New York City Subway crime Hits 16-Year Low in 2025

New York City Subway crime is on pace to reach its lowest level in 16 years, Governor Kathy Hochul said, with two weeks left in 2025, in an update from the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul. She also described the system as heading toward its safest year in a generation.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Officials reported that overall major crime in the transit system is down 5.2% from 2024 and 14.4% from 2019. When ridership is taken into account, there have been 1.65 major crimes per million riders in 2025—down roughly 30% from 2021 and comparable to pre-pandemic lows, as reported by Metro Magazine.

What’s driving New York City Subway crime lower?

Hochul linked the trend to a multi-year effort that began in 2022, when she and Mayor Eric Adams announced a shared commitment to keep subway riders safe. In each of the following four years, the crime rate per rider has declined. On the current pace, 2025 is on track to become the second-safest non-pandemic year in the subway system’s recorded history, eclipsed only by 2009.

Don’t miss…Hudson Tunnel Project risk management: OIG urges Amtrak action

The governor credited the work of the NYPD, the MTA Police Department, and other partners for the 2025 transit crime reduction. MTA officials said that this summer crime was down nearly 11% from 2024 levels. They also reported that felony assaults decreased significantly in the second half of 2025, with the assault incident rate down 16% from 2024. In November, assaults were down 25% compared to the same month last year.

Safety leading to ridership growth

The historic decline in crime has come as subway ridership continues to climb. On Thursday, December 11, the subway broke its post-pandemic ridership record for the third time in two weeks, carrying 4.654 million customers. For the year, subway ridership is up nearly 8%, with over 1.2 billion rides taken to date.

In remarks about the broader picture, Hochul said falling crime and rising ridership reflect major investments intended to keep New Yorkers safe while supporting more reliable service. She also pointed to a mix of safety and mental health programs alongside transit service and infrastructure upgrades, aimed at protecting both millions of daily riders and tens of thousands of transit workers.

Where the 2026 subway safety investments go?

Looking ahead, Hochul said she is committed to further subway safety investments in 2026, including an additional $77 million for enhanced NYPD subway patrols. Earlier this year, she allocated $77 million to support a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the NYPD to increase police presence in the subway, including deploying officers on trains overnight.

The additional $77 million commitment for 2026 is designed to build on that approach by supporting enhanced subway patrols, with officers deployed in areas of greatest need and where the impact is expected to be largest.

Hochul also highlighted other transit safety investments made under her leadership. These include $20 million to fully fund 10 Subway Co-Response Outreach (SCOUT) teams, designed to provide a clinician-first response to severe mental illness in the subway.

Officials also cited the buildout of security technology and station improvements: 32,000 security cameras across the New York City Subway system, including over 17,000 on all 6,000 subway cars at Hochul’s direction and over 15,000 in stations.

In addition, new platform barriers were installed at 115 subway stations, exceeding the MTA’s goal of 100 set in Hochul’s 2025 State of the State. Brighter LED lights have been installed in over 450 stations, with the system on pace for upgrades at all 472 stations by the end of 2025—details also summarized by Railway Supply.

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed: