New Rochelle (Metro-North station)

New Rochelle; Amtrak inter-city rail station; Metro-North New Haven Line commuter rail station
	; Pedestrian bridge over tracks at New Rochelle station
Station statistics
Address	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)
Lines	Amtrak: Northeast Regional Metro-North Railroad: New Haven Line
Connections	Bee-Line Bus System:; 7, 30, 42, 45, 60, 61, 66, 91
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	6
Parking	1,585 spaces
Other information
Opened	1887
Rebuilt	1991
Accessible
Code	NRO (Amtrak)
Owned by	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Fare zone	12 (Metro-North)
Traffic
Passengers (2006)	1.045 million ▬ 0% (Metro-North)
Passengers (2008)	87,463 ▲ 11% (Amtrak)
Services

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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 as well as Adirondack Trailways buses to Albany and points on Long Island.

It is 16.6 miles 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 were 1,381 parking spots. ^[1] 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.^[2]

[edit] History

On December 25, 1848 the first train steamed through New Rochelle, part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford 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. 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.^[3]

The 1 1/2 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 still retains many original features. 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 1930's with Terrazzo. There are wood moldings around the doors, and crown moldings enhance the perimeter at the ceiling line.^[4]

By the turn of the 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.^[5]

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.

[edit] 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 is home to long-distance bus carriers such as the Trailways Transportation System as well as routes on the Westchester Bee-Line. 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.^[6]

[edit] Platform and track configuration

This station has two high-level platforms. The northern one, a nine-car-long side platform adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by westbound or inbound or Manhattan-bound Metro-North trains. The southern one, a 10-car-long island platform adjacent to Tracks 2 and 4, is generally used by Amtrak trains going in either direction, and by eastbound or outbound or Connecticut-bound Metro-North trains.

The New Haven Line has four tracks at this location. Track 1, not adjacent to either platform, is used only by express trains.

[edit] Connections

Westchester Bee-Line Routes: 7, 30, 42, 45, 60, 61, 66, 91 (To Playland, Summers Only)
Trailways Transportation System: Adirondack Trailways.

[edit] Gallery

Early ticket-book from New Rochelle

View of the station house

New Intermodal Transportation Center...

..with the original station house

[edit] References

^ http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/commutemetro-north.html
^ National Register of Historic Places listings (October 23, 2009)
^ Anne Marie Leone, "New Rochelle then and now : a photo history"; (Fountain Square Books, 2004)
^ Barbara Davis, "New Rochelle, New York : queen city of the Sound : a tricentennial celebration, 1688-1988" (Polomar Press, Inc., 1988)
^ 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)
^ New Rochelle intermodal transportation center : draft environmental impact statement; (White Plains, N.Y. : Allee, King, Rosen & Fleming, Inc., 2001