Home/Guides
Guides
How the fares work, which terminal to choose, when a pass pays off and when the first and last trains run: the explanations behind the numbers on the trip pages, written once from the operators' own rules and data.
All guides
LIRRLIRR peak and off-peak: when each fare appliesHow the LIRR decides whether a train is peak or off-peak, which trips have no peak fare at all, and how to read the two prices on a trip page.Metro-NorthMetro-North fare zones explainedHow Metro-North zones are numbered on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines, why the New Haven Line starts at zone 11, and what intermediate fares are.NJ TransitNJ Transit rail fares: one price all dayHow NJ Transit prices a rail ticket by distance, why there is no peak fare, what the ticket types are, and why some trip pages on this site show no fare yet.PATHPATH fares and how to payThe PATH flat fare, what it covers, how to pay at the turnstile, and which PATH services run when.LIRRLIRR to Penn Station or Grand Central Madison?How to choose between the LIRR's two Manhattan terminals, what the fare difference is, and which branches run direct to each.All networksWhen a weekly or monthly ticket pays offHow the break-even rows on each trip page are calculated, and what they say about commuting three, four or five days a week.All networksFirst and last trains into and out of ManhattanThe earliest and latest scheduled departures on the trips this site publishes, by network and terminal, computed from the operators' schedule feeds.All networksNJ Transit or PATH into Manhattan?From Newark, Hoboken and Jersey City you can reach Manhattan on NJ Transit or PATH. How the two compare on where they land, what they cost and when they run.