Metro North Train Stations: Additional or Unnecessary?

I'm not sure what the debate over Mount Pleasant is... I think you all misunderstand. Mount Pleasant is not there for ridership, it is provided as a service for people who want to visit the cemetery. There used to be a station stop at Kensico as well, but I think that was discontinued after 1984, and all "cemetery service" is now provided at Mount Pleasant.

I think you can fit maybe eight people on the platform at Mount Pleasant. It probably ranks up there in ridership with Manitou, Breakneck Ridge, and Appalachian Trail stations.

-otto-

NJTKid01 wrote: How many Metro North can literally fit on that platform? Also, How much ridership, Does the stations log in annually?

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The platform is about fifteen feet long, just enough to center one door, which is usually the last door on the last car outbound. Don't know current freq, but the station used to get two mid-morning northbound and two early afternoon southbound stops. Platform might hold 15-20 people.

I've been on trains where the engineer is inching forward to line up the door..

If you want to see the ridership for Mount Pleasant, take an early train out of GCT on a SUNDAY morning. The cars which serve that small platform are PACKED with people "Dressed in Black" to make a "Visit".

Other abandoned stations on the Harlem Division? Hey, anyone remember THORNWOOD? I boarded a train there once and let me tell you, it was a hell of a climb since the station was on the OUTSIDE of a curve. Thornwood was closed sometime around 1975? Someone help me here.

It would be interesting to see if there is a renewed demand for the use of Thornwood station in this day and age. That station was deemed "Unnecessary", but that was at a point when off peak trains ran every two hours, were two coaches long, and carried less than a dozen people each. There has been a lot of development, and I don't know what it's like now, but I'm sure to find parking in Pleasantville and Hawthorne isn't as easy as it was 25 years ago.

How about abandoned "Redundant" stations on the Hudson where there is no trace -

Oscawanna, Crugers, Montrose.

This is a stark contrast to the Harlem Division. I remember passing Oscawanna in the mid 70's and it was closed, and in the mid 90's before it was closed, I used Crugers, which was trecherous.

All in all, you have to admit that for not being on a mainline to anywhere, stations on the Harlem Division have survived better than the Hudson stations. The stations on the Harlem have been kept alive by a steady growth of surrounding development - and over development. I think the only thing in this day and age which can close a station is the real estate getting too valuable, and/or the lack of adequate parking.

Three stations were closed over time on the Hudson, and consolidated into the relatively new Metro North station at Cortlandt. The attraction there was a swamp that was easily paved over into a massive parking lot. It didn't do the people in the local communities any good, as droves of people from GARRISON come down for a place to park. Now, even locals can't get a place to park.

To boot, Metro North management and designers didn't have enough brains to take advantage of realigning the track for the construction of Cortlandt station to make a platform which could accomodate eight car trains. Shamefully, nothing above Harmon can handle anything over six cars at the platform. Can the platform at Chappaqua handle an eight or ten car train?

Want to close a station on the Harlem? How about Golden's Bridge. Why? PARKING. Where would you relocate a consolidation of stations on the Harlem in that area for expanded parking? Good question!

I doubt if we will see any further abandonments and consolidations on the Harlem Division.

Dieter

Thornwood closed in 1984 upon electrification. Ridership was too low to justify construction of a high-level platform.

Golden's Bridge? Parking? they just built two new lots to accomodate riders. Heck of a lot easier since they removed that pesky town that was in the way back in 1970...

Let's close Bedford Hills. No reason, I just don't like Bedford Hills (and there is ZERO parking).

-otto-

When I last worked Metro-North in 1987, all of the stations on the Harlem
were doing a good business, I suspect that they are doing even better in
2004.
As for Platforms, the following stations hold eight cars: Hawthorne,
Chappaqua, Golden's Bridge, Purdy's and Southeast. From North White
Plains down, they hold more and above Southeast they all hold four cars
except Tenmile River which holds two.
Too bad the track is gone north of Wassaic, the whole area is growing.
Noel Weaver

Melrose is currently the closest station on the Metro-North network to Yankee Stadium, anyway.

Melrose??? How about High Bridge on the Hudson Line??

-otto-

Weren't there just two stations on the Harlem line that were abandoned and combined to form one new station with a new name within the last few years. I know this happened somewhere on MN, but for the life of me can't remember where.

> Melrose is currently the closest station on the Metro-North network to Yankee Stadium, anyway.

Yes, but does Metro-North run any baseball specials? And if not, why not?

Noel Weaver wrote:.
Too bad the track is gone north of Wassaic, the whole area is growing.
Noel Weaver

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You're right about that.

I believe the first 10 miles right of way north from Wassaic is railbanked, and could be used again. North of that point, there has been serious encroachment and building on the right of way.

Last time I took a joyride (on the train to Wassaic) I noticed that 75% of the cars in the lot had CT or MA license plates. Even allowing for tax-dodging locals, that suggests extending the line another 20 miles to Ancram could draw a lot of passengers for the nearly three hour ride to GCT

Highbridge is not a public station. Only 1 door will fit on the platform as well. There is no way for anyone that does get off at highbridge to leave the yard very easily.

True... no public station at High Bridge... yet! Any new station that would serve Yankee Stadium would be built on the Hudson Line, probably near where the CSX Oak Point Link joins up with the Hudson Line... it could have been done years ago, but there has been so much political posturing between the Yankees and the City, it will probably still be years off.

I have a poster in my apt advertising Giants Football Specials on the Harlem Line, run by Penn Central to Melrose... back when the Giants played at Yankee Stadium! How long ago? The Baltimore Colts and Saint Louis Cardinals were on their schedule.

-otto-

Dieter wrote:I think the only thing in this day and age which can close a station is ... the lack of adequate parking.

[jest]

Hands down, the worst station for parking on the MN system is Grand Central. And yet, EVERY TRAIN stops there.

Go figure.

[/jest]

I have a poster in my apt advertising Giants Football Specials on the Harlem Line, run by Penn Central to Melrose... back when the Giants played at Yankee Stadium! How long ago? The Baltimore Colts and Saint Louis Cardinals were on their schedule

From the 70s.

Unnecessary train stations?

Well, not on the Harlem, but two I could never figure out on the Hudson are Spuyten Duyval, and Marble Hill. Wouldn't it be cheaper to close one, since they're so close together? Those stations are nearly within throwing distance of each other.

I would say to close Spuyten Duyval, as Marble Hill has a connection with the subway.

Dieter.