Sound Shore

Port Chester and Rye commuters might face a rather annoying circumstance if the proposed Metro-North fare increases go through as planned: They’d pay more for  tickets to Grand Central than their Greenwich neighbors, even though they’re taking a shorter ride.

A monthly pass from the Port Chester station would cost $247, up from $226. But a pass from Greenwich would stay at $237, 10 bucks cheaper than Port Chester. The New Haven line is mostly in Connecticut, and the two states make separate decisions about funding and fare increases.

Discussions are apparently under way to even out the pricing through a “hold-down” agreement between Connecticut and Metro-North Railroad. Meanwhile Port Chester commuters are considering buying their tickets from Greenwich stations, according to the Connecticut Post.

Actually, what’s to stop Port Chester folks from buying Greenwich tickets online or wherever and boarding in Port Chester? Well, that wouldn’t fly with the conductor, railroad spokesman Dan Brucker said. The value of your ticket is less than the ride you’re taking, so you would have to pay the difference. Oh.

The proposed fare changes for Metro North are linked here. For more on fare increases for MetroCards and for Westchester’s Bee-Line buses, see Ken Valenti’s story here on LoHud.com.