Everything about Metro-north Railroad totally explained
The
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, or
MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly,
Metro-North, is a
suburban commuter rail service that's run and managed by the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), an
authority of
New York State. Metro-North runs service between
New York City to its northern suburbs in New York and
Connecticut, as well as to other regions, including, in conjunction with
New Jersey Transit, to parts of
New Jersey as well. Trains terminate in places respective to their branch line; these locals include, in New York State, in
Port Jervis,
Spring Valley,
Poughkeepsie, and
Wassaic; in Connecticut, in
New Canaan,
Danbury,
Waterbury, and
New Haven. Metro-North also provides local rail service within New York City with a reduced fare.
The MTA, which also operates the
New York City Transit Authority buses and subways, as well as the
Long Island Rail Road, also has jurisdiction, through Metro-North, for use of the railroad lines on the western and eastern portion of the
Hudson River in New York State. Service on the western side of the Hudson, within New Jersey, is actually operated by
New Jersey Transit under contract with the MTA. North of the New Jersey state line, the western portion of the Hudson is part of New York State, and is also under the jurisdiction of Metro-North. There are 120 stations operated by Metro-North.
Background
Metro-North Headquarters is located at
347 Madison Ave.
New York, NY 10017
Before the MTA
Before the Metro-North service was running as it's today, most of the same trackage was under the control of the large
New York Central Railroad. Among the multiple rail branches the group eventually controlled was the
New York & Harlem Railroad, which is where a fair portion of Metro-North trains serve today. From the mid-1800s until 1969 the New Haven Line, including the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury branches, was owned by
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. This branch was started in the 1830s as a system of horse-pulled cars that connected the then-early
Lower Manhattan to
Harlem. The railroad had blossomed into multiple rail lines by 1852 that provided connecting service to
Albany,
Boston,
Vermont, and even to
Canada, through the junction of
Chatham. In the 1870s, the New York & Harlem Railroad was bought by
Commodore Vanderbilt, which added more railroad lines to his, which were run by the
New York Central Railroad. However, a century later, around 1968, the northern section of rail in New York state was then owned by
Penn Central Transportation because of a merger between the New York Central Railroad and the
Pennsylvania Railroad. However, this merger eventually failed, due to large financial costs and government regulations, and the group would eventually be folded into the government created
Conrail. The northern branch of railroad which served the Harlem Valley had then been ignored by Conrail, because of outrageous costs of maintaining service. At that point operational service ran only through
Millerton, New York, by 1976; in 1980, to
Wassaic, and after that, to
Dover Plains, where it remained until 2000. However, the MTA had assumed responsibilities of all commuter rail from New York City earlier, in 1972, which has led to some success.
After the MTA
After the state-run MTA had taken control over parts of the former
Penn Central in 1972, there was much work needed in reorganization, as significant business success wouldn't appear for at least two decades, following the altogether faltering railroad industry in the 1970s. By 1983, Metro-North, as it's today, was founded, and began to serve various regions in New York State and Connecticut. Today, the service has gained both respect and monetary success, according to the MTA's own website. 2006 was the best year for the line, as there was a 97.8% rate of on-time trains, a record amount of ridership (76.9 million people), and a passenger satisfaction rating of 92%.
Lines
East of Hudson
There are three Metro-North lines that provide passenger service on the east side of the
Hudson River, all of which terminate into
Grand Central Terminal in
Manhattan: the
Hudson Line,
Harlem Line and
New Haven Line, which is, for the most part, located in Connecticut. An additional line, the
Beacon Line, is used for internal equipment moving between the Brewster shop & Danbury station, and doesn't provide passenger service. The Beacon Line Has been out of service for about three years because of a condemned bridge located in Brewster.
The Hudson and Harlem Lines terminate in
Poughkeepsie, New York, and in
Wassaic, New York, respectively. No other branches extend from these lines except that Metro-North does provide connecting service at the termination of the Harlem line to the surrounding region during summer months.
The Harlem and Hudson lines, and the Park Avenue mainline to Grand Central, are actually owned by Midtown TDR Ventures LLC, who bought them from the corporate successors to
Penn Central, but the MTA has a lease on the entire system extending to 2274, and an option to buy starting in 2017.
The New Haven Line is operated through a partnership between Metro North and the State of Connecticut. Under the arrangement, the
Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) owns the tracks and stations within Connecticut. ConnDOT also finances and performs capital improvements to such, within Connecticut. MTA owns the tracks and stations, and handles capital improvements for such within New York State. MTA also performs routine maintenance and provides police services for the entire New Haven Line, its branches and stations. New cars and locomotives are typically purchased in a joint agreement between MTA and ConnDOT, with the agencies paying for 33.3% and 66.6% of the tab, respectively. ConnDOT pays more because most of the line is located in Connecticut.
The New Haven Line has three branches providing connecting service in Connecticut- the
New Canaan Branch,
Danbury Branch and
Waterbury Branch.
Amtrak also operates
intercity train service along the New Haven and Hudson Lines. At New Haven, the
Shore Line East connecting service, which is run by Connecticut, continues east to
New London. The New Haven Line also connects to the
Providence and Worcester Railroad spur to the New Haven Shipping Terminal, facilitating the movement of
freight to and from the terminal.
Freight trains occasionally run on the New Haven Line as
CSX,
P & W, and
Housatonic Railroad each have
trackage rights on certain sections.
Because New Haven line is also part of Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor, high-speed
Acela Express trains run on the line, making stops at
Stamford and
Union Station in New Haven.
Future plans
Hudson Line
Metro-North plans to build a
new station to directly serve the
new Yankee Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009. It has been said that all three lines will be able to access the new station, but Metro-North hasn't said if Harlem and New Haven Line trains will go there directly (by turning at Mott Haven Junction) or if passengers will be required to transfer, likely at Harlem-125 Street, or Grand Central Terminal.
Harlem Line
There are plans to redevelop the former
Wingdale Psychiatric Center into a community of mixed housing and commercial space near the
Wingdale-Harlem Valley Station.
New Haven Line
Plans are underway to reelectrify the
Danbury Branch with a concurrent expansion to
New Milford. Work is set to begin in late 2007 on a third Metro-North station for the Town of
Fairfield, Connecticut. This station, to be located in eastern Fairfield near the
Bridgeport line, will be part of a large mixed-use development known as
Fairfield Metro Center, though the station is likely to be named Black Rock or Black Rock Turnpike. Connecticut officials and Metro North are conducting environmental studies for a new station in
West Haven. ConnDOT is also moving forward on a study to increase freight service on the New Haven Line in an effort to reduce the number of trucks on the congested
Connecticut Turnpike. A number of projects are either planned or underway that will upgrade the catenary system, replace outdated bridges, and straighten certain sections of the New Haven Line to accommodate the Acela's 240 km/h (150 mph) maximum operating speeds.
Hartford-Springfield Line (Proposed plan)
The
Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation (MEOT) and ConnDOT are preparing an
environmental impact statement for establishing passenger rail service from Union Station in New Haven to
Springfield, Massachusetts via
Hartford, including either a
spur line or
light rail connection to
Bradley International Airport. The proposed line will use existing freight lines owned by
Amtrak and
CSX. MEOT and ConnDOT have listed Metro-North and Amtrak as potential operators of the future
Springfield Line.
Systemwide
Metro-North is continually upgrading trackage and station facilities.
Metro-North is also going to upgrade its Operations Control Center located in Grand Central Terminal. In 2008, construction will start on a new Operations Control Center to replace all control hardware. Software upgrades will provide for state of the-art rail traffic technology.
A major signal study that will help Metro-North design and start construction on a new signal system on all three lines in both New York and Connecticut will continue in 2008.
Expansion
There has occasionally been talk of expanding all three lines northward. Northward expansion of the Hudson Line has often met opposition from residents of communities including
Hyde Park and
Rhinecliff, even though the latter is home to
Amtrak's
Rhinecliff-Kingston station, frequented by commuters who live in northern Dutchess and
Ulster Counties.
West of Hudson
Metro-North also provides service on trains west of the Hudson River that originate from
Hoboken Terminal, New Jersey. This service is jointly run by both
New Jersey Transit, and by Metro-North, under contract. There are two branches of the west-of-Hudson service, the
Port Jervis Line, and the
Pascack Valley Line, according to a
Metro-North map
. An additional line, that isn't technically a branch, disconnects from the main branch and then rejoins the Port Jervis line.
The Port Jervis Line terminates in
Port Jervis, New York, and the Pascack Valley line in
Spring Valley, New York; these lines are located in Orange and Rockland Counties, respectively. Trackage on the Port Jervis Line north of the Suffern Yard is leased from
Norfolk Southern by the MTA.
New Jersey Transit, however, owns all of the trackage that's part of the Pascack Valley line in
Rockland County, New York. Both lines, were once part of the
Erie Railroad.
Because the vast majority of the stops for the Port Jervis Line and the Pascack Valley Line are located in New Jersey, New Jersey Transit provides much of the rolling stock (the cars for the trains) and the staffing, to operate the service west of the Hudson river. However, Metro-North equipment has been used on other lines that are operated by New Jersey Transit on the Hoboken division.
All stations west of the Hudson River in New York, except for, are owned and operated by Metro-North.
Future plans
The MTA is working with the Tappan Zee Bridge Environmental Review on several options where a future replacement for the
Tappan Zee Bridge would include a rail line to connect the Port Jervis Line in Rockland County to the Hudson Line in Westchester County. "Alternatives 4A, 4B and 4C" all include plans for such a rail line to connect with the Hudson Line at
Tarrytown, providing a one-seat ride from Rockland County to
Grand Central Terminal in New York City. All three also include mass-transit service across Westchester County, connecting to the Harlem Line in White Plains, and the New Haven Line at Port Chester. The only difference between the three is whether the cross-Westchester trip will be accomplished by heavy rail,
light rail or rapid
bus service.
Metro-North is also considering extending Port Jervis Line service to
Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, a move that could make a Tappan Zee Bridge rail line even more useful, as it would serve both commuters and travelers who choose to fly to and from Stewart, instead of the other three New York City-area airports.
Technical details
East of Hudson
Some services are operated by
diesel, but most services running directly into
Manhattan Grand Central Terminal are electric powered using the older
M1,
M2,
M3,
M4, M6 and brand new
M7 MU cars. The exception are 4 peak-hour trains from Wassaic and all through trains from Pougkeespie. In the case when the diesel powered train runs into Grand Central, the switch over from diesel to third-rail operation is made somewhere around the
Harlem-125 Street station. Most of Metro-North's passenger diesel locomotives are
General Electric GENESIS P32 diesel-electric hybrids capable of switching to a pure electric mode using contact shoes to contact the railroad's under-running
third rail power distribution system. On the Hudson Line, trains are powered by electrified third rail from Grand Central Terminal to
Croton-Harmon and are powered by diesel north of that station to
Poughkeepsie. The Harlem Line has third rail from Grand Central Terminal to
Southeast and are powered by diesel north of that station to
Wassaic. The New Haven Line is special in that electrical
Multiple Unit (EMU) trains are powered through either 700 V
DC from a third rail or 13.8 kV
AC from an overhead
catenary wire. Nominally 13.8 kV (per a MN Power Director), the voltage floats between 13.2 to 13.8 kV. The main line from approximately
Woodlawn to
Pelham (3 miles, or 4.8 km), is powered by third rail, while from
Pelham, New York east to
New Haven, Connecticut (58 miles, or 93 km), as well as the entire
New Canaan Branch, is powered by catenary. The
Danbury Branch was formerly electrified but in 1961 became a diesel-only line. Locomotives on the
Waterbury Branch, the only east-of-Hudson Metro North service which has no direct service of any sort into Grand Central, are powered by diesel.
As of February 2007, some services are still operated by
FL9 and F10 diesels built between 1946 and 1960. Also the railroad has a fleet of leased Amtrak Genesis diesels that operate only in non-electrified territory as they're not equipped for dual-mode third rail service.
The third rails on the three Metro-North lines (East-of-Hudson) which go into Grand Central Terminal are unusual in that power is collected from below the
third rail as opposed to above, unlike most other third rail systems (including the
Long Island Rail Road and
New York City Subway). This allows the third rail to be completely insulated from above, thus decreasing the chances of a person being electrocuted by coming in contact with the rail. This was important, because until the early 1970s the majority of the suburban stations had low platforms where the third rail was easily accessible; this danger was greatly reduced with the introduction of the high-level platforming of
Budd Company-made
Metropolitans (M1A's) in 1971 and the
Cosmopolitans (M2's) between 1972 and 1977, both purchased by the MTA and practically identical to their sister cars on the Long Island Rail Road.
West of Hudson
Most of the
rolling stock on west-of-Hudson Metro-North lines consist of Comet V Metro-North cars, and occasionally other NJT cars are used. The trains are also usually handled by EMD
GP40FH-2,
F40PH-2CAT or
Alstom PL42AC diesel locomotives, although any Metro-North or New Jersey Transit diesel can show up and the Metro-North diesels, which are based out of Hoboken, are banned from the
Pascack Valley Line, due to the installation of SES. Most passenger cars are
Comet V coaches built by
Alstom, however, it's possible that anything can show up as the equipment is pooled with the New Jersey Transit.
Although Metro-North uses many official abbreviations (MNCR, MNR, MN, etc.) there are two official AAR reporting marks used on equipment. For non-revenue equipment, the mark registered and recognized on AEI scanner tags is 'MNCW', with revenue equipment is identified using 'MNCR'.
Fare policy
East of Hudson
Tickets for travel on Metro-North trains may be bought from a station agent, a self-service ticketing machine, online, or on the train itself. There is a 5% discount for buying tickets online, and Metro-North will charge between
US$4.75 and $5.50 on top of the standard price, for purchasing a ticket on the train.
Local travel between stations located in
the Bronx and
Marble Hill (which wasn't physically a part of the Bronx before the Harlem River rerouting) costs $2.25 per trip regardless of the time of the day. Travel in Manhattan between
Grand Central Terminal and
Harlem–125 Street) costs between $4.25 to $5.75 on weekdays and is $3.00 on weekends. Travel between The Bronx and Manhattan is $3.00 on weekends as well.
West of Hudson
The fare structure, for west-of-Hudson trains, resembles the New Jersey Transit fare structure, and less like that of east-of-Hudson trains, despite the fact that both lines has prices dictated by the MTA. On the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines, the on-board surcharge is $5.00 at stations with functioning ticket vending machines or ticket offices, which is substantially less than a possible price of $23.00 for a peak-hour Metro-North train on the Harlem Valley line.
Open House
On the third weekend of every October, Metro-North hosts an
open house at its Harmon Yard. Buses shuttle visitors from
Croton-Harmon to the large brick shop building, where current and former locomotives and rolling stock are on display. Railroad employees from all departments are available to answer questions, share experiences and show how various maintenance equipment works. Food,
model train displays and children-oriented activities such as clowns and facepainting are also available. It is popular with families and
railfans alike.
In popular culture
The railroad has been featured in several films, most notably in a scene in the film
U.S. Marshals, when (
Wesley Snipes) jumps from the roof of a multi-story building onto a train; in
Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, when a train (
GE Genesis) that has just been attacked by aliens, speeds out of control and on fire through a railroad crossing; and in
The Ice Storm, with M-2 cars on the New Canaan branch that are marked as "Penn Central". The trains are also mentioned in the movie
Madagascar as the rail service that “Marty the Zebra” wanted to use to get to Connecticut. Metro-North trains were also the setting for the 1984 film
Falling in Love staring
Robert De Niro and
Meryl Streep.
A recent
Tuscan Milk commercial featured the northbound platform at
Crestwood on the Harlem Line.
Further Information
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