Metro-North Railroad

Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad provides services in the lower Hudson Valley and Western Connecticut.
Metro-North Railroad provides services in the lower Hudson Valley and Western Connecticut.
Overview
OwnerMetropolitan Transportation Authority
LocaleHudson Valley of New York; Southwestern Connecticut; Manhattan, The Bronx[1]
Transit typeCommuter rail
Number of lines5 rail lines[1]
Number of stations124[1]
Daily ridership241,500 (weekdays, Q2 2024)[2]
Annual ridership60,569,700 (2023)[3]
Chief executiveCatherine Rinaldi[4][5]
HeadquartersGraybar Building
New York, New York[6]
Websitenew.mta.info/agency/metro-north-railroad
Operation
Began operation1983[7]
Operator(s)Metropolitan Transportation Authority
NJ Transit (west-of-Hudson)
Reporting marksMNCW
CharacterAt-grade, elevated, and underground
Technical
System length787 mi (1,267 km)[1]
(385 mi (620 km), routes)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail750 V DC
Overhead line, 12.5 kV 60 Hz AC

The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (reporting mark MNCW),[8] also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York. Metro-North serves the New York Metropolitan Area, running service between New York City and its northern suburbs in New York and Connecticut, including Port Jervis, Spring Valley, Poughkeepsie, Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Southeast and Wassaic in New York and Stamford, New Canaan, Danbury, Bridgeport, Waterbury, and New Haven in Connecticut. Service in Connecticut is operated under contract with the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Metro-North also provides local rail service within the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Metro-North is the descendant of commuter rail services dating back as early as 1832. By 1969, they had all been acquired by Penn Central. MTA acquired all three lines by 1972, but Penn Central continued to operate them under contract. Service was transferred to Conrail in 1976, when it absorbed most of Penn Central's railroad functions after Penn Central's bankruptcy. The system took its current form in 1983, when the MTA took over direct operation of Conrail's commuter services in the northern portion of the Tri-State Area and formed Metro-North to run them.

There are 124 stations[7] on Metro-North Railroad's five active lines, which operate on more than 787 miles (1,267 km) of track,[1] with the passenger railroad system totaling 385 miles (620 km) of route.[9] It is the second busiest commuter railroad in North America in terms of annual ridership, behind the Long Island Rail Road and ahead of NJ Transit (both of which also serve New York City).[1] As of 2018, Metro-North's budgetary burden for expenditures was $1.3 billion, which it supports through the collection of taxes and fees.[10] In 2023, the system had a ridership of 60,569,700, or about 241,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.

The MTA has jurisdiction, through Metro-North, over railroad lines on the western and eastern portions of the Hudson River in New York. Service on the western side of the Hudson is operated by NJ Transit under contract with the MTA. Additionally, connecting ferry service is operated by NY Waterway, also under contract with the MTA.[11][12]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The MTA Network". MTA. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  2. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Second Quarter 2024" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF). American Public Transportation Association. March 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Catherine Rinaldi Named as President of Metro-North Railroad". MTA (Press release). February 21, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Catherine Rinaldi". MTA. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Contact Us". MTA. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "About MNR". web.mta.info. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  8. ^ "AAR Railroad Reporting Marks (2021)". www.railserve.com. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Years Ended December 31, 2012 and 2011" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). June 21, 2013. p. 147. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  10. ^ Rivoli, Dan (February 13, 2018). "MTA Budget: Where does the money go?". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  11. ^ "Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry and Metro‑North Railroad". MTA. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "Metro-North Railroad announces resumption of ferry service". Mass Transit. July 20, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2023.