Americans have historically loved trains and now, as gasoline laps against the $4 mark, it is increasingly back to the future for travel along the Hudson River.
As of April 6, Metro-North is adding additional trains on weekdays and on weekends on the Hudson lines serving passengers seeking to go from, say, Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal in a convenient manner along a route that veteran conductors claim has calming powers.
Metro-North is adding 67 trains each week to its new spring timetable. It will operate 4,439 trains a week, a 35 percent increase since 1983 when Metro-North was created.
“The need is there for more trains,” said Dan Brucker, a spokesman for Metro-North. “You simply can”™t beat it for efficient fast on time service. And with gasoline costs going so high, it makes it a lot more logical to be taking the train.” He said weekend service is growing particularly fast. “New York City is getting more popular than ever, it”™s an easy vacation day for people.”
Under the new schedule, there will be nine new lower Hudson line, limited-stop express trains on Saturdays and Sundays between Croton-Harmon and Grand Central Terminal. This change will also see lower Hudson line stops removed from nine upper Hudson line trains. This will speed up trips for upper Hudson line customers and give lower Hudson line customers more choices.
Responding to increased demand for weekend travel to Manhattan, the new timetable includes two new upper Hudson, Saturday-only, limited-stop express trains, one inbound departing Poughkeepsie at 9:21 a.m., and one outbound leaving Grand Central at 5:26 p.m. Also, a Sunday evening-only, Grand Central-bound, limited-stop express train will leave Poughkeepsie at 4:21 p.m.
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In 2006, 14.7 million riders used the Metro-North train to New York City on the Hudson Valley line, up from 8.4 million in 1984. This year daily ridership on Metro-North to New York City is up almost 4 percent from last year, according to Brucker.
Total ridership is up 27 percent on the railroad since 1995. In the mid-Hudson region the train has proven particularly popular: Use has increased 57 percent since 1995. Since 1984, train ridership has increased overall 225 percent in the Hudson Valley.
“The train on the river has become extremely popular,” said Joan Sanford, president of the Dutchess County Realtor”™s Association. “It”™s a direct route to New York City and it”™s very scenic. It”™s very comfortable; the trains are clean and neat and on the weekends it”™s free parking at the stations.” She said the service facilitates commuting, allowing people to live well upriver and still work in Manhattan.
Brucker agrees. “There was a time when we were told everyone would be telecommuting. And they are telecommuting. But guess what? They are telecommuting on the train with their lap tops and cell phones. People are traveling ever farther and ever longer than ever before.”
Brucker was noncommittal about how much additional growth the system could endure, but said, “During the heart of the rush hour, there are only so many trains that can travel that corridor and we are pushing that limit. We can try to reconfigure to cheat this limit, we may have a Harlem line (local) pull on a siding and be passed by Hudson line express. But there are only so many trains you can place on a track at any one time.”
Parking is another infrastructure question mark. Parking at Poughkeepsie and Beacon and other stations is often at or beyond capacity on weekdays, which may limit ridership.
But Brucker said the Hudson River line is also proving its worth in ways that no efficiency expert can measure. “It is a lovely ride. Conductors as a whole always say that the Hudson line customers are the most pleasant that they deal with. And they believe that traveling along the river and seeing the river has a certain calming effect.”
