By Ken Valenti

NEWINGTON–Two 5% fare hikes for Metro-North Railroad in Connecticut are official.

Costs for train rides will rise on Sept. 1 and again on July 1, 2026, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has announced. The increases impact Metro-North Railroad services in Connecticut as well as the CTrail Hartford Line and Shore Line East.

The hikes were proposed when the two-year Connecticut state budget adopted in June resulted in a funding gap to support current rail services, CTDOT said.

“These fare increases will help maintain existing rail service levels by keeping the same number of trains on the schedule for our customers,” CTDOT Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto said in an announcement from the agency on Wednesday.

New fares from Westport

The increases are expected to raise an additional $1.4 million this year, $16.1 million next year and $20.5 million in 2027, according to the resolution proposing the increases that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted on Wednesday.

A monthly pass from either Westport station (Saugatuck or Green Farms) to Grand Central Terminal will rise from $366.25 to $385.75 on Sept. 1 and to $405.50 next July. A peak one-way ride will increase by one dollar each increase, from $18.75 now to $20.75 next July.

A monthly pass for travel between Westport’s stations and Stamford will increase from $64.00 now to $69.25 in September and $74.50 next July. A one-way ticket to or from Stamford, peak and off-peak, will increase by 25 cents each time from $3.00 now to $3.50 in a year.