Tag: Commuter Rail

White Plains Is The County Seat Of Westchester County And May Be Becoming A Regional Seat For Transit-Oriented Development

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By Joseph Morales

White Plains is the County Seat of Westchester County which is a densely populated suburban county north of New York City home to about 1 million residents.  It is also has a population of around 60,000 and is a major reverse commute destination. Thus, it is no surprise that Downtown White Plains has been one of the county’s major commercial centers known for its plethora of retail, dining and entertainment options as well as offices; including government offices and the offices of major corporations. 

                     It is also one of the main transit hubs in Westchester County, being served by many Bee-Line Bus routes that traverse the county as well as a CTTransit bus to Stamford, CT as well as several HudsonLink bus routes to Rockland County. In addition, it is home to the White Plains Metro-North(MNR) station, which provides both local and express service on the MNR Harlem Line to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan as well as as far north as Wassaic, New York in Dutchess County. The station is about 40 minutes to Grand Central Terminal, making Manhattan very accessible from White Plains. Given the amount of activity in White Plains as well as proximity to other activity centers throughout the region including NYC, White Plains is the busiest MNR station in Westchester County and is one of the busiest MNR stations in the Metro-North system.

                        With all of these favorable transportation connections, White Plains wants to capitalize on it by developing a transit-oriented development(TOD) scheme that will help to increase economic growth and liveliness in the Downtown area. They will do this by creating a transit district in the immediate vicinity of the White Plains MNR station that emphasizes the principles of quality placemaking, open space, cycling/pedestrian infrastructure, sound economic development and parking. 

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The MTA Is Beginning Work To Improve Accessibility At Auburndale LIRR Station, Which Can Hopefully Set Precedent For Station Improvements Across the Commuter Rail System

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By Joseph Morales

                The Auburndale station is a station on the Long Island Rail Road(LIRR) Port Washington Branch in the Auburndale section of Queens. As this area has no subway service, many residents rely on the LIRR in order to get to Western Queens as well as Manhattan in order to avoid having to take the bus to the subway and transfer at the often extremely congested Flushing-Main St(7) station.

Station sign at Auburndale LIRR Station.

 Thus, the MTA is planning to make the station more pleasurable for riders as well as ensure the station is fully accessible for those with mobility disabilities. While this may not seem like a major project or may even seem like a routine one, projects like these are essential to encouraging those who live in the outer boroughs of New York City as well as its suburbs to use  commuter rail instead of driving into Manhattan especially ahead of the implementation of Congestion Pricing which will charge all drivers entering Manhattan below 60th street a toll between $5-$23 with limited exemptions. This will not only help Queens residents traveling into Manhattan avoid tolls but also reduce emissions and road congestion.

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Transit-Oriented Development is Being Used to Grow Getty Square Into A Vibrant Downtown Yonkers

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By Joseph Morales

        The City of Yonkers is the 3rd most populous city in New York State only behind Buffalo and of course New York City. Getty Square also known as Downtown Yonkers contains a wide range of businesses and residences. There is an abundance of retail and restaurants as well as a growing arts, nightlife and tourism scene. Many city and county offices such as city courts and social services offices are located here as well.  After several decades of disinvestment, Yonkers has taken many steps to revitalize the Downtown which include but are not limited to, 1,000 new waterfront apartments, a state of the art Riverfront library, the restoration of the Yonkers Metro-North Train Station, a revitalized City Pier and countless other projects that have revitalized Getty Square into the vibrant Downtown it was once was and will continue to be. These developments are centered around strong connections to transportation. The Yonkers Metro-North Railroad Station as well as 20 different Westchester County Bee-Line bus routes as well as convenient vehicular access to the Cross County and Saw Mill River Parkways.  With the Metro-North, riders can get to Grand Central Terminal within 30 minutes as well as along the Hudson River up to Poughkeepsie. With Getty Square being one of the most booming downtowns in Westchester County, this neighborhood continues to grow through transit-oriented development.

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Stamford is Improving the Springdale Metro-North Station and It’s Surroundings, A Major Step Towards Safer Streets and Transit-Oriented Development

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By Joseph Morales

The Springdale station is a Metro-North Railroad(MNR) Station on the New Canaan Branch of the New Haven Line of the Metro-North Railroad in the Springdale section of Stamford, Connecticut. The station sits off a busy corridor in a typical suburban setting. The station is a critical transportation asset for the community, serving as its primary connection to Westchester County and New York City. Now, the City of Stamford is embarking on a new project to build a more lively station environment for riders and make the station accessible for cyclists, pedestrians and people with disabilities through seemingly simple changes to the station and adjacent street.

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The Newly Renovated New Hyde Park LIRR Station Has Just Opened, Bringing The MTA One Step Closer To Completing The LIRR Third Rail Project

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By Joseph Morales

             The newly renovated New Hyde Park Station on the LIRR has just opened after about 2 years of construction as part of the $2.5 billion third track project. The third track project is a project that will add an additional track to the 9.8 mile main line corridor between Floral Park and Hicksville in Nassau County in order to increase service reliability and increase capacity which is especially important as the East Side Access project, which will bring LIRR trains to Grand Central Madison is completed. While the project is not expected to be completed in its entirety until around the end of this year, New Hyde Park riders and travelers will begin reaping the benefits of the renovated station immediately, including those who do not even ride the train.

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