New Rochelle (Metro-North station)

New Rochelle
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Metro-North New Haven Line commuter rail station
Location 1 Railroad Plaza (Amtrak) and
24 Station Plaza North,
(Metro-North)
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Coordinates 40°54′49″N 73°47′11″W / 40.913707°N 73.786433°W (Amtrak)
40°54′42″N 73°47′02″W / 40.911599°N 73.783815°W (Metro-North)
Owned by Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Line(s)

Amtrak:

Metro-North Railroad:

Platforms 1 side platform
1 island platform
Tracks 4
Connections Bee-Line Bus System: 7, 30, 42, 45, 60, 61, 62, 66, 91
Construction
Platform levels 2
Parking 1,585 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code NRO (Amtrak)
Fare zone 12 (Metro-North)
History
Opened 1887
Rebuilt 1991
Electrified 12,500V (AC) overhead catenary
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 1.045 million Steady 0% (Metro-North)
Passengers (2013) 81,757[1] Decrease 3.6% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Norfolk, Newport News or Lynchburg
Northeast Regional
toward Boston South Station or Springfield
Metro-North Railroad
New Haven Line
New Rochelle Railroad Station
Location Between North Avenue and Memorial Highway
New Rochelle, New York, USA
Coordinates 40°54′44.34″N 73°47′5.77″W / 40.9123167°N 73.7849361°WCoordinates: 40°54′44.34″N 73°47′5.77″W / 40.9123167°N 73.7849361°W
Built 1877
Architectural style Late Victorian
Governing body NYCMTA
NRHP Reference # 09000837[2]
Added to NRHP October 14, 2009

The New Rochelle (Metro-North Railroad) station serves New Rochelle, New York, via the New Haven Line. Amtrak's Northeast Regional also stops at the station en route to Boston and Washington, DC, serving riders from northern New York City and Southern Westchester who use New Rochelle as a closer alternative to Penn Station. There is also a bus stop for Bee-Line Bus System buses.

It is 16.6 miles (26.7 km) from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time is 36 minutes with some peak hour runs originating/terminating at New Rochelle being up to 10 minutes shorter in duration.

As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership was 4,020, and there are 1,381 parking spots.[3] It is the busiest New Haven Line station in Westchester County.

On October 14, 2009 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] The NRHP listing is limited to the historic station building and just the land underneath its roofline, as the pedestrian bridge elevators, track and other associated structure is all much newer and lack historical merit. The building was built in 1887 for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. The architect of the building is unknown; it was built by George O. Hawes, a local builder. The building was remodelled in 1931.[5]

History

1907 crowd outside stationhouse
Early New Rochelle ticket book

On December 25, 1848 the first train steamed through New Rochelle, part of the New York and New Haven Railroad built in the early 1840s. At the time, New Rochelle was the final railroad station before entering New York City. A fatal head-on collision in New Rochelle in 1851 led to the construction of a second track in 1853. By 1869, six trains traveled between the two cities daily. NY&NH was consolidated into the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad a year later. In 1873, the railroad acquired the Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad and linked it to the station. In 1884, the railroad drew up plans for its present brick structure which was constructed in 1887 to replace the original Gothic Revival structure that had stood just northeast of what is now North Avenue.[6]

The 1½ story station is built of brick and has a gabled roof punctuated by a series of hipped dormers. A centered hexagonal dormer projects away from the building to allow views along the tracks. Its eaves overhang beyond the exterior walls of the building, and is supported by unadorned wood brackets. The interior of the 3,670 square feet (341 m2) still retains many original features. By the start of the 20th century, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad had five tracks through New Rochelle. The population had surged to 15,000 inhabitants. A roundhouse for steam engines, tracks for passenger cars and a large freightyard near Cedar Street was built.[7]

Over the years, New Rochelle became one of the busiest stations on the line. As it developed into a commuter town, local travel increased even more. The city obtained national fame in 1906 when George M. Cohan wrote the song entitled "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway". The average 36-minute train ride and 10-minute walk from Grand Central to Broadway places the station about 45 minutes away.

As with all New Haven Line stations in Westchester County, the station became a Penn Central station upon acquisition by Penn Central in 1969, and eventually became part of the MTA's Metro-North Railroad. On October 25, 1987, New Rochelle became eastern Westchester County's Amtrak station,[8] replacing Rye Station which served as the county's eastern Amtrak station since 1972.[9] The station was fully renovated in 1990, and careful attention was placed on restoring it to its original historic accuracy. The waiting room is reflective of New Haven line stations, with plaster walls, a wood ceiling and wood wainscot sheathing. The original floor was probably wood, but was replaced sometime in the 1930s with Terrazzo. There are wood moldings around the doors, and crown moldings enhance the perimeter at the ceiling line.[10]

Intermodal Transportation Center

An increase in Metro North and Amtrak ridership late in the 20th century caused a demand for additional parking. In 1994, the city launched a plan to create a transportation center, including a parking structure with bus and taxi connections. The parking garage has a capacity in excess of 900 cars, which is two and a half times the on-site parking capacity prior to its construction. On the ground level of the structure is a bus terminal, complete with a waiting area and ticket office. The center was designed to be home to long-distance bus carriers such as the Trailways Transportation System, however they have since moved out of the Center, back to a stop on 2 blocks away on Main Street.[11] Routes on the Westchester Bee-Line are still served here. Several taxi companies operate from the structure, and Connecticut Limousine provides service to regional airports. The center was completed in 2001 and is in active use. The old station and the new transportation center have been blended together to meet the needs of the growing commuter population while at the same time preserving historical and architectural integrity of the 1887 station house.[12]

Platforms and tracks

3 ■New Haven Line for Grand Central
■Northeast Corridor for New York and Washington, D.C.
1 ■New Haven Line no stop
■Northeast Corridor no stop
2 ■New Haven Line for New Haven – State Street
■Northeast Corridor for Boston and Springfield
■Northeast Corridor for New York and Washington, D.C.
4 ■New Haven Line for New Haven – State Street
■Northeast Corridor for Boston and Springfield

The station has two high-level platforms. The north one, a nine-car-long side platform next to Track 3, is generally used by westbound trains. The south one, a 10-car-long island platform between Tracks 2 and 4, is generally used by Amtrak trains in either direction and by eastbound Metro-North trains.

The New Haven Line has four tracks here. Track 1, not next to either platform, is used by express trains.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of New York" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ↑ NRHP Announcements; October 23, 2009
  3. ↑ The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/commutemetro-north.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ National Register of Historic Places listings (October 23, 2009)
  5. ↑ Jean Friedman, William Krattinger, and Peter D. Shaver (August 10, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: New Rochelle Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-06-17. and Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, undated
  6. ↑ Anne Marie Leone, "New Rochelle then and now : a photo history"; (Fountain Square Books, 2004)
  7. ↑ Compiled for the City of New Rochelle by the Chamber of Commerce, "New Rochelle : the first three centuries", (New Rochelle, N.Y. : The Huguenot-Thomas Paine Historical Association, 1988)
  8. ↑ Amtrak October 25, 1987 Schedule (Museum of Railway Timetables)
  9. ↑ Amtrak June 11, 1972 Schedule (Museum of Railway Timetables)
  10. ↑ Barbara Davis, "New Rochelle, New York : queen city of the Sound : a tricentennial celebration, 1688–1988" (Polomar Press, Inc., 1988)
  11. ↑ Trailways of New York: Bus Station and Terminal Locations
  12. ↑ New Rochelle intermodal transportation center : draft environmental impact statement; (White Plains, N.Y.: Allee, King, Rosen & Fleming, Inc., 2001)

Sources

Links

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