The MetroCards, which will be available starting on Wednesday, are meant to recognize the people still living through the trauma of the attacks, including the responders who wrestle with the physical and psychological wreckage that stemmed from their experiences.

The effort is timed to May 30 , the 17th anniversary of the conclusion of the recovery effort, and the day the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is set to dedicate a new Memorial Glade, a pathway with hulking stone monoliths.

The MetroCards “invite all of us to remember the courage and selflessness of the rescue, recovery and relief workers who responded after 9/11,” Alice M. Greenwald, the president and chief executive of the museum and memorial, said in a statement on Sunday. With the memorial and the card, she added, “We continue to raise awareness of the challenges still facing this community by sharing their stories with millions of global visitors.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will issue 250,000 of the MetroCards, largely in stations near the World Trade Center as well as at busier stops in Midtown Manhattan. It is not the first time the M.T.A. has offered limited-edition MetroCards. Past ones have celebrated artists and advertised brands like Supreme. They have also commemorated the anniversary of the attacks.

“The memory of Sept. 11 is part of our DNA as New Yorkers, and as a transit agency whose employees heroically helped bring the city back after those terrible attacks,” Patrick J. Foye, the M.T.A.’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “We’re proud to have played a major role in the city’s recovery and in joining ongoing remembrances such as this one.”