LIRR › Garden City
Garden City LIRR Station: Tickets, Crowding & On-Time Data
Hempstead Branch · Zone 4 · Accessible · From MTA open data · Not affiliated with the MTA
How busy is Garden City station?
Tickets, not riders: a monthly or weekly ticket counts once however many times it is used, and a round trip counts once.
About 215 tickets a day were sold for trips starting at Garden City (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026), the #78 most of 126 LIRR stations, and 11% fewer than in the 12 months before. Another 194 a day were sold for trips ending here.
Where do riders from Garden City go?
The most common destinations on tickets sold from Garden City, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.
- Grand Central
42% of tickets90 a day - Penn Station
27% of tickets59 a day - Jamaica
10% of tickets22 a day - Atlantic Terminal
5% of tickets10 a day - Elmont-UBS Arena
2% of tickets5 a day - Floral Park
2% of tickets5 a day - Woodside
1% of tickets3 a day - Queens Village
1% of tickets3 a day
What tickets do Garden City riders buy?
Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, all ways of buying (TrainTime app, ticket machines and ticket windows).
36% of peak and off-peak tickets from Garden City were peak fares.
- One-way
60,628 sold77.1% - Round trip
6,224 sold7.9% - Day pass
5,508 sold7% - 10-trip
3,450 sold4.4% - Monthly
2,424 sold3.1%
How crowded are trains at Garden City?
Average load as trains leave the station, weekdays, Jul 2026 – Sep 2026, from weight sensors on the LIRR's electric trains (M7 and M9). Diesel trains are not measured. Over 100% means people standing.
On weekdays, trains toward the city are fullest when they leave Garden City around 7 AM, with about 125 people on board, 13% of the seats.
| Leaving at | Toward the city | Away from the city |
|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | – | 4% ~42 on board |
| 3 AM | – | 3% ~33 on board |
| 5 AM | 6% ~54 on board | – |
| 6 AM | 11% ~97 on board | 4% ~41 on board |
| 7 AM | 13% ~125 on board | – |
| 8 AM | 6% ~55 on board | 10% ~99 on board |
| 9 AM | 7% ~74 on board | 6% ~62 on board |
| 10 AM | 6% ~65 on board | 5% ~49 on board |
| 11 AM | 5% ~51 on board | – |
| 12 PM | 5% ~50 on board | 3% ~35 on board |
| 1 PM | 5% ~52 on board | 3% ~33 on board |
| 2 PM | 4% ~44 on board | – |
| 4 PM | 8% ~65 on board | 9% ~80 on board |
| 5 PM | 11% ~91 on board | 9% ~79 on board |
| 6 PM | 7% ~65 on board | 12% ~116 on board |
| 7 PM | 7% ~76 on board | 5% ~51 on board |
| 8 PM | 4% ~44 on board | 5% ~53 on board |
| 10 PM | 4% ~38 on board | 5% ~50 on board |
Are Garden City trains on time?
On time means arriving within 5 minutes 59 seconds of schedule. The railroad reports this by branch, not by station.
From Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, 95.6% of Hempstead trains were on time (96.5% the year before). Every LIRR branch compared →
Elevators and escalators
The railroad reports elevator and escalator availability by branch, not by station.
Garden City is listed as accessible. Across the Hempstead Branch, elevators worked 99.4% of the time and escalators 98.1% over the last 12 months.
Other stations on the Hempstead Branch
- Bellerose 148 tickets a day
- Country Life Press 106 tickets a day
- Elmont-UBS Arena 590 tickets a day
- Floral Park 765 tickets a day
- Hempstead 506 tickets a day
- Hollis 404 tickets a day
- Nassau Blvd 270 tickets a day
- Queens Village 1,040 tickets a day
- Stewart Manor 204 tickets a day
Schedules, parking and station details: Garden City on mta.info.
Questions
How busy is Garden City station?
About 215 tickets a day were sold for trips starting at Garden City (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026), the #78 most of 126 LIRR stations, 11% fewer than the year before.
Is Garden City station accessible?
Yes. The MTA lists Garden City as fully accessible.
What fare zone is Garden City in?
Garden City is in zone 4 on the Hempstead Branch.
How crowded are trains at Garden City?
On weekdays, trains toward the city are fullest when they leave Garden City around 7 AM, with about 125 people on board (13% of seats).
Where do people go from Garden City?
The most common destination on tickets from Garden City is Grand Central.
Data (data.ny.gov): MTA Railroad Ticket Sales, MTA Rail Stations, LIRR Stop-Level Occupancy, LIRR Elevator and Escalator Availability, LIRR On-Time Performance. Updated Nov 3, 2026.
Source code: github.com/MantieReid/mta-data-analysis · Analysis by Mantie Reid II (CC BY 4.0).
This is an independent data analysis project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
Data is sourced from the MTA through the New York State Open Data Portal. Visualizations, calculations, and interpretations are independently produced. Data may be revised, incomplete, or delayed. For official transit information, visit mta.info.