New Rochelle (Metro-North station)

New Rochelle Amtrak inter-city rail station Metro-North New Haven Line commuter rail station
New Rochelle station
Station statistics
Address	1 Railroad Plaza (Amtrak) and 24 Station Plaza North, (Metro-North) New Rochelle, NY 10801
Coordinates	40°54′49″N 73°47′11″W / 40.913707°N 73.786433°W / 40.913707; -73.786433 (Amtrak) 40°54′42″N 73°47′02″W / 40.911599°N 73.783815°W / 40.911599; -73.783815 (Metro-North)
Lines	Amtrak:   Northeast Regional Metro-North Railroad:   New Haven Line
Connections	Bee-Line Bus System: 7, 30, 42, 45, 60, 61, 66, 91
Platforms	1 side platform 1 island platform
Tracks	4
Parking	1,585 spaces
Other information
Opened	1887
Rebuilt	1991
Electrified	12,500V (AC) overhead catenary
Accessible
Code	NRO (Amtrak)
Owned by	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Fare zone	12 (Metro-North)
Traffic
Passengers (2006)	1.045 million  0% (Metro-North)
Passengers (2010)	78,876[1]  1% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station New York City toward Newport News or Lynchburg Northeast Regional Stamford toward Boston South Station or Springfield Metro-North Railroad Pelham toward Grand Central New Haven Line Larchmont toward New Haven – State Street
New Rochelle Railroad Station U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location: Between North Avenue and Memorial Highway New Rochelle, New York, USA Coordinates: 40°54′44.34″N 73°47′5.77″W / 40.9123167°N 73.7849361°W / 40.9123167; -73.7849361Coordinates: 40°54′44.34″N 73°47′5.77″W / 40.9123167°N 73.7849361°W / 40.9123167; -73.7849361 Built: 1877 Architectural style: Late Victorian Governing body: NYCMTA NRHP Reference#: 09000837[2] Added to NRHP: October 14, 2009

The New Rochelle (Metro-North Railroad) station serves New Rochelle, New York, via the New Haven Line. Amtrak's Northeast Regional also stops at the station en route to Boston and Washington, DC, serving riders from northern New York City and Southern Westchester who use New Rochelle as a closer alternative to Penn Station. There is also a bus stop for Bee-Line Bus System buses.

It is 16.6 miles (26.7 km) from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time is 36 minutes with some peak hour runs originating/terminating at New Rochelle being up to 10 minutes shorter in duration.

As of August 2006, weekday commuter ridership was 4,020, and there are 1,381 parking spots.^[3] It is the busiest New Haven Line station in Westchester County.

On October 14, 2009 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[4] The NRHP listing is limited to the historic station building and just the land underneath its roofline, as the pedestrian bridge elevators, track and other associated structure is all much newer and lack historical merit. The building was built in 1887 for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. The architect of the building is unknown; it was built by George O. Hawes, a local builder. The building was remodelled in 1931.^[5]

History

On December 25, 1848 the first train steamed through New Rochelle, part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad built in the early 1840s. At the time, New Rochelle was the final railroad station before entering New York City. A fatal head-on collision in New Rochelle in 1851 led to the construction of a second track in 1853. By 1869, six trains traveled between the two cities daily. In 1884, the railroad drew up plans for its present brick structure which was constructed in 1887 to replace the original Gothic Revival structure that had stood just northeast of what is now North Avenue.^[6]

The 1½ story station is built of brick and has a gabled roof punctuated by a series of hipped dormers. A centered hexagonal dormer projects away from the building to allow views along the tracks. Its eaves overhang beyond the exterior walls of the building, and is supported by unadorned wood brackets. The interior of the 3,670 square feet (341 m²) still retains many original features. The station was fully renovated in 1990, and careful attention was placed on restoring it to its original historic accuracy. The waiting room is reflective of New Haven line stations, with plaster walls, a wood ceiling and wood wainscot sheathing. The original floor was probably wood, but was replaced sometime in the 1930s with Terrazzo. There are wood moldings around the doors, and crown moldings enhance the perimeter at the ceiling line.^[7]

By the turn of the century, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad had five tracks through New Rochelle. The population had surged to 15,000 inhabitants. A roundhouse for steam engines, tracks for passenger cars and a large freightyard near Cedar Street was built.^[8]

Over the years, New Rochelle became one of the busiest stations on the line. As it developed into a commuter town, local travel increased even more. The city obtained national fame in 1906 when George M. Cohan wrote the song entitled "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway". The average 36-minute train ride and 10-minute walk from Grand Central to Broadway places the station about 45 minutes away.

Intermodal Transportation Center

An increase in Metro North and Amtrak ridership late in the 20th century caused a demand for additional parking. In 1994, the city launched a plan to create a transportation center, including a parking structure with bus and taxi connections. The parking garage has a capacity in excess of 900 cars, which is two and a half times the on-site parking capacity prior to its construction. On the ground level of the structure is a bus terminal, complete with a waiting area and ticket office. The center was designed to be home to long-distance bus carriers such as the Trailways Transportation System, however they have since moved out of the Center, back to a stop on 2 blocks away on Main Street.^[9] Routes on the Westchester Bee-Line are still served here. Several taxi companies operate from the structure, and Connecticut Limousine provides service to regional airports. The center was completed in 2001 and is in active use. The old station and the new transportation center have been blended together to meet the needs of the growing commuter population while at the same time preserving historical and architectural integrity of the 1887 station house.^[10]

Platforms and tracks

The station has two high-level platforms. The north one, a nine-car-long side platform next to Track 3, is generally used by westbound or Manhattan-bound Metro-North trains. The south one, a 10-car-long island platform between Tracks 2 and 4, is generally used by Amtrak trains in either direction and by eastbound or Connecticut-bound Metro-North trains.

The New Haven Line has four tracks here. Track 1, not next to either platform, is used by express trains.

Gallery

• 

  Early ticket-book from New Rochelle

• 

  Pedestrian bridge over tracks

• 

  New Intermodal Transportation Center...

• 

  ..with the original station house

References

1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2010, State of New York" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2010. http://www.amtrak.com/pdf/factsheets/NEWYORK10.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
2. ^ NRHP Announcements; October 23, 2009
3. ^ The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/commutemetro-north.html. 
4. ^ National Register of Historic Places listings (October 23, 2009)
5. ^ Jean Friedman, William Krattinger, and Peter D. Shaver (August 10, 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: New Rochelle Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=102937. Retrieved 2010-06-17.  and Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, undated
6. ^ Anne Marie Leone, "New Rochelle then and now : a photo history"; (Fountain Square Books, 2004)
7. ^ Barbara Davis, "New Rochelle, New York : queen city of the Sound : a tricentennial celebration, 1688–1988" (Polomar Press, Inc., 1988)
8. ^ Compiled for the City of New Rochelle by the Chamber of Commerce, "New Rochelle : the first three centuries", (New Rochelle, N.Y. : The Huguenot-Thomas Paine Historical Association, 1988)
9. ^ Trailways of New York: Bus Station and Terminal Locations
10. ^ New Rochelle intermodal transportation center : draft environmental impact statement; (White Plains, N.Y.: Allee, King, Rosen & Fleming, Inc., 2001)

[v · d · e]Northeast Corridor

Legend Boston South Station Boston Back Bay Route 128 Providence Kingston Westerly Mystic New London Old Saybrook Springfield Hartford New Haven Bridgeport Stamford New Rochelle New York City Newark, NJ Newark Airport Metropark New Brunswick Princeton Junction Trenton Cornwells Heights North Philadelphia Philadelphia Wilmington Newark, DE Aberdeen Baltimore BWI Airport New Carrollton Washington, D.C.

Additional information

• Interview regarding 1989 restoration. Beacher, Melvin, Architect; February 2005.
• NY,·NH, & HRR Passenger Station Plans, Hawes, George; New Rochelle, New York, January 1884.
• Stage JA Archaeological Survey of the Inter-modal Transportation Center, Historical Perspectives, Inc.; New Rochelle, New York, 1999.
• Officials finishing restoration plans for the New Rochelle Train Station, Marchant, Robert; Standard Star, December 11, 1989
• Building-Structure Inventory Form: Metro North Railroad Station. Taylor, David L.; New Rochelle, New York, 1998.
• Resolving the Fate of New Rochelle's Station, Wald, Matthew; New-York Times, 7/23/89.
• Railroad Station Re-dedication, Wines, Roger, New Rochelle, New York, March 1, 1991.

External links

Media related to New Rochelle (Metro-North station) at Wikimedia Commons

• Metro-North Railroad - New Rochelle
• Amtrak – Stations – New Rochelle, NY
• List of upcoming Metro-North train departure times and track assignments from MTA
• New Rochelle Amtrak/Metro-North Station (USA Rail Guide -- Train Web)
• New Rochelle Station (The SubwayNut)
• North Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View