© Jason Briscoe・Unsplash License

United States

New York

Yellow cabs thread the skyscraper canyons. The subway runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

LIRR / Metro-North / PATH / NJ TRANSIT

Your subway OMNY tap won't work on these railroads. Only PATH has turnstiles, where your own contactless card taps through. LIRR and Metro-North have no gates - buy a ticket before you board and show it to the conductor.

Updated on August 2, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Work out which railroad you need
    Your subway OMNY tap does not work here. Each railroad sells its own ticket, and each sells it in a different place.
  2. 2
    On LIRR and Metro-North, buy before you board
    Buy in the TrainTime app or at a station ticket machine, and activate a mobile ticket before you board.
  3. 3
    Inside the city, ask for CityTicket
    For a one-way trip that stays inside New York City without changing direction, pick CityTicket as the ticket type.
  4. 4
    Show the conductor on board
    There are no fare gates. Once you are seated, show the conductor your paper ticket or the ticket screen; it may be scanned.
  5. 5
    Never skip the machine when there is one
    If you board where a machine or window was available, the conductor can only sell you a ticket with a surcharge on top.
  6. 6
    On PATH, tap in at the turnstile
    PATH is the one with turnstiles - tap your contactless card or phone on the TAPP reader and walk through.

Fares

Single fares3

CityTicket one-way (within New York City)
Off-peak $5.25, peak $7.25, valid until 4am next day. Not valid to/from a few outlying stations.
5.25〜7.25 USD ≈ $5–7
PATH one-way
Flat across the system; under-5s ride free. A SingleRide ticket from a machine is valid for two hours.
3.25 USD ≈ $3
NJ TRANSIT one-way (NY Penn to Newark Penn)
Zone 2 under the fares revised July 1, 2026. A one-way ticket expires 30 days after purchase.
6.3 USD ≈ $6

Passes & multi-ride3

CityTicket Day Pass
$14.50 on weekdays, $10.50 at weekends; unlimited between the chosen zones until 4am the next day.
10.5〜14.5 USD ≈ $11–15
PATH Unlimited 1-Day Pass
Loaded onto a TAPP Card; it can only be used once at the same station within 18 minutes.
12.5 USD ≈ $13
PATH 10-Trip on TAPP Card
Works out at $3.10 a ride; 20-trip ($62) and 40-trip ($124) versions exist too.
31 USD ≈ $31

Card itself1

PATH TAPP Card itself
A one-time fee when you buy a new card; it turns into stored value once you link an account.
5 USD ≈ $5

Add-ons & fees1

On-board purchase surcharge (LIRR / Metro-North)
Added when you board at a station that has ticket machines; waived where there are none.
7.75〜8.5 USD ≈ $8–9

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 4, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
DiscoverVISAMastercardJCBAmex銀聯
Only PATH has gates; a bank-card tap always pays the full one-way fare
IC card
PATH's own TAPP Card; SmartLink is retired on September 1
App tickets
TrainTime for LIRR and Metro-North, the NJ TRANSIT app for its trains
Paper tickets
Paper tickets from machines and windows; PATH has SingleRide and 2-Trip
Cash
Works at ticket machines and on board; PATH's 2-Trip ticket is cash-only

Quick facts

Fares from
5.25 USD+

Heads-up

  • Activate TrainTime tickets before you board

    Activate TrainTime mobile tickets before boarding. If you repeatedly buy or activate them on the train, an $8 surcharge is added to your account after a series of warnings.

Timetable

Typical duration Faster and farther than the subway - out to the suburbs and across the Hudson
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka