LIRR › Penn Station
Penn Station LIRR Station: Tickets, Crowding & On-Time Data
City Terminal Zone · Zone 1 · Accessible · From MTA open data · Not affiliated with the MTA
How busy is Penn Station station?
Tickets, not riders: a monthly or weekly ticket counts once however many times it is used, and a round trip counts once.
About 29,990 tickets a day were sold for trips starting at Penn Station (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026), the #1 most of 126 LIRR stations, and 0.9% fewer than in the 12 months before. Another 38,155 a day were sold for trips ending here.
Where do riders from Penn Station go?
The most common destinations on tickets sold from Penn Station, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.
- Jamaica
14% of tickets4,108 a day - Ronkonkoma
5% of tickets1,472 a day - Hicksville
4% of tickets1,314 a day - Mineola
4% of tickets1,186 a day - Bayside
4% of tickets1,147 a day - Huntington
2% of tickets722 a day - Flushing Main Street
2% of tickets719 a day - Little Neck
2% of tickets593 a day
What tickets do Penn Station riders buy?
Oct 2025 – Sep 2026, all ways of buying (TrainTime app, ticket machines and ticket windows).
29% of peak and off-peak tickets from Penn Station were peak fares.
- One-way
10,182,340 sold93% - 10-trip
219,780 sold2% - Round trip
210,126 sold1.9% - Day pass
203,589 sold1.9% - Monthly
117,812 sold1.1%
How crowded are trains at Penn Station?
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.
| Leaving at | Toward the city | Away from the city |
|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | – | 19% ~156 on board |
| 1 AM | – | 13% ~141 on board |
| 2 AM | – | 7% ~73 on board |
| 3 AM | – | 6% ~62 on board |
| 4 AM | – | 5% ~51 on board |
| 5 AM | – | 9% ~92 on board |
| 6 AM | – | 11% ~118 on board |
| 7 AM | – | 20% ~210 on board |
| 8 AM | – | 20% ~218 on board |
| 9 AM | – | 13% ~137 on board |
| 10 AM | – | 14% ~142 on board |
| 11 AM | – | 17% ~170 on board |
| 12 PM | – | 20% ~183 on board |
| 1 PM | – | 27% ~268 on board |
| 2 PM | – | 33% ~344 on board |
| 3 PM | – | 47% ~491 on board |
| 4 PM | – | 54% ~560 on board |
| 5 PM | – | 64% ~709 on board |
| 6 PM | – | 49% ~507 on board |
| 7 PM | – | 32% ~303 on board |
| 8 PM | – | 36% ~382 on board |
| 9 PM | – | 30% ~325 on board |
| 10 PM | – | 33% ~328 on board |
| 11 PM | – | 21% ~225 on board |
Elevators and escalators
The railroad reports elevator and escalator availability by branch, not by station.
Penn Station is listed as accessible. Across the City Terminal Zone, elevators worked 99.3% of the time and escalators 95.5% over the last 12 months.
Other stations on the City Terminal Zone
- Atlantic Terminal 4,640 tickets a day
- East New York 869 tickets a day
- Forest Hills 1,200 tickets a day
- Grand Central 11,814 tickets a day
- Hunterspoint Av 109 tickets a day
- Jamaica 16,528 tickets a day
- Kew Gardens 808 tickets a day
- Long Island City 13 tickets a day
- Nostrand Av 864 tickets a day
- Woodside 2,910 tickets a day
Schedules, parking and station details: Penn Station on mta.info.
Questions
How busy is Penn Station station?
About 29,990 tickets a day were sold for trips starting at Penn Station (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026), the #1 most of 126 LIRR stations, 0.9% fewer than the year before.
Is Penn Station station accessible?
Yes. The MTA lists Penn Station as fully accessible.
What fare zone is Penn Station in?
Penn Station is in zone 1 on the City Terminal Zone.
Where do people go from Penn Station?
The most common destination on tickets from Penn Station is Jamaica.
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.