By Joseph Morales

Scarsdale is a town in Westchester County that is about 30 miles from Midtown Manhattan and serves as a major suburb of New York City.  The hamlet of Hartsdale in the town of Greenburgh and the hamlet of Purdy’s in the town of North Salem are also located about 30 and 50 miles from Midtown Manhattan, respectively.  People in all three areas use the Metro-North Railroad(MNR)’s Harlem Line to not only commute to The Bronx and Manhattan but also to get to other major locations along the line, such as White Plains, Mt. Kisco, and Brewster. In addition, both the Scarsdale and Hartsdale MNR stations have more significant commercial and residential density around their stations than they do in the rest of their towns. This includes Downtown Scarsdale, which is located directly adjacent to the Scarsdale MNR station, so riders from across the region may use the station to access shops, restaurants, and more.

               Unfortunately, only the Purdy’s station of these three stations is ADA-accessible. For riders in Scarsdale/Hartsdale who cannot use stairs, they must travel to the White Plains station. This would mean they would have to either drive or take an infrequent Bee-Line bus in order to access the station. They would also have to contend with more crowds as well as a potential search for parking should they choose to drive. In addition, the Scarsdale and Hartsdale MNR stations being inaccessible makes it near impossible for people with mobility disabilities who use the Metro-North to conveniently access all of what Downtown Scarsdale and Hartsdale have to offer. 

                While the Purdy’s station does have a working elevator, it only goes from the parking lot to the station. Pedestrians attempting to access the station must traverse down an 800-foot long access road, 1,200 feet from the platform, and walk through the parking lot or cut through woods and step over a guardrail, both of which can be dangerous for an able-bodied individual, and it could be even more dangerous or even unfeasible for someone with mobility disabilities. 

                  According to the news site Tapinto North Salem, there are staircases linking the sidewalk to the platform; however, they are not ADA-compliant, and the MTA condemned them years ago, although the site did not specify when. The town began advocating for improvements in 2012 when the stairs were abandoned by the MTA. The MTA was reluctant to install sidewalks on either surrounding streets or the ramp to the parking lot due to the low number of people who walked to the station. The town eventually constructed a $512,000 sidewalk along NY-116 adjacent to the station between Titicus River Rd and the northbound ramp for the exit to I-684, with 80% of the funding coming from the New York State Department of Transportation. In addition, the NYSDOT also has fixed the guardrails on the NY-116 overpass. Sidewalks were also constructed on the ramp to the station parking lot. However, more work would need to be done to make the station seamlessly accessible to those with mobility disabilities.

                   Therefore, the MTA is currently nearing completion on a project to bring major accessibility projects to the Scarsdale, Hartsdale and Purdy’s MNR stations, with work at each station being tailored to that station’s needs.

                    An ADA-compliant elevator or elevators are being constructed in order to connect the different areas of the stations together. These elevators will be accompanied by ADA-compliant sidewalks so that people with mobility disabilities can easily get from the elevator to the overpass, platform, or other area in which the elevator leads to. In addition, the overpasses that connect the platforms/parking lots at both the Scarsdale and Hartsdale stations will receive numerous upgrades, such as new benches, LED lighting, leaning bars and heaters. These amenities, while they seem small, can go a long way toward improving a station environment and one’s perception of the space, especially if they are waiting for a train for a long period of time. Additionally, the new lighting should go a long way toward improving riders’ perception of safety, particularly when it is dark outside, given that the overpasses at the stations are dimly lit inside. 

                     At the Scarsdale station, this will include an elevator that takes pedestrians from the parking lot to the northbound platform toward Southeast. An ADA-compliant sidewalk will be built from the street to the elevator and a new walkway will connect the elevator to the overpass and northbound platform. Unique to Scarsdale, the overpass as well as the staircase leading to it will be raised seven inches as it has been struck by trains in the past as the overpass has been struck by trains in the past. This will go a long way towards improving safety for riders and those who are around the station area, given the area’s high commercial density.  

                    As for the nearby Hartsdale station, two elevators will be constructed on both sides of the overpass linking the platforms together. Therefore, one will be able to enter the station on either side and get to the other platform by using an elevator. ADA-compliant sidewalks will get riders from each elevator bank to the corresponding platform, and elevated walkways will link the new elevators to the currently existing overpass. 

                    In Northern Westchester County, at the Purdy’s Station in the Town of North Salem, the work will be of a slightly smaller scope than the other two stations, but it will still have a profound impact on riders. As stated earlier, the conditions at the station have been considered horrendous and potentially dangerous even for those without mobility disabilities. Here, the MTA is constructing elevator towers from both street level and the parking lot to the platforms. This will provide riders with a direct connection from street level to the platforms at the Purdy’s station for the first time since the staircases were condemned. While the pedestrian conditions around the surrounding community are not the most ideal for walking, these upgrades will ensure that anyone who chooses to walk can have a safer and much more convenient experience entering the station.

                   This project is significant as this is one of few accessibility projects, if any, that the MTA has worked on for the Metro-North that have included more than one station. The work is being completed by a small construction company out of New Rochelle known as Paul. J Scaiano. Inc or PJS for short. The company has performed a plethora of construction projects throughout New York and New Jersey for over 25 years. They have even participated in several major transportation projects throughout the New York Region, such as East Side Access, Safety Upgrades on the Long Island Expressway, and Circulation Upgrades at the 14th St-Union Sq Subway Station in Manhattan. According to its website, the company states it can take on any commercial or industrial project that is up to $65M in scope.

                  While work was expected to be completed in March 2023, work at the Scarsdale station is expected to be completed this summer, according to the Scarsdale Inquirer. These types of projects can be delayed for a plethora of reasons, especially considering that there are an array of factors that must be considered during the construction of an elevator. In addition, there are not many elevators at traditional commuter rail stations throughout the region, so the MTA nor other construction companies may have substantial experience on a project with similar parameters to the current MNR accessibility project in question.

                 This project will make make a profound impact on many Metro-North riders. For the first time, many riders will receive the opportunity to safely utilize their home station and/or visit a town that they were not able to before. Senate Majority Leader Andrea-Stewart Cousins said this regarding the project:” These station upgrades will greatly enhance accessibility for the disabled, increase safety, and improve customer comfort. I continue to support investments in public transportation, which the train riding public needs and should have.”

                Riders who use the stations will also have better facilities that make public transit more desirable for anyone, even those without mobility disabilities. It will be interesting to see if the MTA continues pursuing projects like this that can drastically transform the public transit experience. 

Works Cited

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “MTA Accessible Stations.” MTA, 27 January 2023, https://new.mta.info/accessibility/stations. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Reif, Carol. “Revamp Begins at Purdy’s Station | North Salem, NY News TAPinto.” TAPinto, 5 April 2022, https://www.tapinto.net/towns/north-salem/sections/community/articles/revamp-begins-at-purdy-s-station. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Metro North to Add Accessibility Upgrades to Three Harlem Line Stations.” MTA, 25 March 2022, https://new.mta.info/press-release/metro-north-add-accessibility-upgrades-three-harlem-line-stations. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Paul J. Scariano, Inc., 2023, http://www.pauljscariano.com/. Accessed 14 May 2023.