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
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