Harlem Line

Harlem Line
Train #645 leaves the White Plains station, northbound to Southeast.
Overview
Status	Operating
Owner	Argent Ventures (south of CP 76.2) Metro-North (north of Dover Plains)
Locale	New York City, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties
Termini	Grand Central Terminal Southeast (end of electric service) Wassaic (end of line)
Stations	38
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Metro-North
Operator(s)	Metro-North
Daily ridership	43,076
Technical
Track length	82 mi (132 km)
Number of tracks	2 (or more)
Character	Commuter rail
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	750 V DC third rail south of Template:MNRR stations
Route map 82.0 mi 132 km NYC Harlem Branch 82.0 mi 132 km Chatham  Ghent Philmont Martindale Craryville Hillsdale Copake Falls Boston Corners Mount Riga Millerton Coleman's Sharon Amenia Wassaic Yard 82.0 mi 132 km Wassaic 80.0 mi 128.7 km Tenmile River Zone 10 Zone 9 76.5 mi 123.1 km Dover Plains Dover Furnace closed 69.0 mi 111 km Harlem Valley–Wingdale Zone 9 Zone 8 65.9 mi 106.1 km Appalachian Trail 63.7 mi 102.5 km Pawling 60.2 mi 96.9 km Patterson Towner's (closed) Beacon Line to Danbury Dykeman's (closed) start of electrification Zone 8 Zone 7 53.2 mi 85.6 km Southeast Brewster Yard Putnam Junction 51.9 mi 83.5 km Brewster 47.7 mi 76.8 km Croton Falls 46.0 mi 74 km Purdy's Zone 7 Zone 6 43.7 mi 70.3 km Goldens Bridge New York City & Northern Railroad Tilly Foster (closed) Carmel (closed) Crafts (closed) Mahopac (closed) Lake Mahopac (closed) Putnam Division Lincolndale (closed) Mahopac Branch 41.2 mi 66.3 km Katonah 39.2 mi 63.1 km Bedford Hills 36.5 mi 58.7 km Mount Kisco Zone 6 Zone 5 32.4 mi 52.1 km Chappaqua 30.5 mi 49.1 km Pleasantville Thornwood (closed) 28.2 mi 45.4 km Hawthorne 27.2 mi 43.8 km Mount Pleasant Kensico Cemetery (closed) 25.5 mi 41 km Valhalla Zone 5 Zone 4 North White Plains Yard 23.8 mi 38.3 km North White Plains 22.3 mi 35.9 km White Plains 20.6 mi 33.2 km Hartsdale 19.0 mi 30.6 km Scarsdale Zone 4 Zone 3 16.7 mi 26.9 km Crestwood 16.0 mi 25.7 km Tuckahoe 15.3 mi 24.6 km Bronxville 14.3 mi 23 km Fleetwood 13.1 mi 21.1 km Mount Vernon West Zone 3 Zone 2 12.6 mi 20.3 km Wakefield New Haven 11.8 mi 19 km Woodlawn 10.5 mi 16.9 km Williams Bridge 9.5 mi 15.3 km Botanical Garden 8.9 mi 14.3 km Fordham 183rd Street (closed) 7.9 mi 12.7 km Tremont Claremont Park (closed) Morrisania (closed) Port Morris connection 6.1 mi 9.8 km Melrose Hudson 6.0 mi 9.7 km Yankees–East 153rd Street (special events) Mott Haven Junction 138th Street (closed) Oak Point Link Harlem River Lift Bridge Zone 2 Zone 1 4.2 mi 6.8 km Harlem–125th Street ​​ 0.0 mi 0 km Park Avenue Tunnel 0.0 mi 0 km 110th Street Park Avenue Tunnel 86th Street 72nd Street 59th Street 0.0 mi 0 km Grand Central Terminal ​​​​​

Railway diagram of intercity services around New York City, showing Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal.

Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile (132 km) commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County. The lower 53 miles (86 km) from Grand Central Terminal to Southeast, in Putnam County, is electrified with a third rail and has two (or more) tracks; north of that point, trains use diesel locomotives on a single track. The diesel trains run as a shuttle on the northern end of the line except during rush hours, when they run as expresses to or from Grand Central. There is also one direct roundtrip to Grand Central on weekends. While the line has traditionally served to bring commuters from Westchester County to jobs in the city, in recent years it has begun to see more "reverse commuting", as Bronx residents use it to reach jobs in Southern Westchester where many stations are within walking distance of city centers. The northern reaches of the line are also close enough to Western Massachusetts to enable residents of part of that region to commute to jobs in the city as well.

With 38 stations, the Harlem Line has the most of any Metro-North main line. Its northern terminal, Wassaic, is the northernmost station in the system. It is the only Metro-North line used exclusively by that carrier (no use by Amtrak, though CSX services freight customers as far north as Mount Vernon) and the only one that uses the entirety of existing track. Metro-North has assigned it the color code blue, used as trim on station signs and spot color on printed timetables. The blue color-coding appears to have started with timetables issued by predecessor New York Central as far back as 1965.

History

See also: New York and Harlem Railroad

Prior to becoming part of the Metro-North system, the line continued all the way north to Chatham, New York, where connections could be made for Albany to the west or Boston to the east on the Boston and Albany Railroad. Additional connections could be made to railroads serving North Bennington, Vermont and other points in western Vermont. Chatham is about 52 miles past the current terminal at Wassaic. In Boston Corners, about 12 miles north of Wassaic, passengers could make connections to the Central New England Railroad. To the east, the CNE went to Hartford, Connecticut. Westward, passengers could travel to Poughkeepsie, cross the Poughkeepsie Bridge, finally to Campbell Hall.

Passenger service from Dover Plains to Chatham was abandoned in 1972, as well as 138th Street, Morrisania, and 183rd Street stations in the South Bronx, and Holland Avenue station in White Plains, although that one was replaced. Penn Central operated the last southbound passenger train between Chatham and Grand Central Terminal on March 20, 1972, ending service in the middle of the day. With no scheduled return trip to Chatham, passengers who had gone south in the morning were left stranded, with service going only as far north as Dover Plains (52 miles shy of Chatham). Tracks were removed north of Millerton shortly thereafter.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) leased the line south of Dover Plains from Penn Central on June 1, 1972. In 1980, freight service between Dover Plains and Millerton was abandoned, with tracks removed from Wassaic to Millerton. On July 9, 2000, Metro-North restored service between Dover Plains and Wassaic, a move the railroad billed as its first service expansion since it was created in 1983.

The segment of the line that ran from Wassaic to Craryville, New York is now under control of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Association, which currently has trails operating from Wassaic to the former Millerton station and between Under Mountain Road and Copake Falls, known as the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

On February 3, 2015, a Harlem line train struck a car on the tracks near Valhalla and caught fire. Seven people were killed and service was suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains.

Line description

The Harlem Line hews closely to roads along river-based transportation corridors dating back to even pre-rail times. It follows three major parkways closely from the Bronx northwards through Westchester: the Bronx River Parkway (and a short portion that becomes the Taconic State Parkway), the Saw Mill River Parkway and Interstate 684. In the last section it also begins to run close to NY 22, the long north-south two-lane state highway that parallels the eastern border of the state.

In Westchester, it serves some of that county's most affluent communities as it slowly trends eastward.

Manhattan / Bronx

The Harlem Line begins at Grand Central Terminal. The train tracks rise to ground level north of 97th Street in Manhattan. After stopping at Harlem – 125th Street, the Harlem Line crosses the Harlem River at 135th Street in Manhattan, entering the Bronx.

In the Bronx, the Harlem Line cuts through the neighborhoods of the southwest Bronx, with two stations: Melrose, at 162nd Street (it then runs under the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) and Tremont, at 177th Street. Fordham station is next, at Fordham Road (190th Street). The Harlem Line then parallels the western edge of Fordham University until the Botanical Garden station at Bedford Park Boulevard (200th Street).

The Harlem Line then cuts northeast to join the Bronx River Parkway, which lies to the east of the tracks. The Williams Bridge station is next, at Gun Hill Road (210th Street). After the Williams Bridge station, Woodlawn Cemetery begins to the west of the tracks, with Webster Avenue in between the cemetery and tracks. The Woodlawn station is at 233rd Street.

The Harlem Line then goes under a bridge for the parkway, and it remains to the west of the tracks until Scarsdale station. The Wakefield station at 241st Street concludes the Bronx portion of the Harlem Line.

Westchester County

The Westchester portion of the Harlem Line begins at Bronx River Road in southeastern Yonkers. After the Mount Vernon West station, the Harlem Line runs along the on-ramp to the Cross County Parkway eastbound, right before Fleetwood station. After the Bronxville station, the Harlem Line parallels the Bronx River Parkway all the way up to White Plains.

From White Plains, the railroad winds its way through the city and passing through the yards at North White Plains which until 1984 was the northern boundary of third-rail electrification. The stretch north of North White Plains is unique because it is the only third-rail electrified stretch of Metro-North's network that has grade crossings, a byproduct of its existence pre-electrification. Katonah and Brewster are located right next to grade crossings.

After North White Plains, the next station is Valhalla adjacent to the Taconic State Parkway. The double-track railroad then curves to follow the Saw Mill River Valley and the eponymous parkway. Rail and road briefly separate at Mount Kisco, but then remain close by at the last stop along the Saw Mill, Bedford Hills (although the parkway cannot be seen from the station).

Past Katonah, the railroad runs between the Croton River and I-684. Golden's Bridge and Purdy's are both located very close to the interstate, although only the former can be seen from it. North of the latter, the tracks follow the river to Croton Falls, and pick up Route 22 for the first time.

Putnam County

After Croton Falls station, the Harlem Line runs along East Branch Reservoir and crosses into Putnam County and its rural landscape. Above Southeast station (formerly Brewster North), the railroad passes under Interstate 84 and through the yards at Putnam Junction. This is the northern boundary of third rail electrification. Diesel territory and single track begins here. The track finally follows its own course, away from any road or river, past the abandoned Towners station up to Patterson and into Dutchess County.

Dutchess County

Shortly before reaching Pawling, the line enters the Harlem Valley from which it takes its name and begins to parallel Route 22, although not as closely as it did the roads further south. A few miles north of Pawling the Appalachian Trail crossing has earned its own stop to allow thru-hikers to take a break in the city and day hikers to visit the nearby Pawling Nature Preserve.

The next two stops, Harlem Valley – Wingdale and Dover Plains, are roughly eight miles (13 km) apart, the longest distance between any two stops on the Harlem Line. Until 2000, Dover Plains was the last stop on the line, but then tracks remaining from the NYCRR era that had not yet been torn up were renovated and the line was extended to Tenmile River and its new northern terminus, Wassaic. A small yard where diesel trains await their routes just past the station marks the end of the line.

Improvements

Metro-North electrified the territory north of North White Plains to Southeast in 1984, which resulted in tremendous ridership growth. Prior to this, the line was operated primarily in two zones: electric south of North White Plains, and diesel through-service or RDC shuttle service north. With electrification completed, service north of Southeast is now operated as either diesel shuttle or through service. Although service to Wassaic is separately stated in the Harlem Line timetable and is publicly referred to as the "Wassaic Branch", it is operationally part of the main line.

Future

With the entire existing track in use since service to Wassaic was restored in 2000, there is little talk of expansion or branching. For now, Metro-North and the MTA have focused on improving existing facilities on the line, particularly stations such as Brewster where increasing usage has caused parking shortages.

Branches

The Harlem Line currently has no operational branches. Under New York Central ownership, it previously operated a 7.22 mi (11.62 km) branch to Lake Mahopac, NY to a connection with the Putnam Division. This line was originally a subsidiary known as the New York and Mahopac Railroad (1871-1880), and had one station between the two lines in Lincolndale. After the discontinuance of passenger service on the Putnam Division in 1958, the Central operated a shuttle service known as "around the horn" which continued on Putnam Division trackage north of Lake Mahopac to Mahopac, Carmel, and Brewster where it reconnected with the Harlem Division main line. This service lasted until 1959. The only active remnant of this branch is a wye north of Brewster station known as Putnam Junction. There are some remains of the right-of-way of the branch, including a bridge just west of the Golden's Bridge station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

North of Brewster is a connection with Metro-North's Beacon Line, which was purchased by Metro-North for preservation for future use. There are currently no plans for branch service on this line, which runs north and west to Hopewell Junction, and then south and west to Beacon. It also runs east to Danbury, but a reverse move would be required.

In the opposite direction, there was the freight-only Port Morris Branch. This was part of a line which was originally part of the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad which was established in 1842. The railroad was bought by the New York and Harlem Railroad in 1853, and the segment north of Mott Haven Junction became part of the NYC Hudson Division. The Port Morris Branch began at a wye north of Melrose Station, then extended southeast through The Hub, through a tunnel under St. Mary's Park, and finally Port Morris along the East River just after crossing a bridge beneath the Harlem River and Port Chester Branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The only two stations along this branch were at Westchester Avenue between Brook and St Mary's Avenues and at Port Morris itself across the river from North Brother Island. This partly electrified branch was abandoned about 1999.

Rolling stock

On the electrified portions of the line, M3As and M7As are usually used. As with the Hudson Line, diesel-powered trains are driven by dual-mode Genesis and BL20-GH locomotives, paired with Shoreliner coaches. While some peak-period trains operate directly to and from Grand Central Terminal, most Harlem Line diesel-only territory is operated as shuttle service between Southeast (where electrification ends) and Wassaic, 29 miles (47 km) north in Dutchess County.

Stations

Main line

Zone	Station	Miles (km) from GCT	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
1	Grand Central Terminal	0.0 (0.0)	October 6, 1871		Metro-North: Hudson and New Haven lines NYC Subway: ​​​​​ (at Grand Central – 42nd Street) NYCT Bus:M1, M2, M3, M4, M42, M101, M102, M103, Q32, X2, X5, X10, X12, X14, X22, X22A, X27, X28, X31, X37, X38, X42, X63, X64, X68 MTA Bus: BxM1, QM21 Originally Grand Central Depot, then Grand Central Station
	59th Street
	72nd Street
	86th Street		May 15, 1876	c. 1903
	110th Street			c. 1900
	Harlem – 125th Street	4.2 (6.8)	1897		Metro-North: Hudson and New Haven lines NYC Subway: ​​ (at 125th Street) NYCT Bus: M1 (NB), M35, M60 SBS to LGA, M98, M100, M101, Bx15
Manhattan / Bronx border
2
	138th Street		1886	1972	Also named Mott Haven and The Bronx
	Hudson Line diverges
	Melrose	6.1 (9.8)	c. 1890		NYCT Bus: Bx6, Bx13, Bx32, Bx41, Bx41 SBS
	Morrisania		c. 1858	1972
	Claremont Park			c. 1960
	Tremont	7.9 (12.7)	c. 1890		NYCT Bus: Bx15, Bx36, Bx40, Bx41, Bx42, Bx55
	183rd Street			1972
	Fordham	8.9 (14.3)			Metro-North: New Haven Line NYCT Bus: Bx9, Bx12, Bx12 SBS, Bx15, Bx17, Bx22, Bx34, Bx41, Bx41 SBS MTA Bus: BxM4 Bee-Line Bus: 60, 61, 62
	Botanical Garden	9.5 (15.2)	1893		NYCT Bus: Bx26, Bx41, Bx41 SBS Originally Bedford Park
	Former Jerome Park Branch diverges (1880-1906)
	Williams Bridge	10.5 (16.9)	c. 1842		NYC Subway: ​ (at Gun Hill Road) NYCT Bus: Bx28, Bx30, Bx38, Bx39, Bx41, Bx41 SBS MTA Bus: BxM11
	Woodlawn	11.8 (19.0)	1848		NYC Subway: ​ (at 233rd Street) NYCT Bus: Bx16, Bx39 MTA Bus: BxM11 Bee-Line Bus: 42
	New Haven Line diverges
	Wakefield	12.6 (20.3)			NYC Subway: (at Wakefield – 241st Street) NYCT Bus: Bx39 MTA Bus: BxM11 Bee-Line Bus: 40, 41, 42, 43 Originally Washingtonville
Bronx / Westchester County border
3	Mount Vernon West	13.1 (21.1)	1914		Bee-Line Bus: 7, 26, 91 Originally Mount Vernon
	Fleetwood	14.3 (23.0)	October 25, 1924		Bee-Line Bus: 26, 55
	Bronxville	15.3 (24.6)	1916		Bee-Line Bus: 26, 30, 52
	Tuckahoe	16.0 (25.7)	1901		Bee-Line Bus: 8
	Crestwood	16.7 (26.9)	1901
4	Scarsdale	19.0 (30.6)	1846		Bee-Line Bus: 63, 64, 65, 66
	Hartsdale	20.6 (33.2)	1915		Bee-Line Bus: 34, 38, 39 Originally Hart's Corner
	White Plains	22.3 (35.9)	1844		Bee-Line Bus: 1W, 3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 21, 27, 40, 41, 60, 62, 63, 77, 79, A, B, C, D, F, H CT Transit: I-BUS Transport of Rockland: Tappan Zee Express
	Holland Avenue			1972
	North White Plains	23.8 (38.3)	1972		Bee-Line Bus: 6
5	Valhalla	25.5 (41.0)	1846		Bee-Line Bus: 6 Originally Davis Brook, then Kensico
	Kensico Cemetery			1983
	Mount Pleasant	27.2 (43.8)
	Hawthorne	28.2 (45.4)	1847		Bee-Line Bus: 15 Originally Unionville
	Thornwood			1984
	Pleasantville	30.5 (49.1)	c. 1858		Bee-Line Bus: 6, 15, 19
	Chappaqua	32.4 (52.1)	1902		Bee-Line Bus: 19
6	Mount Kisco	36.5 (58.7)	c. 1858		Bee-Line Bus: 19
	Bedford Hills	39.2 (63.1)			Bee-Line Bus: 19 Originally Bedford
	Katonah	41.2 (66.3)	April 5, 1897		Bee-Line Bus: 19 HARTransit: Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle
	Former Lake Mahopac Branch diverges
	Golden's Bridge	43.7 (70.3)
7	Purdy's	46.0 (74.0)
	Croton Falls	47.7 (76.8)	1847		Short Line Bus: Croton Falls Shuttle
	Westchester County / Putnam County border
	Brewster	51.9 (83.5)	1848		HARTransit: 3, Danbury-Brewster Shuttle Putnam Transit: 1
	Former Putnam Branch and Lake Mahopac Branch converge
	Southeast	53.2 (85.6)	1980		HARTransit: New Fairfield-Southeast Shuttle Terminus of electrification Formerly Brewster North
	Dykeman's		c. 1848	c. 1968
	Towner's		c. 1850	c. 1968
8	Patterson	60.2 (96.9)			Putnam Transit: 3
	Putnam County / Dutchess County border
	Pawling	63.7 (102.5)			Dutchess County LOOP: E
	Appalachian Trail	65.9 (106.0)	1991
9	Harlem Valley – Wingdale	69.0 (111.0)	c. 1960		Formerly State Hospital
	Wingdale	69.8		c. 1977	Originally Wing's, then South Dover
	Dover Furnace	72.5 (116.7)		c. 1968
	Dover Plains	76.2 (112.6)	c. 1850		Dutchess County LOOP: D
10	Tenmile River	80.0 (128.7)	1857		Dutchess County LOOP: D Formerly State School
	Wassaic	82.0 (132.0)	c. 1848		Closed from March 22, 1972 until July 9, 2000
	Tracks north of Wassaic were abandoned by Conrail between 1979 and 1983
	Amenia		c. 1848	March 27, 1980
12	Sharon		1873	March 27, 1980
	Coleman's		1851	March 27, 1980
	Millerton		c. 1848	March 27, 1980
	Mount Riga		c. 1848	April 1, 1976
	Dutchess County / Columbia County border
	Boston Corners			March 27, 1976
	Copake Falls			1976	Originally Copake Iron Works
	Hillsdale			March 27, 1976
	Craryville		c. 1849	March 27, 1976
	Martindale		c. 1848	March 27, 1976
	Philmont		January 1852	March 27, 1976
	Ghent		c. 1846	March 27, 1980	Junction with Boston and Albany Railroad Hudson Branch
	Chatham – Union Station		December 21, 1841	March 1976	Junction with Boston and Albany Railroad Main Line and Rutland Railroad

Lake Mahopac Branch

Built by the New York and Mahopac Railroad in 1871; The entire branch was abandoned on April 2, 1959.

Station	Miles (km) from GCT	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
Katonah	41.2 (66.3)	April 5, 1897		Bee-Line Bus: 19 HARTransit: Ridgefield-Katonah Shuttle
Harlem Line diverges
Lincolndale
Lake Mahopac
Putnam Division diverges
Mahopac
Crafts
Carmel
Tilly Foster				Originally built for the Tilly Foster Mine which closed in 1897. Station continued to operate.
Harlem Line converges at Putnam Junction
Brewster	51.9 (83.5)	1848		HARTransit: 3, Danbury-Brewster Shuttle Putnam Transit: 1

Port Morris Branch

The entire line was in the Bronx, used exclusively for freight, and formally abandoned in 2004.

Station	Miles (km) from GCT	Date opened	Date closed	Connections / notes
Melrose	6.1 (9.8)	c. 1890		NYCT Bus: Bx6, Bx13, Bx32, Bx41, Bx41 SBS
Harlem Line diverges
Westchester Avenue
West Junction with Oak Point Yard
Bridge under Harlem River and Port Chester Railroad (NH)
East Junction with Oak Point Yard
Port Morris

External links

• Route on OpenStreetMap
• New York Central: Harlem Line