The MTA just had its busiest Sunday ever, thanks to the NYC Marathon and Halloween hangovers

This weekend as a generationally great one for New York: We had pristinely crisp fall weather, Halloween on a Saturday (the next time that glorious calendar fortuity will occur is October 31, 2037 so, uh, plan ahead?) and the humanity-affirming phenomenon known as the NYC Marathon this past Sunday, which was celebrating its big 50th anniversary this year. 

It’s an understatement, then, to say New Yorkers were very much out and about, which has translated into a brand-new subway record: The MTA had an all-time Sunday ridership record of 3.14 million riders on Sunday, shattering last year’s record of 2.81 million riders by 11 percent, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.

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And Saturday, October 31 was nearly just as busy underground: Subways carried 3.59 million riders on Halloween, surpassing the previous post-pandemic Saturday record of 3.27 million riders set on May 16, 2026, and marking the highest Saturday since 2016. The weekend buzz unsurprisingly started early for both New York locals and visitors, with Thursday alone boasting 4.72 million subway riders, marking the MTA’s highest post-pandemic single-day subway ridership and representing a big 9.7 percent increase from the same day last year.

“From the streets to the subways, New Yorkers were on the move this weekend in record numbers,” Governor Hochul said. “The subway is the lifeblood of our city and from Halloween to the marathon, the major events that make New York special simply would not be possible without mass transit. We have made historic investments to run better service and keep riders safe and New Yorkers have responded by riding in ever growing numbers.”

That historic end-of-October run caps off a month of milestones for the ol’ MTA, which previously saw a five-day weekday record of 22.32 million riders between Oct. 19 and Oct. 23, 2026, and a seven-day record of 27.87 million riders for the same week. Hell, jumping on the Q train may not be nearly as impressive as racing 26.2 miles across all five boroughs, but we’ll take the citywide glory regardless.