About our TrainTime app

With our comprehensive TrainTime app, when you ride the Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North Railroad you can:

• Buy and use railroad tickets
• Plan trips and see options between up to two origin and two destination stations
• View departure times and transfer details for your trip, including for transfers between LIRR and Metro-North at Grand Central
• Track your train in real time and watch it arrive with GPS data updated every few seconds
• View real-time seat availability and the layout of your train
• Chat live with a customer service representative

How to buy tickets with the TrainTime app

1. Download the app before you travel. You can log in with Apple, Google, or by text message.
2. Buy your ticket before you travel, on the day of your trip. You can do so by tapping the "Buy" button after planning your trip or via the "Tickets" tab, which is also where your tickets live. Like paper tickets, mobile one-way tickets expire at 4 a.m. the day after purchase. You can also buy other ticket types, except UniRail/UniTickets and group tickets.
3. Just before boarding your train, go to the "Tickets" tab and activate your ticket.

If you repeatedly buy or activate your ticket on the train, an $8 surcharge for each occurrence will be added to your account after a series of warnings. You will have to pay this surcharge before or when you buy your next ticket.

If you are traveling with multiple people, you can buy everyone's tickets on the same device. You will need to activate one ticket per person and show each one to the conductor.

If you lose your phone or get a new phone, you can transfer your tickets. You can only do this three times in 180 days. If you exceed this limit, please contact us by calling 511 (877-690-5114 outside New York State).

Payment options

The TrainTime app accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards, including pre-tax transit benefit cards. You can split a purchase between two cards.

You can also pay with Apple Pay on iOS or Google Pay on Android. These digital wallets do not accept split payments.

On board the train

You are responsible for keeping your phone charged. If you cannot display your ticket, you will be required to buy a new ticket from the conductor at the onboard fare. If you do not expect your battery to last for your entire trip, we recommend buying a paper ticket.

While on board the train, the conductor may ask to scan your ticket. All tickets on TrainTime are subject to scanning, just as all paper tickets are subject to inspection.

We ask crews to scan tickets based on a variety of factors. As a result, your ticket may be scanned while the ticket of the person next to you may not be. Do not change the time on your phone, as it can trigger unnecessary scanning.

Taking or sharing screenshots or videos of activated tickets is strictly prohibited. Customers attempting to present shared tickets of any kind will be required by the conductor to buy a new ticket, including the on-board surcharge.

How to get a refund

A ticket cannot be deactivated once you have activated it. A one-way ticket that has been activated is considered used and is non-refundable.

A ticket that has not been activated can be canceled within two minutes of purchase for a full refund.

Once the two minutes have elapsed, our normal refund policy applies. Monthly and weekly tickets are refundable subject to a $10 fee, while all other ticket types are not refundable.

You can refund a non-activated, non-expired ticket by tapping on the "Actions" button displayed on the ticket, then selecting the "Refund Ticket" option. If you do this for multiple tickets that were purchased at the same time, the refund fee will only be charged once. Money will be returned to the credit/debit card used to purchase the ticket and a receipt will automatically be sent to the email address associated with your account.

To refund multiple tickets that were purchased separately, or to refund an expired ticket purchased prior to January 4, 2026, you will need to contact our Refund Department.

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