The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North commuter railroad begins running “super-express” trains on the Hudson Line beginning Oct. 6. The travel time on those runs between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central Terminal will be up to 26 minutes less than what it takes on “regular” trains that make more station stops and typically seven minutes faster than current express train service.
The new Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives, which joined Metro-North’s fleet in passenger service this week, will be used to help shrink the travel times.
Mayor Lee Kyriacou of Beacon, one of the few stops the “super-express” trains will make, joined Gov. Kathy Hochul at a news conference in Grand Central Terminal on Sept. 23 at which the new service was announced.
“Not only am I a mayor, but I was a 30-year-plus commuter to New York City,” Kyriacou said. “Metro-North is the economic backbone of the Hudson Valley. It allows working families to earn a living, to raise families and to contribute to a community. Even a few minutes makes a difference. It allows you to put your kids to bed, to take a moment to buy flowers … for an anniversary, or to get to chair a city council meeting on-time.”
According to Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek, “Thanks to these schedule improvements, riders can get where they need to go faster, while continuing to enjoy the safe, reliable service they expect from Metro-North. These enhancements build on the railroad’s record-setting reliability with a system wide on-time performance of 98% — and with more improvement work underway, this is only the beginning.”
Metro-North said tis personnel used specialized train-simulation software and in-depth analyses of GPS and signal data to create new timetables that shave up to seven minutes from some Hudson Line trains both into and out of New York. Also, improvements to Metro-North’s signaling infrastructure have allowed the railroad to increase train speeds and reduce the effect of speed restrictions along the Hudson Line, resulting in improved run times for some trains.
As examples of current express trains that will have their running times shaved, Metro-North noted the 6:08 a.m. train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central will now be an 89-minute run, five minutes faster than the current run time. This train makes stops at New Hamburg, Beacon and Harlem-125th St. The 7:03 a.m. train from Poughkeepsie will depart two minutes later at 7:05 a.m. and will now be a 95-minute run, also five minutes faster than the current run time and stopping at New Hamburg, New Beacon, and Croton-Harmon. The 5:30 p.m. train from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie will now be an 88- minute run, six minutes faster than the current run time. This train stops at Beacon and New Hamburg. The 6:11 p.m. train from Grand Central will depart one minute later at 6:12 p.m. and will now be an 88-minute run, seven minutes faster than the current run time. This train stops at Harlem-125th St, Beacon and New Hamburg.
“Delivering better, faster Metro-North service to Hudson Valley commuters will propel economic growth across our state and improve quality of life,” Gov. Hochul said. “These new super-express trains will save commuters nearly 15 minutes of travel time every day, giving riders back over an hour a week of their precious time.”
The new schedules also feature the return of the “Leaf Peeper” trains, providing extra service for customers planning to enjoy the fall foliage in the Hudson Valley, and increased service for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Between November 29 and January 4, the New Haven Line “Shopper Specials” trains return.
Eight additional trains will run on Saturdays, and four additional trains will run on Sundays between Grand Central and New Haven.
One additional morning train and one additional evening train will be added to Harlem Line schedules.
The MTA will run extra Long Island Rail Road service for the Ryder Cup taking place through Sept. 28 at the Bethpage Black Golf Course on Long Island. Up to 18,000 fans per day are expected to use the LIRR to reach the tournament.
