customers, early getaway trains will operate on both the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line on Wednesday, November 23.

On the Port Jervis Line, the 2:41 p.m. train from Hoboken to Middletown (with a connection departing New York Penn Station at 2:29 PM) is extended to Port Jervis. The 6:11 p.m. departure from Hoboken will not operate.

On the Pascack Valley Line, there will be a 2:58 p.m. departure from Hoboken (with a connection departing New York’s Penn Station at 2:51 p.m.) making select stops in New Jersey before arriving at Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley (to accommodate this train, the 7:20 p.m. departure from Hoboken will not operate).

Metro-North will provide additional inbound morning service for customers heading to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which kicks off at 9:00 a.m. at 81st Street and Central Park West and ends in front of Macy’s at Herald Square (34th Street). There is also expanded outbound service starting in the late morning and continuing through mid-afternoon. If you’re leaving New York after the parade, customers must show a ticket before boarding trains at Grand Central or Harlem-125th Street Station. On this day last year, about 30,000 customers departed Grand Central between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Finally, there will be extra trains in the evening for customers returning to New York City after their Thanksgiving feasts.

West of Hudson, a regular holiday/weekend schedule is in effect for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line, with one additional round trip on the Port Jervis Line (shown in the November 6 timetable). Parade-goers can take a 6:22 a.m. departure from Port Jervis arriving in Hoboken at 8:30 a.m. (a connection at Secaucus Junction arrives at New York Penn Station at 8:39 a.m.). After the parade, there is a 12:21 p.m. departure from Hoboken (12:14 p.m. from New York Penn Station) that operates express to Suffern before making all stops to Port Jervis.

On Friday, November 25, Metro-North will operate on a Saturday schedule with additional inbound service in the morning and outbound service in the afternoon to accommodate the Friday workforce and Black Friday shoppers.

West of Hudson, a regular weekday schedule is in effect for Friday, November 25.

Metro-North will round out the holiday weekend schedule with extra trains and additional cars on existing trains. Service on Saturday, November 26 features upper Hudson and outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Special service. Regular half-hour service to/from Stamford on the New Haven Line and to/from North White Plains on the Harlem Line will operate all day. On Sunday, November 27, trains run on a normal half-hourly schedule featuring outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Specials.

A regular weekend schedule is in effect on Saturday, November 26, and Sunday, November 27, for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line.

For more information about Metro-North train schedules, visit our schedules page at

http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/schedules.htm  or download the free Metro-North Train Time App for train times. The app is available via the Apple Store for iOS devices or Google Play Store for Android.