MTA Posts Best Subway Ridership Week Since the Pandemic After Halloween and Marathon

The New York City subway recorded its strongest week since the COVID-19 pandemic during the Halloween and marathon stretch, with the seven-day rolling average climbing to 4.19 million daily riders, according to MTA data. The report was published by Gothamist on November 3, 2026.

The Thursday before Halloween saw 4.72 million trips taken — the highest single-day ridership since the pandemic shut the city down in 2020. The following Friday brought 4.5 million riders, also the best Friday since 2020. Halloween Saturday drew 3.27 million riders, the highest Saturday figure since 2016. And on New York City Marathon Sunday, the subway logged its best Sunday ridership ever recorded.

Gov. Kathy Hochul credited the MTA's investments with driving the results. "From the streets to the subways, New Yorkers were on the move this weekend in record numbers," she said, describing the subway as "the lifeblood of our city" and noting that major events like Halloween and the marathon simply would not be possible without mass transit. New York City Transit added extra service throughout the weekend to handle the surge, with social media videos capturing dense crowds at the West 4th Street station near the Greenwich Village Halloween parade.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance, said the numbers show the subway remains the "bedrock that connects New Yorkers" and that ongoing investment is needed. The MTA is currently executing a five-year capital plan to buy new subway cars, modernize signals, and rehabilitate rail yards, while also advancing the Second Avenue Subway extension into East Harlem and the Interborough Express light rail line between Brooklyn and Queens.