Metro-North

A subsidiary of New York State's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro-North is recognized as one of the nation's preeminent railroads, winning the coveted American Public Transportation Association's Outstanding Achievement Award in 1993, 1998, and 1999.

Founded in 1983 when the MTA assumed control of Conrail commuter operations in the states of New York and Connecticut, Metro-North's roots can be traced back to the New York & Harlem Railroad, which began in 1832 as a horse-car line in lower Manhattan. Today, with 384 route miles and 775 miles of track, Metro-North goes to 120 stations distributed in seven counties in New York State--Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Bronx, New York (Manhattan), Rockland, and Orange-and two counties in the state of Connecticut--New Haven and Fairfield.

Three main lines east of the Hudson River--the Hudson, the Harlem, and the New Haven -- operate out of Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Two lines west of the Hudson River--the Port Jervis and the Pascack Valley--operate out of New Jersey Transit's terminal in Hoboken, N.J., and connect with service out of Penn Station, NY via the Secaucus Transfer. The Hudson Line extends 74 miles from Grand Central Terminal to Poughkeepsie; the Harlem, 82 miles to Wassaic; and the New Haven, which also has three branch lines--the New Canaan, Danbury, and Waterbury--72 miles to New Haven. The Port Jervis Line runs 95 miles from Hoboken to Port Jervis, with 30 of those miles in New Jersey; the Pascack Valley Line extends 31 miles from Hoboken to Spring Valley, 25 of those miles being in New Jersey. Total square mileage of the service territory is approximately 2,701 miles.

The railroad also manages The Hudson Rail Link feeder bus service in the Bronx, and The Haverstraw-Ossining and Newburgh-Beacon ferries, all of which connect with the Hudson Line and which generate over half-a-million riders per year.

Average weekday ridership is 260,000. Roughly 49% of the railroad's ridership is comprised of commuters to Manhattan. (This represents an 80 percent share of that market.) The remaining 51% of its customers are reverse commuting out of New York to suburban employment centers, traveling during off-peak hours, or taking day trips in the region without ever setting foot in Grand Central Terminal.

The railroad's hours of operation are approximately 4 AM to 3:40 AM. Service intervals vary according to destination and time of day. First trains arrive in Grand Central at 5:30 AM and the last trains leave the terminal at 2 AM. Weekdays, peak-period trains east of the Hudson River run every 20-30 minutes; off-peak trains run every 30-60 minutes; and weekend trains run hourly.

For more information, call (800) METRO-INFO (1-800-638-7646); in New York City, call (212) 532-4900