Closest stations?

After a lifetime of being an occasional rider of the New Haven, a recent move to Westchester has made me a full-time lower Harlem Division commuter. For years I'd thought the physically closest stations on MN were Cos Cob and Riverside, which basically bracket the Mianus River bridge. Now, though, I've come to realize that Mount Vernon West and Wakefield are startlingly close together-- seemingly barely more than a train's length.

Am I right? And, if so-- why do they both still exist? Cos Cob and Riverside make sense because they're on opposite sides of the river, but there's no physical barrier between these two.

Yup they are indeed closer in distance than Cos Cob and Riverside. I would guess that both stations -in spite of their close proximity- adequately serve two different sections of the Bronx/Westchester Co. that there's little to no reason to shut one or the other down and simply combine the two. Wakefield likely gets a bit of traffic from points east and west along the avenue for starters while Mt. Vernon West likely gets a lot of foot traffic from the adjacent neighborhoods.

NH2060 wrote:Yup they are indeed closer in distance than Cos Cob and Riverside. I would guess that both stations -in spite of their close proximity- adequately serve two different sections of the Bronx/Westchester Co. that there's little to no reason to shut one or the other down and simply combine the two. Wakefield likely gets a bit of traffic from points east and west along the avenue for starters while Mt. Vernon West likely gets a lot of foot traffic from the adjacent neighborhoods.

Years ago Wakefield was one of the least used stations in the NYC area but today I think that has changed drastically. I worked this line about 30 years ago and even at that time we got good business out of Wakefield. Lack of decent parking in that area might be a good reason to keep both stations active at least for the foreseeable future.
Noel Weaver

New Haven Union and State Street: 12 minute walk
Fordham and Botanical Garden: 15 minute walk
University Heights and Morris Heights: 15 minute walk
South and East Norwalk: 23 minute walk
Glenbrook and Springdale: 30 minute walk

And closest stations by walking distance between two different lines:

Yankee Stadium (East 153rd) and Melrose: 18 minutes