Long Island Rail Road riders won't have to dig deeper into their pockets this year to take a train in Manhattan.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Janno Lieber told state lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he wants to postpone fare hikes for this year.

“Thanks to the COVID relief aid we received which was highlighted by the $6 million grant Sen. Schumer celebrated a week ago… but also thanks to the $336 million bump in state funding in the governor’s executive budget," he says.

Fare hikes were planned in July, but Gov. Kathy Hochul says that's not needed now after the state was allotted billions of dollars as part of the infrastructure bill passed by Congress last year.

Lieber told the committee that ridership was increasing before the Omicron variant hit in December.