Hochul to propose major enhancements for Metro-North Railroad in her State of the State Address

When Gov. Kathy Hochul delivers her State of the State Address on Jan 14 at the Hart Theater in Albany’s Empire State Plaza she plans to announce a major investment to enhance Metro-North Railroad service on the Hudson Line.

Hochul is expected to propose that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) take a serious look at adding a third track to the Hudson Line and expanding service to include a Hudson Line connection to Penn Station. She also plans to call for major capital improvements to speed service between Grand Central Station and Poughkeepsie, cutting as much as 15 minutes from a typical trip.

Hochul is expected to take the position that Hudson Valley commuters deserve fast, high quality rail service they can count on. Her expected proposals likely will be designed to lay the groundwork to deliver faster and more reliable rail service for suburban and rural commuters across the Hudson Valley.

Specific proposals include adding a track at Spuyten Duyvil, upgrades at Croton Harmon, and capacity improvements at the Poughkeepsie Yard. The signal system near Yonkers would be redesigned.

Hochul also is expected to call for the MTA to explore options for adding mass transit including bus operations in Orange County to service destinations such as Woodbury Commons, Legoland, the Renaissance Fair, and Stewart Airport.

Both MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi offered advance support of Hochul’s expected proposals.

“Metro-North is the economic backbone of the lower Hudson Valley, and these are smart targeted investments to protect its future,” Lieber said.

Rinaldi added, “Weather-related events in recent years have shown the importance of climate resiliency on the Hudson Line, and we are thrilled by these upgrades which will enable continuing reliability of Metro-North service for the Hudson Valley.”

Poughkeepsie’s Mayor Yvonne Flowers and White Plains Mayor Tom Roach added their support in advance of the State of the State Address. White Plains is on the Metro-North Harlem Line, while Hochul’s proposals are expected to largely target the Hudson Line.

Flowers said, “The governor’s commitment to improve the connection between the City of Poughkeepsie and New York City means more opportunities for our residents, stronger support for our local businesses, and a safer and faster commute.”

Roach commented, “Investment in the Metro-North system is vital to our state’s economy. Reliable, quality, rail transit benefits our residents, businesses and the environment.”

Metro-North reported on-time performance of 98.9% in November. There were 5.7 million riders, an increase of 4.8% from Nov. 2023. Average weekend ridership was 122,6637, which was 94.2% of pre-Covid levels.