About email and text alerts
Did you know you can get real-time notifications about subway, bus, Long Island Rail Road, or Metro-North service from the MTA?
You'll receive email and/or text message alerts about real-time and planned service changes on our subways, buses, and our commuter railroads. You can customize your alerts based on what time of day you travel and which mode of transit you use, and set as many alerts as necessary for your weekly travel.
You can sign up for digests of planned service changes for your preferred lines and routes, and opt for either full-week digests or just weekend service changes.
How it works
- Sign up for an account.
- Provide an email address (and a phone number if you wish to receive SMS alerts).
- Check for a confirmation email. (If you do not receive one, check your spam folder.)
- Follow the instructions in the email to set up your alerts.
- Watch the video below for more tips on setting up your alerts.
You can change your preferences at any time in the preference center. That includes the times of day that you receive alerts, and which lines or routes you receive alerts for.
- Via email: Find the last alert you received, and click the “update your preferences” link at the bottom of the email.
- Via SMS: Text “PREF” to 511-682. You will then receive an email with a link to your preference center.
Email and text alerts tutorial
Contact us
Email and text alerts from the MTA are proactive notifications about service changes that may affect your travel. For up-to-the-minute information about service on our subways, buses, and commuter railroads, you should use the following tools:
- Service Status box on our homepage
- MTA app
- TrainTime app (for LIRR and Metro-North)
Need help? Here's how to reach us:
- Text New York City Transit on WhatsApp. (We are temporarily unable to answer WhatsApp messages because of a technical problem. We’re working to restore service as quickly as possible.)
- Chat with us in the TrainTime app for help with LIRR and Metro-North issues.