A Guide to Transit Lines Exiting New York City

In need of a day trip or an easy escape from the city without renting a car? There are five transit lines running in and out of New York City to choose from. 

 

1. Long Island Railroad 

 

The LIRR is a rail service that connects Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn to the two counties of Long Island: Nassau and Suffolk County. It’s accessible at 11 main stations in the City Terminal Zone (gray line on the map) and a few stations in eastern Queens. The most frequented of these ten are Penn Station, Woodside, Jamaica, and Atlantic Terminal. The newest station, Grand Central Madison, just opened in January 2023.

 

There are ten branches leading out to Long Island. Popular vacation destinations include taking the Ronkonkoma Branch to the North Fork and the Montauk Branch to the South Fork (where the Hamptons are). There are also many stops along or near beaches on the North Shore and South Shore, but most require a car or cab after arrival. 

 

How to ride: You can purchase a ticket at any of the stations (except Mets-Willets Point) using one of the LIRR ticket machines, but it’s much easier using the MTA TrainTime app. You can’t use a MetroCard or tap using OMNY. On the app, you can check the schedule for train departures and arrivals, as well as the commute time. The app also shows you which track to wait on, how busy a train is, and if bikes are permitted. Once you buy the ticket, it’ll be in your Tickets section of the app. Activate it right before you board. The ticket inspector will either scan the QR code or punch your physical ticket. Tickets are valid for 60 days and are not tied to specific arrival times, so if you miss your train, you can still use that same ticket for the next arriving train as long as you don’t activate it.

 

Ticket options: Depending on the hour you ride, you can purchase either a peak or off peak ticket. You can choose to buy one-way, round trip, ten trip, twenty trip, or weekly tickets. Discounts are given to seniors, military, people with disabilities or using Medicare, and children. The further you ride, the more expensive it’ll be. If you select City Ticket, you only pay $5 one way as long as you ride the LIRR within the City Terminal Zone and during off peak hours. The last stop in Queens that is valid for a City Ticket is Little Neck, so all the stops prior are also valid. Exiting the zone to Long Island typically starts around $9.25 off peak or $10.75 peak one-way. Going from Penn Station to the end of the line at Montauk takes around 3h and 21min (perfect for a day trip or weekend getaway) and costs around $22.25 one-way off peak.

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2. Metro-North Railroad 

 

The Metro-North is a rail service that connects Manhattan and the Bronx to Westchester, upstate New York, and Connecticut. It’s accessible at three main stations in the city: Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, and Harlem-125th Street. There are five branches, four of which are in New York. The Port Jervis line (orange) and Pacsack Valley line (purple) line begin as a New Jersey Transit line and then become the Metro-North at the end of the lines. The Hudson line (green) and Harlem line (blue) go into Westchester and upstate New York. The New Haven branch (red) splits into four branches in Connecticut: the New Canaan, Danbury, Waterbury, and Shore Line East line. Shore Line East connects to the Amtrak that takes you to either Boston or to Hartford and Springfield.

 

How to ride: The process is identical to the LIRR. You can purchase a physical ticket at any of the Metro-North stations using one of the ticket machines or an electronic one on the MTA TrainTime app. You can’t use a MetroCard or tap using OMNY. On the app, you can see the schedule for train departures and arrivals, as well as the commute time. The app also shows you which track to wait on, how busy a train is, and if bikes are permitted. Once you buy the ticket, it’ll be in your Tickets section of the app. Activate it right before you board. The ticket inspector will either scan the QR code or stamp your physical ticket. Tickets are valid for 60 days and are not tied to specific arrival times, so if you miss your train, you can still use that same ticket for the next arriving train as long as you didn’t activate it.

 

Ticket options: Similar to the LIRR, you can purchase either a peak or off peak ticket depending on the hour you ride. You can also choose to buy one-way, round trip, ten trip, twenty trip, or weekly tickets. Discounts are given to seniors, military, people with disabilities or using Medicare, and children. The further you ride, the more expensive it’ll be. If you select City Ticket, you only pay $5 one way as long as you ride within the City Terminal Zone during off peak hours. The last stops in the Bronx that are valid for a City Ticket are Riverdale on the Hudson Line and Wakefield on the Harlem Line. All the stops prior are valid for a City Ticket. For the New Haven line, the first stop, Fordham, is the only one valid for a City Ticket. Going upstate typically starts around $9.25 off peak or $10.75 peak one-way. Going from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie at the end of the Hudson Line takes around 1hr and 53min (perfect for a day trip or weekend getaway) and costs around $19.25 one-way off peak.

 

3. PATH Train

 

The PATH train (which stands for Port Authority Trans-Hudson) connects midtown and downtown Manhattan to seven stops in New Jersey. It’s accessible in the city at 33rd St, 23rd St, 14th St, 9th St, Christopher St, and the World Trade Center. The most popular stops are 33rd St (connecting to 34th St-Herald Square) and the WTC. The PATH is most similar to the NYC subway.

 

There are four lines, each identified by color. The Blue line only stops at Hoboken in NJ after leaving Manhattan. The Yellow line ends at Journal Square. The Green only stops at Hoboken starting from the World Trade Center. The Red line makes four stops in New Jersey and ends at the Newark-Penn Station airport stop (not to be confused with 34th St-Penn Station in the city). 

 

How to ride: You can purchase either a SmartLink card (commonly used by New Jersey residents) or a Single Ride card at a ticket machine in any of the PATH stations. You can also use a MetroCard, but you can’t tap to use OMNY. The price to ride is also $2.75 one-way. The SmartLink card offers many options for tickets, including 10 to 40 trip tickets and unlimited day passes. The RidePATH app offers train times, which are similar to subway times that count by the minute, whereas the LIRR and Metro-North have designated arrival times. 

 

Ticket options: There are none since the PATH is like the subway. Just swipe your MetroCard and wait for the next train to come!

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4. New Jersey Transit 

 

The New Jersey Transit is a transportation system that operates rail and bus services. Buses arrive and depart from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The rails connect New York City at Penn Station to many major points in New Jersey, including Atlantic City. The light rail runs only in New Jersey and services less passengers, whereas a regular heavy rail is high-capacity. The heavy rail (which we’ll be talking about here) makes only two of the same stops as the PATH train: Hoboken and Newark. The majority of the rail extends further west and south in New Jersey.

 

The heavy rail has 11 lines: the Pascack Valley, the Main, the Montclair-Boonton, the Morristown, the Gladstone, the Raritan Valley, the Northeast Corridor, the New Jersey Coast, the River, and the Atlantic City Line. Notable destinations along the NJT include New Brunswick, Princeton, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia (wow!), beach stops along the New Jersey Coast line, and Atlantic City. The Meadowlands stop along the Pascack Valley line leads directly to the MetLife Stadium, where major concerts are held, and the famous American Dream Mall.

 

How to ride: You can purchase either a physical ticket from a ticket machine at any of the NJT stations or an electronic ticket using the NJ Transit App. You can’t use a MetroCard or tap to pay with OMNY. On the app, you can choose between rail, bus, and light rail tickets. Under Rider Tools, click Trip Planner to see the schedule for your chosen train departures and arrivals, as well as the commute time and number of transfers. The app tells you where to transfer trains if necessary. Once you buy the ticket, it’ll be in the My Tickets section of the app. Activate it right before you board. The ticket inspector will either scan the QR code or punch your physical ticket. Tickets don’t expire until activated. This process is most similar to the Long Island Railroad and the Metro North – the tickets are not tied to specific arrival times, so if you miss your train, you can still use that same ticket for the next arriving train as long as you don’t activate it.

 

Ticket options: You can choose to buy one-way or roundtrip for adult/child/senior or disabled, ten trip adult, or weekly pass adult. The further you ride, the more expensive it’ll be. Fares can be as low as $5.25 one-way if traveling, for example, from New York Penn Station to Newark. Going from NY Penn Station to Bay Head (at the end of the New Jersey Coast line) costs $16.75 one-way. 

 

5. Amtrak

 

The Amtrak is a rail service that operates over 30 train routes and 500 stations in North America. The Northeast Regional train route connects New York City to destinations between Boston and Washington DC. The only Amtrak station in the city is at Moynihan Train Hall in Penn Station. Start by planning your trip on their website or app to know which routes to take and where to transfer if traveling to other parts of the country.

 

How to ride: On the app, click Book at the bottom to plan either a one-way or roundtrip journey. For example, selecting New York, NY as the departure and Boston as the arrival (Back Bay station only) on any date will provide a list of trips to choose from. The app tells you how full the train is, how long the journey is, and how many seats are left in either business or first class. The exact route with a list of stops is available when you click under Route. Under Services, you can choose to add on reserved seats, free wifi, and pets. Amenities include a quiet car and a cafe on board. This particular trip is about 3h 31m and seats range between $58-$293.

 

Ticket options: If you select either business or first class, a drop-down gives you options for either a Saver Business Seat (non-refundable with a possible cancel/change fee), Value Business Seat (refund options available without a change fee), and Flexible Business Seat (100% refundable without a cancel fee). The First Class seat is only available on the Acela train, which runs on the Northeast Regional route! This seat allows for priority boarding, amenities at no additional cost, complimentary food and beverages, and roomy, comfortable seating. 

 

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6. Port Authority Bus Terminal

 

The Port Authority is known for being the busiest bus terminal in the world. It services 22 bus lines including Greyhound, Megabus, OurBus, Peter Pan, and New Jersey Transit. Buses take both commuter and long-distance routes and also connects to New Jersey. There are 223 departure gates, with Gates 1-85 being mainly for long-distance routes, and 200-425 for shorter routes. There are a number of retail and food spaces within the terminal. An underground passageway connects to the Times Square-42nd St Station. There are only a few seats, if any, at each gate.

 

How to ride: Most bus carriers have ticket windows on their designated floors. You can also conveniently purchase tickets online through either a specific bus carrier website or through sites like Wanderu and BusBud. Once you’ve purchased the ticket, follow instructions for how to reach your gate and how early to arrive. 

 

Ticket options: For example, booking through Greyhound for a one-way trip from Port Authority to Washington, DC shows you the departure/arrival times, the itinerary, and economy, economy extra, or flexible seat options. Every bus has free wifi, individual power outlets, and extra legroom onboard. Ticket prices vary depending on the date, time, and destination.

 

Bonus: 

 

Uber Copter operates Monday through Friday from 2-6 PM EST for helicopter trips between Manhattan and JFK Airport. This includes booking an Uber car ride anywhere from Manhattan below 110th St or from limited areas in Brooklyn for either departure or arrival at the airport. The Copter option appears in the Uber app if meeting the location parameters. Prices are usually around $200. This doesn't take you out of the city, but I figured this was too cool to not mention.

 

Blade is another helicopter service that connects NYC to the Hamptons. You can charter private flights to other cities in the US, but in-state destinations include Montauk and East Hampton. Book through their app or on the website.

 

NICE stands for the Nassau Inter-County Express buses that connect the Eastern portion of Queens to Long Island. It also runs within just Nassau County and parts of Suffolk County. Check their website for schedules and routes. A regular fare costs $2.75, the same cost as a single MetroCard swipe.

 

Hampton Jitney is a motorcoach service between New York City and the Hamptons. There are three main lines: the Montauk line, the Westhampton line, and the North Fork line. Check their website for schedules and fare information. One-way tickets normally cost between $31-$40 if you pay online versus on board.

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