91-589: The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad 's Harlem Line ) was one of the first railroads in the United States , and was the world's first street railway . Designed by John Stephenson , it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan Island to and beyond Harlem . Horses initially pulled railway carriages, followed by a conversion to steam engines, then on to battery-powered Julien electric traction cars. In 1907,
182-603: A Julien electric traction car , was run on September 17, 1888 on the line to 86th Street . The line went back to using horses for a time, but switched to a "below-grade third rail " (commonly called a " conduit ") in 1897. On July 1, 1896, the Metropolitan Street Railway leased the streetcar lines. The New York City Railway , which leased the Metropolitan, and hence also these lines, went into receivership on September 24, 1907. The receivers returned operation of
273-552: A complete overhaul as part of the Enhanced Station Initiative and would be entirely closed for up to 6 months. Updates would include cellular service, Wi-Fi, USB charging stations, interactive service advisories, and maps. The Harlem and Hudson lines and the Park Avenue mainline to Grand Central were previously owned by Midtown TDR Ventures LLC, who bought them from the corporate successors to Penn Central. The MTA had
364-618: A diesel train powered by Brookville BL20-GH locomotives. Electric service on the Hudson and Harlem lines uses M3 and M7 MU cars. The New Haven Line is unique in that trains use both third rail and 12.5 kV AC from overhead catenary . The line from Grand Central Terminal to Mount Vernon East uses third rail, while the section from Pelham east to New Haven State Street, which is 58 miles (93 km), uses overhead catenary. These electrification systems overlap between Mount Vernon East and Pelham stations and trains change power systems from one to
455-516: A few blocks away. In the early 20th century, Tammany Hall , the Academy of Music, and numerous vaudeville theaters were clustered around New York City. One source referred to the center portion of 14th Street as "the Mecca of New York shoppers, and Sixth Avenue was the liveliest part of it". As development continued to move further north, most of the major retailers on 14th Street relocated northward in
546-524: A few traces of 14th Street's heyday as a commercial center, including Lüchow's restaurant and Union Square Park. The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) began to reconstruct the entirety of 14th Street in 1990, replacing the roadway, sidewalks, and water and sewer pipes. As part of the project, the NYCDOT planted trees, installed new "bishop's-crook" streetlights, and added new gray sidewalks that were intended to resemble old granite sidewalks. By
637-639: A joint agreement between MTA and CTDOT, with the agencies paying for 33.3% and 66.7% of costs respectively. CTDOT pays more because most of the line is in Connecticut. The New Haven Line has three branches in Connecticut: the New Canaan Branch , Danbury Branch and Waterbury Branch . At New Haven, CTDOT runs two connecting services, the Shore Line East connecting service continues east to New London , and
728-760: A lease extending to the year 2274 and an option to buy starting in 2017. The MTA exercised their option to buy what was now Argent Ventures' rail assets on November 13, 2018. Under the terms of the deal, the MTA purchased Grand Central Terminal, as well as the Hudson Line from Grand Central to a point 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Poughkeepsie, and the Harlem Line from Grand Central to Dover Plains. Most services running into Grand Central Terminal are electrically powered. Diesel trains into Grand Central use General Electric P32AC-DM electro-diesel locomotives capable of switching to
819-475: A new Select Bus Service bus rapid transit route to be implemented across 14th Street. At the time, the M14A/D routes were among the busiest and slowest NYCT bus routes. The M14A/D were converted to Select Bus Service routes on July 1, 2019. The 14th Street busway was inspired by Toronto 's successful King Street Pilot Project , which sped up transit times for transit riders on the 504 King streetcar route,
910-565: A possible terrorist target. Since October 2019, vehicle restrictions are in place on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The only vehicles that can use the busway are buses, trucks making deliveries on 14th Street, emergency and Access-A-Ride vehicles, and local traffic traveling for no more than one block. 14th Street is well served by the New York City Subway . The BMT Canarsie Line ( L train) runs underneath 14th Street from Eighth Avenue to
1001-639: A pure electric mode. These locomotives have contact shoes compatible with Metro-North's under-running 750 V DC third rail power distribution system. Shoreliner series coaches are used in push-pull operation. On the Hudson Line, local trains between Grand Central and Croton–Harmon are powered by third rail. Through trains to Poughkeepsie are diesel powered and do not require a change of locomotive at Croton-Harmon. The Harlem Line has third rail from Grand Central Terminal to Southeast and trains are powered by diesel north to Wassaic . At most times, passengers between Southeast and Wassaic must change at Southeast to
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#17328475105401092-575: A stop at 14th Street at its intersection with Sixth Avenue . In the past, every former IRT elevated line had a station at 14th Street: The following bus routes serve 14th Street: Alongside the Canarsie Tunnel closure between 2019 and 2020, the New York City Department of Transportation began planning conversion of 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues into a bus-only corridor during rush hours. The department began planning
1183-783: Is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York . Metro-North serves the New York Metropolitan Area , running service between New York City and its northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut , including Port Jervis , Spring Valley , Poughkeepsie , Yonkers , New Rochelle , Mount Vernon , White Plains , Southeast and Wassaic in New York and Stamford , New Canaan , Danbury , Bridgeport , Waterbury , and New Haven in Connecticut. Service in Connecticut
1274-752: Is diesel only. Power is collected from the bottom of the third rail as opposed to the top, used by other third rail systems, including the Long Island Rail Road and New York City Subway. This system is known as the Wilgus-Sprague third rail, and the SEPTA Market–Frankford Line in Philadelphia and Metro-North are the only two systems in North America that use it. It allows the third rail to be completely insulated from above, thus decreasing
1365-416: Is now traveled by NYCT Bus 's M1 bus . The Murray Hill Tunnel now carries a lane of roadway, but not the buses. Metro-North Railroad [REDACTED] Map of the entire Metro-North Railroad system. This schematic is not to scale. The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company ( reporting mark MNCW ), also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North ,
1456-842: Is operated under contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation . Metro-North works under contract with New Jersey Transit for the west-of-hudson lines located in New Jersey and New York in Metro-North also provides local rail service within the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx . Metro-North is the descendant of commuter rail services dating back as early as 1832. By 1969, they had all been acquired by Penn Central . MTA acquired all three lines by 1972, but Penn Central continued to operate them under contract. Service
1547-519: The East River , stopping at Eighth Avenue , Sixth Avenue , Union Square , Third Avenue , and First Avenue . Additionally, every subway route that crosses 14th Street has a stop there, except for the B and D trains: A station at Second Avenue and 14th Street is planned as part of Phase 3 of the Second Avenue Subway , which is currently unfunded. PATH also makes
1638-592: The Hartford Line service continues north to Hartford , and Springfield, Massachusetts . Amtrak operates inter-city rail service along the New Haven and Hudson Lines. The New Haven Line is part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor . Amtrak's Northeast Regional runs from New Rochelle to New Haven, while Stamford and New Haven are also served by the high-speed Acela . At New Haven, the New Haven Line connects to
1729-598: The Hartford and New Haven Railroad , which provided routes to Hartford , Springfield, Massachusetts, and eventually Boston . The two roads merged in 1872 to become the NYNH&;H, growing into the largest passenger and commuter carrier in New England. In the early 20th century, the NYNH&H came under the control of J.P. Morgan . Morgan's bankroll allowed the NYNH&H to modernize by upgrading steam power with both electric (along
1820-576: The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad into Manhattan. It is now part of the Metro-North Railroad system, and the only Manhattan trackage of that system. As of 2017, Metro-North operates commuter passenger service from Grand Central Terminal, via Southeast (change from electric to diesel power), to Wassaic. The trackless right-of-way from Wassaic to Chatham is being converted to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. The New York and Harlem Railroad
1911-972: The Pascack Valley Line . The Port Jervis Line is accessed from two NJ Transit lines, the Main Line and the Bergen County Line . The Port Jervis Line terminates in Port Jervis, New York, and the Pascack Valley line in Spring Valley, New York, in Orange and Rockland Counties, respectively. Trackage on the Port Jervis Line north of the Suffern Yard is leased from the Norfolk Southern Railway by
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#17328475105402002-488: The Toronto Transit Commission 's busiest surface route. As part of the busway plan, the only motor vehicles that could use the busway, between 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, would be buses, trucks making deliveries on 14th Street, emergency and Access-A-Ride vehicles. Local traffic would be required to turn off 14th Street at the next intersection. Arthur Schwartz, a lawyer who lives on nearby 12th Street , blocked
2093-470: The 1850s and 1860s, was originally part of the Erie's mainline from Jersey City to Buffalo, New York. The Pascack Valley Line was built by the New Jersey and New York Railroad , which became a subsidiary of the Erie. Trains that service Port Jervis formerly continued to Binghamton and Buffalo, New York (today used only by freight trains), while Pascack Valley service continued to Haverstraw, New York . In 1956,
2184-569: The 1850s. In conjunction with this, several hotels, theaters, and stores were built along the central portion of 14th Street, including Steinway Hall and the Academy of Music . By the late 19th century, there were numerous piano showrooms around 14th Street. Many large retailers opened stores around the street, including Macy's , Siegel-Cooper , and Ohrbach's , while other retailers such as Tiffany & Co. , Lord & Taylor , Arnold Constable & Company , and B. Altman and Company were located
2275-441: The 1920s. Lower-end stores began opening along the street, including many stores that sold women's clothing. The WPA Guide to New York City described 14th Street in 1939 as "perhaps the city's largest outlet for low-priced women's merchandise". By the 1970s, J.W. Mays and S. Klein were the only major retailers remaining on 14th Street, and the street was lined with independent retailers and discount stores. There were only
2366-580: The 2000s, many residential buildings and shops were clustered around 14th Street, and technology companies had relocated to the street. The western end of the street, near the Meatpacking District , contained numerous nightclubs, restaurants, and art galleries. Dotcom companies , advertisers, designers, publishers, and photographers were clustered around 14th Street between Eighth and Fifth Avenue. West 14th Street begins at an interchange with New York State Route 9A northeast of Greenwich Village . At
2457-645: The Amtrak New Haven–Springfield Line . The Hudson Line is part of the Empire Corridor , and the Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, and Poughkeepsie stations are all served by Amtrak as well as Metro-North. Freight trains operate over Metro-North lines, though the company itself does not operate freight services. The Hudson Line connects with the Oak Point Link and is the main route for freight to and from
2548-579: The Boston and Albany to Albany , Boston , Vermont , and Canada . On April 1, 1873, the New York and Harlem Railroad was leased by Cornelius Vanderbilt , who added the railroad to his complex empire of railroads , which were run by the NYC. Grand Central Depot, built in 1871, served as the southern terminus of NYC's Harlem and Hudson Divisions; it would be replaced by Grand Central Station in 1900, and by Grand Central Terminal in 1913. The Boston and Albany came under
2639-613: The Bowery) for northbound trains. Southbound trains continued to use the old route. In 1864 or 1865, a branch was added for trains between downtown and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing , running along 32nd Street , Lexington Avenue and 34th Street . This was the start of separate horse car service, running between Astor House and the ferry. Grand Central Depot opened just north of 42nd Street in October, 1871, and intercity passenger trains from
2730-530: The Bronx and Long Island. Freight railroads CSX , CP Rail , P&W , and Housatonic Railroad have trackage rights on sections of the system. See Rail freight transportation in New York City and Long Island . Metro-North provides service west of the Hudson River on trains from Hoboken Terminal , New Jersey, jointly run with NJ Transit under contract. There are two branches: the Port Jervis Line and
2821-658: The Erie Railroad began coordinated service with rival Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad , and in 1960 they formed the Erie Lackawanna . Trains were rerouted to the Lackawanna's Hoboken Terminal in 1956–1958. Passenger rail in the United States began to falter after World War II. Commuter services historically had always been unprofitable, and were usually subsidized by long-distance passenger and freight services. As these profits disappeared, commuter services usually were
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2912-582: The Fourth Avenue line back to the Metropolitan Street Railway on July 31, 1908. The lease was terminated on January 31, 1920, with operation returned to the NY&;H. On October 10, 1932, it was leased again, this time to the New York Railways Corporation , with the right to convert the line to bus operation . The stockholders voted to do this on February 19, 1934. An approximation of the route
3003-595: The Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines on January 1, 1983 and merged them into the Metro-North Commuter Railroad. Metro-North took over the former Erie Lackawanna services west of the Hudson and north of the New Jersey state line. Since those lines are physically connected to NJ Transit, operations were contracted to NJ Transit with Metro-North subsidizing the service and supplying equipment. In preparation for
3094-420: The Hudson River between New York City's lower Manhattan west side and Albany, backed mostly by wealthy Poughkeepsie manufacturers and merchants. (It was completed to Albany on October 3, 1851, after a great amount of costly blasting, filling and tunneling the craggy eastern shore of the Hudson River.) The Harlem Valley's directors started to worry that Boston would have a competitive advantage over New York City for
3185-546: The Hudson River in New York are owned and operated by Metro-North, except Suffern , which is owned and operated by NJ Transit. In partnership with NY Waterway, Metro-North also provides ferry service across the Hudson River to Ossining station and Beacon station , with the Haverstraw–Ossining Ferry and Newburgh–Beacon Ferry respectively. Most of the trackage east of the Hudson River and in New York State
3276-617: The LIRR. The New Haven Railroad's trustees initially opposed New York Central's takeover of the New Haven Line, as they felt that the $ 140 million offer for the New Haven Line was too low. After some discussion, the trustees decided to continue operating the New Haven Line, but only until June 1967. In 1968, following the Erie Lackawanna's example, the NYC and its rival the Pennsylvania Railroad formed Penn Central Transportation with
3367-420: The MTA also entered into a long-term lease of Penn Central's Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines. Penn Central continued to operate the now-subsidized lines under contract to the MTA. In April 1970, Rockefeller proposed that the state take over the Hudson and Harlem Lines, and the next month, he signed a bond issue that provided $ 44.4 million in funding to these lines. The MTA and ConnDOT took over ownership of
3458-495: The MTA and the United Transportation Union (UTU) broke off, Metro-North employees went on strike. Commuters were left to carpool or use shuttle buses running to subway stations in the Bronx. Metro-North wanted to eliminate minimum staffing requirements and wanted the complete freedom to assign crews–a demand that the employees would not agree to. This was the first strike to shut down the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson at
3549-470: The MTA's "Mail&Ride" program where monthly passes are delivered by mail. There is a discount for buying tickets online and through Mail&Ride. A surcharge is added if a ticket is purchased on a train. Ticket types available include One-way, Round-trip (two One-way tickets), 10-trip, Weekly (unlimited travel for one calendar week), Monthly (unlimited travel for one calendar month), and special student and disabled fare tickets. MetroCards are available on
3640-577: The MTA, but NJ Transit owns all of the Pascack Valley Line, including the portion in Rockland County, New York . Most stops for the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley Lines are in New Jersey, so NJ Transit provides most of the rolling stock and all the staff; Metro-North supplies some equipment. Metro-North equipment has been used on other NJ Transit lines on the Hoboken division. All stations west of
3731-587: The MTA. Three lines provide passenger service on the east side of the Hudson River to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan : the Hudson , Harlem , and New Haven Lines . The Beacon Line is a freight line owned by Metro-North but is not in service. The Hudson and Harlem Lines terminate in Poughkeepsie and Wassaic , New York, respectively. The New Haven Line is operated through a partnership between Metro-North and
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3822-429: The NY&H from using steam power south of 42nd Street , due to complaints by persons whose property abutted the right-of-way . Before that, the steam locomotives had run to 32nd Street . When the ordinance took effect, the NY&H had not done anything. After much debate, including an injunction issued preventing the city from enforcing the ordinance, the courts struck down the injunction on July 30, 1858. In 1864,
3913-520: The NYC, the NYNH&H, and the Erie Lackawanna had to maintain service on these lines. Mergers between railroads were seen as a way to curtail these issues by combining capital and services and creating efficiencies. In February 1965, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Connecticut Governor John N. Dempsey jointly suggested that operations of the New Haven Line, the New Haven Railroad 's struggling commuter rail operation, be transferred to
4004-568: The New Haven Line in January 1971. In May 1972, the MTA also gained ownership of the Hudson and Harlem Lines. Penn Central continued to operate all three routes under contract. As part of its plan to modernize the commuter lines, the MTA ordered high-speed "Cosmopolitan" railcars for the New Haven Line as well as for the Hudson and Harlem Lines. After a series of delays and derailments in mid-1972, which involved Penn Central trains near Grand Central Terminal, Chairman Ronan expressed his disapproval of
4095-570: The New Haven Line) and diesel power (branches and lines to eastern and northern New England). The NYNH&H saw much profitability throughout the 1910s and 1920s until the Great Depression of the 1930s forced it into bankruptcy. Commuter services west of the Hudson River, today's Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines, were initially part of the Erie Railroad . The Port Jervis Line, built in
4186-458: The New Haven Line, including the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury branches, was owned by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H). These branches were started in the 1830s with horse-drawn cars, later replaced by steam engines, on a route that connected Lower Manhattan to Harlem . Additional lines started in the mid-19th century included the New York and New Haven Railroad and
4277-565: The New York Central Railroad as part of a plan to prevent the New Haven Railroad from going bankrupt. If the operational merger occurred, the proposed Metropolitan Commuter Transit Authority (MCTA; now Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA) and the existing Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) would contract with New York Central to operate the New Haven Line to Grand Central Terminal. Due to growing debts,
4368-687: The New York State Department of Transportation announced that the Newburgh–Beacon Shuttle would be developed in conjunction with Metro-North, running from the Beacon station on the Hudson Line to the Newburgh park-and-ride on Route 17K . Metro-North spent the better part of its early days updating and repairing its infrastructure. Stations, track, and rolling stock all needed to be repaired, renovated, or replaced. The railroad succeeded and by
4459-428: The State of Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) owns the tracks and stations within Connecticut, and finances and performs capital improvements. MTA owns the tracks and stations and handles capital improvements within New York State. MTA performs routine maintenance and provides police services for the entire line, its branches and stations. New cars and locomotives are typically purchased in
4550-410: The chances of a person being electrocuted by coming in contact with the rail. It also reduces the impact of icing in winter. The Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines and the New Canaan branch and all passenger rolling stock is equipped with cab signalling , which displays the appropriate block signal in the engineer's cab. All rolling stock is equipped with Automatic Train Control (ATC), which enforces
4641-464: The daytime. The street was designated in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 as the southernmost of 15 east–west streets that would be 100 feet (30 m) in width (while other streets were designated as 60 feet (18 m) wide). Roughly at the midpoint of 14th Street was Union Square , which opened in 1839. During the mid-19th century, residential and commercial development in Manhattan began to migrate uptown along Broadway , reaching 14th Street by
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#17328475105404732-406: The eastern side of Manhattan Island, convinced that it would never be able to compete with steamboat traffic on the Hudson River. The first section, along Bowery from Prince Street north to 14th Street , opened on November 26, 1832. After that, the following sections opened: Between 1847 and 1856, a track was built in Grand Street between Centre Street and Bowery (along with one block on
4823-434: The end of the interchange, it intersects with 10th Avenue . The street continues east, intersecting with Washington Street , Ninth Avenue /Hudson Street, Eighth Avenue , Seventh Avenue , Sixth Avenue , and Fifth Avenue. After Fifth Avenue, West 14th Street becomes East 14th Street and goes on to form the southern border of Union Square between University Place and Fourth Avenue. East of Fourth Avenue, 14th Street forms
4914-449: The expanding "western trade." An easier and less-costly inland route, also to be named "Harlem Valley", was thus created. The company was incorporated on April 25, 1831 as the New York and Harlem Railroad, to link New York City with suburban Harlem . Among the company's founders was John Mason , a wealthy banker and president of Chemical Bank who was among the largest landowners in New York City. They decided to build their railroad on
5005-427: The federal government, the same year. Many of the other Northeastern railroads, including the Erie Lackawanna, followed Penn Central into bankruptcy, and so they had been merged into Conrail. However, the handover to private owners did not happen. In March 1981, the administration of President Ronald Reagan suggested that struggling Conrail commuter operations across five states be transferred to state agencies. At
5096-438: The first to be affected. Many railroads began to gradually discontinue their commuter lines after the war. By 1958, the NYC had already suspended service on its Putnam Division, while the newly formed Erie Lackawanna, in an effort to make a successful merger, began to prune some of its commuter services. Most New Yorkers still chose the train as their primary means of commuting, making many of the other lines heavily patronized. Thus
5187-470: The grid continues in the East Village almost perfectly, except in Greenwich Village, where an older and less uniform grid plan applies. In the early history of New York City, 14th Street was an upscale location. However, it lost its glamour and status as the city grew northward and today it is primarily zoned as a commercial street. In October 2019, a busway restriction was put in place between Third and Ninth Avenues, prohibiting most types of vehicles during
5278-416: The hope of revitalizing their fortunes. In 1969 the bankrupt NYNH&H was also combined into Penn Central by the Interstate Commerce Commission . However, this merger eventually failed, due to large financial costs, government regulations, corporate rivalries, and lack of a formal merger plan. In 1970 Penn Central declared bankruptcy, at the time the largest corporate bankruptcy ever declared. The same year,
5369-403: The main thoroughfares of Alphabet City: Avenue A, Avenue B, and Avenue C, where the street terminates. It formerly terminated at FDR Drive via an on-ramp to the southbound FDR before the September 11 attacks , when the New York Police Department vacated the portion between Avenue C and FDR due to the presence of the nearby ConEdison East River Generating Station along 14th and 15th Streets as
5460-426: The mid 90s gained both respect and monetary success, according to the MTA's website. 2006 was the best year for the division, with a 97.8% rate of on-time trains, record ridership (76.9 million people), and a passenger satisfaction rating of 92%. In December 2017, the MTA announced that the Metro-North Railroad stations at White Plains , Harlem–125th Street , Crestwood , Port Chester , and Riverdale , would receive
5551-470: The next few years commuter lines under the control of Conrail were gradually taken over by state agencies such as the newly formed NJ Transit in New Jersey, the established SEPTA in southeastern Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston. In March 1982, the MTA announced it would take over the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven Lines as long as there was no extra operating cost involved. The MTA and ConnDOT officially took control of
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#17328475105405642-401: The north of Peekskill, such as Poughkeepsie, were considered to be long-distance services. The other major commuter line was the Putnam Division running from 155th Street in upper Manhattan (later from Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx ) to Brewster, New York . Passengers would transfer to the IRT Ninth Avenue Line for midtown and lower Manhattan . From the mid-19th century until 1969,
5733-544: The north were ended there. Freight trains continued to operate along the tracks south of Grand Central, as did streetcars (still turning off at 42nd Street). As in other early railroads , the dominant propulsion in the railroad's early years was horse power. In 1837, steam engines were introduced, but their use was limited to areas outside of the heavily settled parts of the city, which was then north of 23rd Street . The New York City Common Council passed an ordinance on December 27, 1854, to take effect in 18 months, barring
5824-401: The only official reporting marks registered and recognized on AEI scanner tags is 'MNCW'. Rolling stock owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation bears the CTDOT seal and either the New Haven ("NH") logo or the MTA logo and is identified using the reporting mark 'CNDX'. Metro-North offers many different ticket types and prices depending on the frequency of travel and distance of
5915-401: The other while running between the stations. Multi-system M8 railcars equipped with third rail shoes and pantographs are used for electric service on the line. The New Canaan Branch also uses overhead catenary. The Danbury Branch was electrified, but became a diesel line in 1961. The Waterbury Branch, the only east-of-Hudson Metro-North service which has no direct service to Grand Central,
6006-463: The ownership of NYC in 1914. NYC's four-track Water Level Route paralleled the Hudson River, Erie Canal, and Great Lakes on a route from New York to Chicago via Albany. It was fast and popular due to the lack of any significant grades. The section between Grand Central and Peekskill, New York , the northernmost station in Westchester County , became known as the NYC's Hudson Division, with frequent commuter service in and out of Manhattan. Stations to
6097-420: The passenger railroad system totaling 385 miles (620 km) of route . It is the second busiest commuter railroad in North America in terms of annual ridership, behind the Long Island Rail Road and ahead of NJ Transit (both of which also serve New York City). As of 2018 , Metro-North's budgetary burden for expenditures was $ 1.3 billion, which it supports through the collection of taxes and fees. In 2023,
6188-401: The plan by filing several injunctions to halt its implementation. As a result, the busway was not implemented as scheduled in July 2019; pushing its implementation back to August 2019. The plan was blocked once again, pending an appeal. The August ruling was later overturned by a panel of judges who approved the busway's implementation, which took effect on October 3, 2019. The busway
6279-428: The railroad $ 1.3 million. Richard Ravitch, the MTA Chairman, asked President Reagan to seek legislation to place the dispute under the law of New York State. Even though Metro-North was a state agency, the workers remained under federal law because Conrail was a federal agency. Reagan had turned down a request by Governor Mario Cuomo to intervene, but indicated that he would listen if a congressionally approved proposal
6370-428: The railroad was extended further, it provided a rail route for people and commerce northward to Albany , Boston , and towns in Vermont and Canada . The completion of the Harlem Valley Railroad also resulted in the availability of products transported by rail directly to New York City, rather than depending on river transport via Poughkeepsie . In 1831, when the New York and Harlem Railroad received its charter , it
6461-537: The railroad was purchased by Cornelius Vanderbilt , who consolidated it five years later with the Hudson River Railroad to form the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad: a precursor of the much larger New York Central Railroad . On July 2, 1870, horsecars started to run not only to the 34th Street Ferry but to 73rd Street via Madison Avenue . These trains ran through the Murray Hill Tunnel and turned west on 42nd before going north on Madison (northbound cars used Vanderbilt Avenue to 44th Street ). The line
6552-520: The railroad would have to cease operating passenger trains on the New Haven Line if nothing was done. A joint report from both agencies, released in September of that year, recommended that the line be leased to New York Central for 99 years, with the MCTA and CTA acting as agents for both states. In October, the MCTA found that the New Haven Line's stations and infrastructure were even more decrepit than those of
6643-579: The reverse side of the Round-trip, Weekly, and Monthly tickets. 14th Street (Manhattan) 14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan , traveling between Eleventh Avenue on Manhattan's West Side and Avenue C on Manhattan's East Side . It forms a boundary between several neighborhoods and is sometimes considered the border between Lower Manhattan and Midtown Manhattan . At Broadway , 14th Street forms
6734-424: The ride. While the fare policies of the east of Hudson and west of Hudson divisions are essentially the same, west of Hudson trains are operated by NJ Transit using its ticketing system. Tickets may be bought from a ticket office at stations, ticket vending machines (TVMs), online through the "WebTicket" program or through apps for iOS and Android devices, or on the train. Monthly tickets may be bought through
6825-482: The same time since January 1961. The UTU also went on strike against NJ Transit, which took over Conrail lines in New Jersey, and against SEPTA in Philadelphia. Two weeks into the strike, Metro-North President Peter Stangl estimated that it lost $ 80,000 a week due to the strike. The chairman of the MTA's finance committee, Stephen Berger, feared that Metro-North would lose 5% of its pre-strike ridership of 90,000–costing
6916-496: The southern boundary of Union Square . It is also considered the southern boundary of Chelsea , Flatiron/Lower Midtown , and Gramercy , and the northern boundary of Greenwich Village , Alphabet City , and the East Village . West of Third Avenue , 14th Street marks the southern terminus of western Manhattan's grid system . North of 14th Street, the streets make up a near-perfect grid that runs in numerical order. South of 14th,
7007-448: The southern end of Irving Place, a north–south road that terminates at Gramercy Park . 14th Street then intersects with Third Avenue, which forms the border between the neighborhoods of the East Village to the south and Gramercy to the north. The street goes on to intersect with Second Avenue. At First Avenue, 14th Street widens from a four-lane road to a six-lane divided boulevard with a westbound service road. It then intersects with
7098-604: The speed dictated by the cab signal by a penalty brake application should the engineer fail to obey it. There are no intermediate wayside signals between interlockings: operation is solely by cab signal. Wayside signals remain at interlockings. These are a special type of signal, a go, a slow or a stop signal. They do not convey information about traffic in the blocks ahead – the cab signal conveys block information. Metro-North began upgrading its Operations Control Center in Grand Central Terminal in 2008. All control hardware
7189-488: The system had a ridership of 60,569,700, or about 235,300 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. The MTA has jurisdiction, through Metro-North, over railroad lines on the western and eastern portions of the Hudson River in New York. Service on the western side of the Hudson is operated by NJ Transit under contract with the MTA. Additionally, connecting ferry service is operated by NY Waterway , also under contract with
7280-446: The takeover, Metro-North was created as a division of the MTA, with Peter Stangl as president. Once under the MTA's control, the agency planned to phase in capital improvements over the following five years. As part of the transition, the MTA needed to negotiate new labor contracts with the 17 unions representing 5,000 Conrail employees who would become MTA employees and had to negotiate the transfer of most of Conrail's assets. Much work
7371-472: The then leaseholders of the line, New York City Railway , a streetcar operator, went into receivership. Following a further receivership in 1932, the New York Railways Corporation converted the line to bus operation . The Murray Hill Tunnel now carries a lane of road traffic, but not the buses. The line became part of the New York Central Railroad system with trackage rights granted to
7462-484: The time, Conrail was being floated by the federal government as a private for-profit freight-only carrier. Even with state subsidies, the federal government did not want Conrail to take on the operating costs of the commuter lines, which it was relieved from by the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 . Thus, it became essential that state-owned agencies both operate and subsidize their commuter services. Over
7553-448: The way Penn Central was running its railroads. He said that the proportion of trains running on schedule had declined after Penn Central had inherited the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines in 1968. In 1976, Congress awarded the MTA "temporary" funding so the LIRR and Penn Central commuter routes could be handed over to local private operators. The bankrupt Penn Central's commuter routes were taken over by Conrail , an entity created by
7644-542: Was an early commuter railroad connecting Harlem with lower Manhattan (New York City). Early in the 1840s, the Harlem Valley Railroad was extended northward into Westchester County , and then was authorized by the New York State Legislature to be further extended northward in order to create a connection with Albany. On May 12, 1846, a new competitor received its charter to build a railroad alongside
7735-499: Was first built from the original Grand Central Terminal on 23rd Street in New York City to suburban Harlem . Opposition to the charter was voiced by steamboat proprietors, whose service was successfully competed against by the new railroad; to avoid steamboat competition on the Hudson River, the tracks were laid on the east side of Manhattan Island, away from the Hudson. The railroad was extended an additional 125 miles (201 km) northward, reaching Chatham, New York in 1852. When
7826-558: Was issued. The strike lasted six weeks, and ended on April 18 when the two sides agreed to binding arbitration. The first major project undertaken by Metro-North was the extension of the third-rail electrification on the Harlem line from North White Plains to a new station at Brewster North (since renamed Southeast ). This was completed in 1984. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, all wayside signals that did not protect switches and interlockings north of Grand Central were removed and replaced by modern cab signaling . In October 1998,
7917-617: Was needed in reorganization, as significant business success would not appear for at least two decades, following the faltering railroad industry in the 1970s. Conrail and later Metro-North had decided to trim whatever services they felt were unnecessary. A significant portion of the old New York Central Central Harlem line between Millerton and Chatham , New York was abandoned by Conrail, leaving northeastern Dutchess and Columbia counties with no rail transportation. Most commuter lines were kept in service although they were in much need of repair. On March 7, 1983, after labor negotiations between
8008-872: Was replaced and software upgrades were performed. The new OCC at Grand Central opened over the weekend of July 18, 2010. Most of the rolling stock on west-of-Hudson lines consists of Metro-North owned and marked Comet V cars, although occasionally other NJ Transit (NJT) cars are used as the two railroads pool equipment. The trains are also usually handled by EMD GP40FH-2 , GP40PH-2 , F40PH-3C , Alstom PL42AC , or Bombardier ALP-45DP locomotives, although any Metro-North or NJ Transit diesel can show up. Metro-North owned and marked equipment operated by NJ Transit can also be seen on other NJ Transit lines. The Metro-North Railroad uses an electric fleet of M3A , M7A , and M8 electric multiple units . Multiple diesel locomotives and push-pull coaches are in use as well. Although Metro-North uses many abbreviations (MNCR, MNR, MN, etc.)
8099-514: Was soon extended to 86th Street and then to Harlem . On April 1, 1873, the NY&H leased its freight lines to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad , but the horsecar line south of Grand Central remained separate. This eventually became the New York Central Railroad and then part of Penn Central and Conrail . Metro-North Railroad took over the line in 1983. The first electric streetcar open to passengers in New York City ,
8190-521: Was transferred to Conrail in 1976, when it absorbed most of Penn Central's railroad functions after Penn Central's bankruptcy. The system took its current form in 1983, when the MTA took over direct operation of Conrail's commuter services in the northern portion of the Tri-State Area and formed Metro-North to run them. There are 124 stations on Metro-North Railroad's five active lines, which operate on more than 787 miles (1,267 km) of track, with
8281-570: Was under the control of the New York Central Railroad (NYC). The NYC initially operated three commuter lines, two of which ran into Grand Central Depot (now Grand Central Terminal ). Metro-North's Harlem Line was initially a combination of trackage from the New York and Harlem Railroad and the Boston and Albany Railroad , running from Manhattan to Chatham, New York in Columbia County . At Chatham, passengers could transfer to long-distance trains on
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