Police officials are bringing targeted night patrols back to the subway system, NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox told MTA board members Monday.

The patrol cops, known as “Train Patrol Force, or TPF,” will walk trains and platforms at night, when a large chunk of in-train crimes occur, Wilcox said — just as they did decades ago.

“We have created a new Train Patrol Force, or TPF, that will perform dedicated targeted and visible train patrols on the late evening and overnight hours,” Wilcox said.

The unit existed under the NYC Transit Police before it merged with the NYPD in 1995.

“The TPF is not a new concept. It was a type of transit patrol done in years past — notably by our mayor when he was a transit cop,” Wilcox said. “It was an idea that we felt we needed to return to.”

Fifty-four percent of subway crime occurs on trains, the chief said — and 40% of those in-train crimes occur during evening and overnight hours.

Subway crime rates have soared since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — from 1.47 felonies per million riders in 2019 to 2.11 felonies per million riders in April 2022, according to the latest NYPD and MTA figures.

Felony subway crime was up 53% last month compared to April 2021, according to NYPD statistics released Friday.

Ridership, however, increased 56% over the same period — and total felonies and felony assaults both dropped in April 2022 compared to the previous month.