MetroNorth train station platform lengths

[Truckie]

So you are telling me Metro North should look into putting in parking on property that is not theirs?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

So you are telling me Metro North should look into putting in parking on property that is not theirs?

Why shouldn't they? It would be in their best interest to attract more riders that don't want to take the Hudson Rail Link shuttle.

 

 

Did you seriously just call yourself a "Riverdalian"? Wow.

That's what a person who lives in Riverdale is... 

[Truckie]

 

Why shouldn't they? It would be in their best interest to attract more riders that don't want to take the Hudson Rail Link shuttle.

 

 

 

Ok, so they what, look for people willing to lease them the property so they can put in parking.  Where do you propose the money comes from for this?  Maybe if they cut back on some of the trains that stop there they can pay for it.  Like all that new service that no one gets on or off at the station.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Ok, so they what, look for people willing to lease them the property so they can put in parking.  Where do you propose the money comes from for this?  Maybe if they cut back on some of the trains that stop there they can pay for it.  Like all that new service that no one gets on or off at the station.

That's a ridiculous accusation and not a fair one seeing that the service just recently started.  They might as well stop there.  I mean seriously those off-peak trains are not exactly crowded and Riverdale is a neighborhood that MetroNorth should be targeting for more riders anyway, especially since we're affluent enough to afford premium services like MetroNorth and three express buses.  I got an off-peak train this morning. There were maybe 15 - 20 people in the whole car tops and most of the riders got on in Spuyten Duyvil.  Didn't see anyone get on in the Bronx with some people getting on in Manhattan in Marble Hill, so the issue isn't us in Riverdale. It's the folks in the Bronx that don't use the service.

[Truckie]

Riverdale is a neighborhood that MetroNorth should be targeting for more riders anyway, especially since we're affluent enough to afford premium services like MetroNorth and three express buses.....

 

......so the issue isn't us in Riverdale. It's the folks in the Bronx that don't use the service.

 

You're too funny.

 

Why don't you add this to the list of things to do when you become Metro North's next president. 

 

If fact, target the affluent and abandon the tens of thousands of other riders that use the service each and every day such as the college kids that take the train to Ardsley that go to Mercy College.  Or the families that visit their children that are in Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry.  Of the countless numbers of passengers that visit their loved ones locked away in Ossining at Sing Sing (or the other prisons located in Beacon and Bedford Hills.  Not to mention all the other regular commuters that take the service to their job from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Dutchess Counties that use the Hudson Line each and every day.

 

I guess the Riverdalians and the Spuytan Duyvilians are the only one's that can really afford the train and the bus. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

You're too funny.

 

Why don't you add this to the list of things to do when you become Metro North's next president. 

 

If fact, target the affluent and abandon the tens of thousands of other riders that use the service each and every day such as the college kids that take the train to Ardsley that go to Mercy College.  Or the families that visit their children that are in Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry.  Of the countless numbers of passengers that visit their loved ones locked away in Ossining at Sing Sing (or the other prisons located in Beacon and Bedford Hills.  Not to mention all the other regular commuters that take the service to their job from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Dutchess Counties that use the Hudson Line each and every day.

 

I guess the Riverdalians and the Spuytan Duyvilians are the only one's that can really afford the train and the bus. 

Spuyten Duyvilians?? We're all Riverdalians... As for the service the Hudson Line is used mainly by those in Riverdale and Westchester. The Yankees Stadium stop is used okay by folks coming from Westchester.  However, if it were up to me, I would do away with the Morris Heights and University Heights stations.  The folks there can't afford it and those stations are barely used so why bother holding everyone up for those two underused Bronx stations. 

[Tokkemon]

You can't spot sarcasm very well can you? 

 

BTW, starting a class war over MetroNorth is not cool. You basically just said "they're too poor to ride it so lets close them so they don't hold me up, Mr. Important Riverdalian."

 

Why can't you take the train like a normal person? 

[Truckie]

However, if it were up to me, I would do away with the Morris Heights and University Heights stations.  The folks there can't afford it and those stations are barely used so why bother holding everyone up for those two underused Bronx stations. 

They might as well stop there.  I mean seriously those off-peak trains are not exactly crowded....  Sound familiar?  And just because they may not be a high and mighty as you, I guess the one's that board the train every day from there can't really afford it.

 

 

 

Why can't you take the train like a normal person? 

 

That's an easy one.  The 1 train is for peasants.

[Vistausss]

Yankees-E153rd St is actually quite well used because it serves more than only Yankee Stadium, hence the name also carrying "East to 153rd St". Plus it connects to a bus there (which was mentioned earlier in this topic).

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They might as well stop there.  I mean seriously those off-peak trains are not exactly crowded....  Sound familiar?  And just because they may not be a high and mighty as you, I guess the one's that board the train every day from there can't really afford it.

LOL... I'd believe that if I actually saw anyone boarding at those stations... You yourself said that the platforms at those stations are short because hardly anyone uses those two stations.  The Riverdale stop is lightly used because most people either drive in Fieldston AND it serves a relatively low density area of Riverdale since we're talking about most of Fieldston and North Riverdale.  Save a few areas most of it is houses with normal sized families (2 - 3 people max on average in those houses, esp. Fieldston).  The Spuyten Duyvil station on the other hand serves more of the denser areas of Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil, hence why I think they should look into expanding the platform.  You could try to claim some of the Hudson by extending the land out further (i.e. landfill) and adjusting the tracks there.  That could also open up more parking spots as well.  As for Morris Heights and University Heights, they are two of the poorest if not the poorest neighborhoods in the US let alone NYC, so I'm not just throwing out my opinion.  I'm speaking from pure facts.

 

With that said however, the Riverdale station is still needed because Riverdale is home to several upscale private colleges with students and professionals commuting to and from Manhattan that use MetroNorth.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Riverdale station got more riders than the Morris Heights and University Heights stations combined.

 

LOL! I just found the commuter stations for MetroNorth... Those two stations get a combined total of 48 riders!! The Riverdale station gets over 500 commuters a day even though it's lightly used and the Spuyten Duyvil station gets almost double that.  We use our stations better than some of the Westchester communities, so yes those off-peak trains should serve our Riverdale train stations.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/commutemetro-north.html

 

 

 

"For decades Morris Heights has been one of the poorest communities in America."

 

http://thebx.net/info/_neighborhoods_bronx_morrisheights.php

 

 

 

"For decades University Heights has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid)." 

 

http://thebx.net/info/_neighborhoods_bronx_universityheights.php

 

 

You can't spot sarcasm very well can you? 

 

BTW, starting a class war over MetroNorth is not cool. You basically just said "they're too poor to ride it so lets close them so they don't hold me up, Mr. Important Riverdalian."

 

Why can't you take the   train like a normal person? 

What class war? It's true.  Why should resources be wasted on two stations in the Bronx that no one uses? Notice I didn't say anything about the 153rd street station because people use that station.

 

It's not even about being held up because since no one gets on there we stop and leave quickly.  It's just pointless to have to maintain those stations when the monies could go elsewhere to improve stations in Westchester or to improve the Spuyten Duyvil station which actually has a growing ridership base and where people actually can afford and use the service and not just one or two people every few days as I usually see.    That's why the platforms at both stations are so short because no one uses the MetroNorth.  What's worse is they actually renovated those stations recently.  MetroNorth is for suburban communities that have limited transit options.  Those areas in the Bronx have subways in their neighborhoods, which obviously residents prefer over the more expensive MetroNorth.

 

And also the train is no where near me as Riverdale does not have a subway.  I would have to take a bus to the then transfer to the express train and then take the  or the and then either transfer again or endure a long walk to get to my office. Only a nut job would do then there are quicker options. Why should I do that when I can have fewer transfers and get to work much faster with MetroNorth?

[Vistausss]

@Truckie: 48 commuters a day... If you think that's worth to keep open then I'd strongly suggest you to ask the to re-open Penny Bridge, Haberman, Richmond Hill, etc. on the LIRR since at the time of closing they were as lightly used as MH and UH on MNRR today.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

@Truckie: 48 commuters a day... If you think that's worth to keep open then I'd strongly suggest you to ask the to re-open Penny Bridge, Haberman, Richmond Hill, etc. on the LIRR since at the time of closing they were as lightly used as MH and UH on MNRR today.

And that's 48 COMBINED... It's 22 at one station and 26 at the other!!    The 125th street station gets fewer riders but that's a major transfer point and also where many people get off.

[Truckie]

I'm very interested to see how those numbers were obtained.  22 "commuters" at University Heights.  I've seen as many as 20 get on one train alone.  I guess that means there's only 6 over the course of the rest of the day. 

 

In comparison to the Times numbers, the Mount Pleasant train station has 0 commuters.  While I don't doubt that number to be accurate as it's in the middle of a cemetery, that doesn't mean no one uses it! 

 

Breakneck Ridge station isn't even listed.  Again, 0 commuters, undisputed.  That doesn't mean in that as many as 150 gets off their from one train!

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Manitou Station which is not listed does have daily commuters with its 1 door, low level platform.  There are upwards of 10 commuters that use that station as witnessed with my own eyes. 

The 125th street station gets fewer riders but that's a major transfer point and also where many people get off.

 

Thanks for strengthening my point of the previous post.  125th street - 29 riders combined between the Harlem and Hudson Lines?  I think not.  I've seen easily 100 people get on/off single trains, but what do I know.  If it's only 29 it's not worth keeping the station open.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I'm very interested to see how those numbers were obtained.  22 "commuters" at University Heights.  I've seen as many as 20 get on one train alone.  I guess that means there's only 6 over the course of the rest of the day. 

 

In comparison to the Times numbers, the Mount Pleasant train station has 0 commuters.  While I don't doubt that number to be accurate as it's in the middle of a cemetery, that doesn't mean no one uses it! 

 

Breakneck Ridge station isn't even listed.  Again, 0 commuters, undisputed.  That doesn't mean in that as many as 150 gets off their from one train!

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Manitou Station which is not listed does have daily commuters with its 1 door, low level platform.  There are upwards of 10 commuters that use that station as witnessed with my own eyes. 

 

 

 

Thanks for strengthening my point of the previous post.  125th street - 29 riders combined between the Harlem and Hudson Lines?  I think not.  I've seen easily 100 people get on/off single trains, but what do I know.  If it's only 29 it's not worth keeping the station open.

For 125th street, I always see people getting off but I have yet to see ONE single person get on going towards Grand Central.  I don't consider people getting off as commuters in that they paid to get on at another station.  Meanwhile I rarely see anyone get on at Morris Heights or University Heights. You have more people get off at those stations than anything which again is maybe one person once in a blue moon, so I can certainly believe 22 passengers and 26 for the other one and I would think that would be mostly during peak hours which is still pretty pathetic.

[Vistausss]

For 125th street, I always see people getting off but I have yet to see ONE single person get on going towards Grand Central.

 

That happens mostly on Friday and Saturday nights because MNRR has weekend deals which makes 125 --> GC (and GC --> 125) about as cheap as a subway ride.

[Truckie]

For 125th street, I always see people getting off but I have yet to see ONE single person get on going towards Grand Central.  I don't consider people getting off as commuters in that they paid to get on at another station.  Meanwhile I rarely see anyone get on at Morris Heights or University Heights. You have more people get off at those stations than anything which again is maybe one person once in a blue moon, so I can certainly believe 22 passengers and 26 for the other one and I would think that would be mostly during peak hours which is still pretty pathetic.

 

What the heck are you talking about?  Just because YOU never see something means it doesn't happen???  You've said it your self that you don't ride on a regular basis!  But I guess myself as someone that is on multiple trains a day at different times a day must be seeing things when people do get on to go to GCT.  The tickets I collect must be my imagination also.  If it makes you any happier (I know it really won't) realistically speaking, no, 125th St is not used frequently to go to and from GCT.  That doesn't mean it isn't used!

 

How do you not consider people getting off the train there as commuters.  Don't people pay at other stations to go to GCT?  What's the difference? 

 

There are plenty of people that work in the upper west and east side areas that find it easier to get off at 125th St and take either the Lexington Ave subway or the 2/3 subway lines to get to where they have to go as both are easily accessible from Metro North's 125 street station.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

What the heck are you talking about?  Just because YOU never see something means it doesn't happen???  You've said it your self that you don't ride on a regular basis!  But I guess myself as someone that is on multiple trains a day at different times a day must be seeing things when people do get on to go to GCT.  The tickets I collect must be my imagination also.  If it makes you any happier (I know it really won't) realistically speaking, no, 125th St is not used frequently to go to and from GCT.  That doesn't mean it isn't used!

 

How do you not consider people getting off the train there as commuters.  Don't people pay at other stations to go to GCT?  What's the difference? 

 

There are plenty of people that work in the upper west and east side areas that find it easier to get off at 125th St and take either the Lexington Ave subway or the 2/3 subway lines to get to where they have to go as both are easily accessible from Metro North's 125 street station.

Well then how do you explain the low stats at that station then?  I never said it didn't happen.  I'm just trying to understand the low numbers there and my thinking is that MAYBE they look at who PAYS at said stations as COMMUTERS and not who gets off there. GCT has a lot of people that get off there, but also a lot of people that leave from there.   

 

P.S. I ride roughly 3 - 4 times a week which isn't too bad.   What I'm getting at is people's morning commutes may differ from the evening commutes.  People that take MetroNorth in the morning may not use it get home.

[Truckie]

Well then how do you explain the low stats at that station then?  I never said it didn't happen.  I'm just trying to understand the low numbers there and my thinking is that MAYBE they look at who PAYS at said stations as COMMUTERS and not who gets off there. GCT has a lot of people that get off there, but also a lot of people that leave from there.   

 

What I'm getting at is people's morning commutes may differ from the evening commutes.  People that take MetroNorth in the morning may not use it get home.

 

 

There are also commuters that only travel during off peak times that don't have typical 9-5 jobs. 

 

To determine the low numbers of the Times, we would need to know how those numbers came about.

[Vistausss]

Numbers are moot. Here along my line, trains are PACKED. To such an extent that there's lots and lots of complaints about it. But when the inspection came to see if the complaints are true they concluded that trains were quite empty. Which is simply a lie because the trains really are packed. There's not even standing room most of the time.

 

My point being? Don't trust people issuing official statistics; they don't always measure accurate and sometimes outright lie. That also counts for the NY Times.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Numbers are moot. Here along my line, trains are PACKED. To such an extent that there's lots and lots of complaints about it. But when the inspection came to see if the complaints are true they concluded that trains were quite empty. Which is simply a lie because the trains really are packed. There's not even standing room most of the time.

 

My point being? Don't trust people issuing official statistics; they don't always measure accurate and sometimes outright lie. That also counts for the NY Times.

The NY Times has no reason to lie.  These are just very simple stats.

[Truckie]

The NY Times has no reason to lie.  These are just very simple stats.

 

Very simple stats but how accurate?

 

The carrier doesn't even know how much traffic trains get at any given stop.  They have the counters in GCT and at 125th at times, but they can't get every train.  Tickets collected isn't accurate because that doesn't account for commutation and 10 trip tickets.

 

Based on my personal observations the stats are far off.  But hey, what do I know.  I'm only a monkey that's on these trains day in and day out.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Very simple stats but how accurate?

 

The carrier doesn't even know how much traffic trains get at any given stop.  They have the counters in GCT and at 125th at times, but they can't get every train.  Tickets collected isn't accurate because that doesn't account for commutation and 10 trip tickets.

 

Based on my personal observations the stats are far off.  But hey, what do I know.  I'm only a monkey that's on these trains day in and day out.

Your words, not mine. I didn't know you guys were swinging from the overhead racks to collect the tickets.

[Tokkemon]

Just a hunch but I think "Commuters" is based off of Monthly Commutation tickets, i.e. people who daily commute from the station with a monthly pass as these can easily be measured since that is almost completely electronic now with the Ticket machines. What can't be easily counted are random one-time commuters or non-regular commuters that vary their ticket types or times they ride. Again, some of that is able to be measured electronically, but its next to impossible to analyse these data to come up with something useful since actual head counts are next to impossible on every station. At GCT it makes sense because they can measure heads going into stations but how they leave is almost just as important. 

 

Oh yeah, don't forget about the huge amount of intermediate riders there are. Those commuters can skew stats too. 

[lirr42]

From 2007 Ridership Counts:

 

--Inbound Weekday--

Riverdale: 722

Spuyten Duyvil: 1,064

Marble Hill: 175

University Heights: 27

Morris Heights: 72

125th Street: 27

 

--Inbound Weekend--

Riverdale: 225

Spuyten Duyvil: 304

Marble Hill: 117

University Heights: 15

Morris Heights: 58

125th Street: 13

 

[Truckie]

Oh yeah, don't forget about the huge amount of intermediate riders there are. Those commuters can skew stats too. 

 

 

There are a good number of riders that get on morning north bound trains at Morris Heights, University Heights and Marble Hill that go to points north such as Yonkers and Irvington.