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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 004-04
January 6, 2004

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND MTA ANNOUNCE CITYTICKET PROGRAM FOR COMMUTER RAIL LINES

Pilot Program will Offer $2.50 Flat Discount Fare for All City Weekend Travel

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Peter S. Kalikow in announcing CityTicket, a pilot program for Saturday and Sunday travel around the City on the MTA’s Long Island Rail Road and the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad for a flat discounted fare of $2.50 each way instead of the full off-peak fare. The savings on a round trip intra-city ticket will range from $2.25 to $4.50.  Joining Mayor Bloomberg and Chairman Kalikow at a news conference at the LIRR’s Bayside, Queens’ station in announcing this new low-cost and efficient way to travel was MTA Executive Director Katherine N. Lapp and Chair of the New York City Riders Council and MTA Board member Andrew Alpert.  With the CityTicket pilot program, which will be available for the next six months starting Saturday, January 10th, New Yorkers can now take the Long Island Railroad between Manhattan and Queens, or Brooklyn and Queens; and Metro-North between the Bronx and Manhattan on the Harlem and Hudson lines. 
 
“If you’re in a ‘New York state of mind,’ or just looking for a comfortable, no hassle, less expensive way to travel on the weekends to the Garden to catch the Knicks, CityTicket is ideal,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “New Yorkers and City visitors now have more choices between subway, bus, or commuter rail lines for weekend travel.” 

“CityTicket is a terrific program that integrates all of the public transportation options New York has to offer, making it easier and more affordable for commuters and visitors to enjoy the Greatest City in the World,” Governor George Pataki said.  “Whether you are traveling on the LIRR, MetroNorth or subways and buses, New York has the greatest mass transportation system in the country. The MTA and Mayor Bloomberg should be congratulated for initiating this pilot program.”

“This service is a result of the MTA Board’s desire to provide customers with additional affordable transportation options,” said MTA Chairman Kalikow.  “New York has the largest, safest and most efficient mass transportation system in the country and we hope our CityTicket program will encourage even more customers to use our rail roads.”

CityTickets can be bought at the following station booths or through ticket machines for Metro-North at: Woodlawn, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Marble Hill, University Heights, Morris Heights, Williams Bridge, Botanical Garden, Fordham, Tremont, Melrose, 125th Street, and Grand Central Terminal.

CityTickets can be bought at the following station booths or through ticket machines for   LIRR at: Penn Station, Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Flushing-Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, Jamaica, Hollis, Queens Village, Flatbush Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, East New York, Hunterspoint, St. Albans, Locust Manor, Rosedale and Laurelton.

Over the six-month trial period, the program’s success will be evaluated, including its benefit to riders and costs. For more information on the MTA, customers can log on to www.mta.info.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Paul Elliott   (212) 788-2958



GENERAL CONTACT:

Tom Kelly   (MTA)
(212) 878-7440


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