If it felt like everyone in New York was on the subway yesterday, you weren’t imagining it.
The NYC subway just hit a major ridership milestone, with nearly 4.7 million rides recorded in a single day—making it the busiest day the system has seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the subway recorded 4,696,692 rides on September 23, 2026, setting a new post-pandemic record. The agency celebrated the milestone on social media, pointing to investments in safety and reliability as ridership continues to rebound.
And while nearly 4.7 million rides is a staggering number, it still falls short of some of the subway system’s biggest historical ridership days.
Nearly 4.7 million rides were recorded in one day
On Wednesday, September 23, the MTA recorded 4,696,692 subway rides across New York City.
That works out to nearly 4.7 million trips in a single day, making it the busiest single day for the subway since before the pandemic.
The MTA described the figure as a new post-pandemic record, highlighting the continued return of riders to the city’s transit system.
The milestone comes as subway ridership has continued to climb in recent years. MTA data has shown particularly strong weekday growth, with all five weekdays surpassing 4 million subway riders during the weeks beginning September 8 and September 15, 2025. Midweek ridership topped 4.4 million on Tuesday through Thursday during those weeks.
The busiest subway day ever happened nearly 80 years ago
As impressive as September’s 4.7 million rides may sound, it isn’t even close to the subway system’s all-time single-day record.
That title belongs to December 29, 1947, when the subway carried a staggering 8,533,468 riders.
The record-setting day happened during a massive snowstorm that disrupted above-ground transportation across New York City, sending huge numbers of people underground.
That means the 2026 record is still millions of rides below the system’s historic peak.
A 2013 record still stands as a modern benchmark
Another major ridership milestone came much more recently.
On October 24, 2013, the NYC subway recorded 5,985,311 rides, according to historical MTA ridership data reported at the time.
That remains significantly higher than the nearly 4.7 million rides recorded on September 23, showing just how much subway usage has changed since the pre-pandemic era.
Still, the latest figure represents a notable step in the system’s post-pandemic recovery.
So the next time you find yourself squeezed onto a packed train at rush hour, just remember: you might be one of nearly 4.7 million people doing exactly the same thing that day. 🚇