With the holidays arriving in NYC, the city’s transit systems are shifting gears. To ensure you aren’t left standing on a cold platform while the hot cocoa gets cold, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to maneuvering NYC public transit this week.
You handle the gift-giving; we’ll handle the logistics. Here is everything you need to know about the MTA, LIRR, Metro-North, and bridge and tunnel schedules for Christmas 2025.
🚇 New York City Subway
The big secret: while the city never sleeps, the subway does slow down on the actual holiday.
- Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24): trains will operate on a regular weekday schedule–it’s business as usual for last-minute shoppers
- Christmas Day (Thursday,December 25): trains will move to a Sunday schedule–expect longer wait times between trains
🚍 New York City Buses
Bus schedules are the most “variable” this year, especially in Queens.
Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24)
- Reduced Weekday Schedule: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and most of Queens
- Regular Weekday Schedule: select Queens routes, Staten Island buses, & express routes: B100, B103, BM1–BM5, and all BXM routes
- Note: these reduced schedules will also be in effect on December 26, 29, & 30
Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25)
- Buses in all five boroughs will run on a Sunday schedule
🚆 Commuter Rails: LIRR & Metro-North
Heading to the suburbs or the North Pole? The commuter rails have specific “early getaway” vibes this week.
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
- Christmas Eve: regular weekday schedule
- Christmas Day: Sunday schedule
Metro-North Railroad
- Christmas Eve: East of Hudson lines (Hudson, Harlem, New Haven) will operate on a Friday schedule with extra mid-day and mid-afternoon service to help you get home early. West of Hudson lines will run a regular weekday schedule with minor adjustments
- Christmas Day: hourly service on the Hudson, Harlem, & New Haven main lines. Weekend service for all other branches
🚗 Bridges & Tunnels
If you’re driving, there’s a “construction ceasefire” during the peak of the holiday.
Christmas Week
- The Cut-off: all temporary daytime road closures at MTA Bridges and Tunnels will end by 3 pm on Tuesday, December 23
- The Window: no road closures are permitted on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
- The Resumption: roadwork may resume on Friday, December 26, but only in off-peak directions during the morning rush
⁉️ How to Stay in the Loop
- mta.info – the definitive source for real-time arrivals and the Service Status lookup tool
- MTA app – perfect for chatting with customer service if you get stuck
- TrainTime app – essential for LIRR and Metro-North riders to buy tickets and track GPS train locations
- Email & Text Alerts – alerts tailored to their specific commutes and travel times–customers can sign up here
- 511 – information is available by dialing 511
Happy (and smooth!) travels, New York!