Starting in 2007, the MTA undertook customer surveys on Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road, as well as in New York City (for New York City Transit). As MTR previously reported, the MTA’s New York City survey showed large income and age differences between bus and subway riders.
The 2007 Metro-North on-board survey — the railroad’s first origins and destinations survey — highlights the differences between those traveling from Westchester County to Manhattan (for both work and non-work purposes) and those traveling to and within Westchester. The survey had a 45 percent response rate, with 206,000 surveys distributed and 93,000 returned. The survey asked riders about the trips they were taking at the time surveyed, and riders’ planned return trips.
While work travel from Westchester to Manhattan comprised the largest share of the railroad’s passengers — 60 percent — more than one in five Metro-North passengers surveyed were either traveling from New York City into Westchester or traveling within Westchester (what the survey calls “Intermediate Travel”).
| Work Travel to Manhattan | Non Work Travel to Manhattan | Intermediate Travel | Reverse Work Travel | Outbound Discretionary Travel | |
| Number of travelers | 75,500 | 21,200 | 14,400 | 11,500 | 3,200 |
| Percent of total travelers | 60% | 17% | 11% | 9% | 3% |
A closer look at the survey reveals that:
- Metro-North passengers traveling into Westchester and within the county are younger than those traveling from Westchester into Manhattan — both for work-related and non-work-related purposes.
- The median household income for passengers traveling into Westchester and within the county is considerably lower than the median household income for those traveling into New York City from Westchester.
- 61 percent of reverse commuters walked from the station to their final destination. Those riding Metro-North from Westchester into Manhattan primarily arrived at Westchester Metro-North stations via car. Intermediate travelers did both: they primarily drove to their first Westchester station and, after exiting the train, primarily walked to their final destination.
| Work Travel to Manhattan | Non Work Travel to Manhattan | Intermediate Travel | Reverse Work Travel | Outbound Discretionary Travel | |
| Median age | 40 | 38 | 35 | 33 | 33 |
| Work Travel to Manhattan | Non Work Travel to Manhattan | Intermediate Travel | Reverse Work Travel | Outbound Discretionary Travel | |
| Median household income | $173,800 | $120,200 | $80,000 | $72,000 | $86,800 |
All charts adapted from MTA’s NYMTC presentation.
The MTA’s Metro-North survey highlights the importance of pedestrian and bicyclist infrastructure that serves the safety of commuters and transit riders, as well as the economic development of Westchester County.
The survey also makes abundantly clear that a good chunk of the region’s younger population is commuting from New York City into Westchester for work and non-work purposes. This is possible thanks in part to a third track on the Metro-North Harlem Line between Fleetwood and Crestwood that was completed in the mid-2000s, allowing for more frequent service between NYC and Westchester. This investment has helped Westchester job centers — like White Plains, where the daytime population swells by more than 50 percent — attract workers who live in the city.
Moving forward, a proposed enhanced bus system within the Tappan Zee Bridge corridor, as well as extending the third track from Crestwood to North White Plains, would support the diverse and growing population of both workers and visitors to Westchester.
