Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the operations of MTA MetroNorth Railroad including west of Hudson operations and discussion of CtDOT sponsored rail operations such as Shore Line East and the Springfield to New Haven Hartford Line

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, nomis, FL9AC, Jeff Smith

 #1476272  by njtmnrrbuff
 
Metro North has good reverse commuting options, especially for those people who might live in the South Bronx and need to get work in like White Plains. There are many lower income people who might live in the Bronx and commute to jobs in Westchester County that pay very well. Having Melrose and Tremont are more important than you might think. If those stations didn't exist, then many of those people living near them would probably have to take a subway to a Bee Line bus or else a NYCMTA bus to a Bee Line bus(takes a painfully long time).
 #1476273  by Traingeek3629
 
I'll give you a few: Merritt 7, Beacon Falls, Tenmile River, University Heights, Philpse Manor, Ludlow, Southport. Otisville is useless, but that is not really Metro-North.

I won't bother with the hiking stops since they take so little to maintain and they aren't commuter-oriented, so low ridership is acceptable. Tremont and Melrose, even though they have very low inbound ridership, they have a decent customer base who reverse commutes. Therefore, while they aren't important, Tremont and Melrose aren't useless either. I get that Merritt 7 probably has some people that get off there from Stamford, etc. but it doesn't need a 7 car high-level platform. A setup like the one they have on MBTA with a mini-high would be fine. Rowayton might as well just end weekend service, nobody gets on. Tenmile could become a hiking stop, Southport is close enough to both Green's Farms and Fairfield, Ludlow has low ridership, same with the Heights stations (especially University)
 #1476300  by NaugyRR
 
You'd be surprised how many people use Tenmile River, especially with DDSO right there. It's also one of the stations that are close enough for Litchfield County residents to reach easily enough, not to mention the trailer parks up the road that are within walking distance. It's a pretty convenient station for those that don't want to deal with Wassaic or Dover.
 #1476330  by Traingeek3629
 
DutchRailnut wrote:you obvious have never done research on ridership numbers for those stops.
Actually, I have done research. Would you like to see my (somewhat outdated) source? Plus, just riding the train you can tell which stops are busy when 10 people board your car, and you can see which ones aren't if you look out on the platform coming into the stop and 3 people are there.
 #1476333  by Noel Weaver
 
I very much doubt if any of the existing stations on the Harlem Line or any other part of Metro North are un-necessary at this point, they exist because folks want to use them and closing any of them down will result in less ridership as these folks will find some other way to get where they need to go. I know when I ran trains for Metro North I did not find any station as excess, People depend on these stops and cutting them from the existing schedules makes absolutely no sense at all. Just because you happen to ride a train that does not do much at a station does not mean that that particular station should be closed due to a lack of use.
Noel Weaver
 #1476340  by R36 Combine Coach
 
Traingeek3629 wrote:They wouldn't need to be closed, why not just stop service on weekends at stations whose inbound ridership is 11 or 15?
Even better: flag stop by request only. A win-win: service retained, without burdening every train.
 #1476368  by njtmnrrbuff
 
Closing Melrose and Tremont would be like closing Highland Ave Station on NJT's M&E. There are many people who live in the immediate area who probably reverse commute to jobs in like Summit and Morristown. Plus Highland Ave Station is extremely close to the West Orange Arts District.
 #1476369  by nomis
 
Traingeek3629 wrote:
DutchRailnut wrote:you obvious have never done research on ridership numbers for those stops.
Actually, I have done research. Would you like to see my (somewhat outdated) source? Plus, just riding the train you can tell which stops are busy when 10 people board your car, and you can see which ones aren't if you look out on the platform coming into the stop and 3 people are there.
Actually supporting your statements with facts, even if it is 11 year old ridership data helps further the conversation.
 #1476551  by checkmatechamp13
 
njt/mnrrbuff wrote:Metro North has good reverse commuting options, especially for those people who might live in the South Bronx and need to get work in like White Plains. There are many lower income people who might live in the Bronx and commute to jobs in Westchester County that pay very well. Having Melrose and Tremont are more important than you might think. If those stations didn't exist, then many of those people living near them would probably have to take a subway to a Bee Line bus or else a NYCMTA bus to a Bee Line bus(takes a painfully long time).
The Bx15 & Bx41 buses run parallel to the Harlem Line in that portion of The Bronx and connect with Metro-North at Fordham. However, I do agree that those stations should remain open, as while ridership is low, it isn't abysmal. (Also, even a UniTicket is an additional cost that you would be imposing on those commuters).
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