Metro-North ridership is up almost 5%, reports the Journal News, as more and more would-be motorists are turning to the rails to escape the crippling cost of driving to work.

Ridership on the railroad has increased almost every year of its 25-year history, but increases near 5 percent are rare. The average annual increase is about 2 percent, according to railroad figures. Railroad spokesman Dan Brucker said the latest increases come even as a soft economy may have cost jobs for people in the insurance, finance and real estate industries, who make up much of the passenger base.

“Which shows that even with perhaps losing some customers, we’re gaining far more who have never traveled with us before,” he said. About 125,000 people ride the trains each day.