1 hour ago
2
All aboard!
A vintage subway train is gearing up to take Mets fanatics out to the ball game for their beloved team’s home opener this week as one of many treats for the long-suffering fanbase.
The nearly 70-year-old Redbird will once again ferry the loyal blue and orange wave to Citi Field on Thursday as part of the Transit Museum’s traditional Nostalgia Rides.
“The subway has carried fans to the ballpark for decades, and that journey is part of the Opening Day excitement,” said Chelsea Newburg, the museum’s marketing manager.
“Our Nostalgia Rides honor that tradition and show how New York’s greatest institutions, from baseball to public transit, continue to bring people together.”
The eight-car Redbird will start taking baseball fans out to the ball game starting at 11 a.m. Thursday from the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station.
The vintage train will make several stops along the 7 line before pulling into Mets-Willets Point, where the Mets will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, the museum said.
For the price of the subway fare, fans and community alike will have the chance to “sit on the old seats, hold onto the handrails, read the vintage advertisements, and travel through time to the early days of the New York subway system.”
The Redbird fleet was introduced by the MTA in 1959 and was repainted to its iconic red color in 1984.
The cars dominated the subways, with nearly 2,000 of the trains running on every numbered line and several lettered lines until the fleets retirement in 2003.
Now, the iconic cars live as part of the Museum’s vintage fleet, and are brought back to their former glory every year to ferry baseball fans to season home openers.
Yanks fans will get their own chance to ride through history for the Bronx Bombers home opener on April 3, with a six-car Redbird and a four-car 1917 Lo-V train riding nonstop from the uptown 4 train platform at 42 St-Grand Central to 161 St-Yankee Stadium.
The Nostalgia Ride kicks off a season of train deals for Mets fans.
Those riding the LIRR to Citi Field for any game this season will receive a $5 discount on their train tickets as part of the “Take the Train to the Game” promotion.
The discount can be used for a day pass or CityTicket to Mets-Willets Point, meaning a rider traveling from Manhattan could pay $9.50 instead of $14.50, while a fan from Hicksville will shell out $22.50 instead of $27.50 for a weekday game.
LIRR President Rob Free called the promotion a “new money-saving deal” that will precede the “new venues” that will soon surround Citi Field, including the Etihad Park soccer stadium and Steve Cohen’s planned casino.
It will also entice baseball fans to take public transit as the construction for those projects eat up Citi Field’s parking lot.
“It’s a practical, cost-effective way to get more fans to Citi Field and be part of the energy that makes a Mets game so memorable. At its core, this effort is about creating options, removing obstacles and making it as easy as possible to come out, support the team and take in everything Citi Field has to offer,” said Keechant Sewell, Mets Senior Vice President of Security and Guest Experience.
“We are down parking spaces overall because of surrounding construction, so the train remains the most convenient way to get here, so we are encouraging people to take mass transit to get to Citi Field its a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the ride before you get here and enjoy what we have to offer here.”
Riders will be able to activate their discount in the TrainTime app under a new section called “Promo Codes” — which allows businesses to issue LIRR and MetroNorth ticket value to customers.
Fans will get the $5 discount code on LIRR day passes when they buy a ticket to the Mets game.
English (US)