Metro-North will raise fares, effective New Year’s Day and many who use it to travel into and out of New York City will be paying more than an addition 5 percent for the ride.Fares for Shoreline East are also going up.
"In these times, it's kind of tough," said Kevin Mckeithen, who takes the train daily to his job in East Norwalk.
He said he feels the train is much more convenient than driving and didn't know about the fare hikes until NBC Connecticut told him about them.
"Everybody is struggling. Everybody is trying to earn a decent dollar and the continuous fare hikes are not fair for the average working person," Mckeithen said.
According to the state Department of Transportation, the 5 percent increase will happen January 1. It is the second increase in eight years.
“During that time, operating expenses grew by 12 percent due to inflation. While it is never easy to raise fares in economic times such as these, the alternative – a reduction in service – would have been more difficult for Connecticut commuters,” DOT Commissioner James Redeker said in a news release.
"It's ridiculous. I think it's out of control," said Dee Monte, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico now but used to ride daily from Stratford to Grand Central. "It’s not fair because people take the train to save money and how could they save money when it goes up that much?"
Before the increase, the monthly fare between New Haven and Grand Central was $415. Now it will be $436. A weekly pass will increase from around $133 to $140.
"The market is there," said Alani Kuye, who lives in Meriden but commutes to the city from Union Station. "We will always use the service, but given that the cost is going up and you don't have a choice, what else are you going to do? There's no ferry. There’s no helicopters. You can’t go into traffic. 95 is a nightmare. The Merritt -- you know how that is."
In addition to the Metro North increase, subway and bus tickets in the New York City area are also going up. Also if you plan on driving into the city, you should expect to pay an extra dollar for tolls at most bridges.
You can check the MTA Web site to see how much more it will cost you.
Shoreline East fare increases are posted on their Web site.