White Plains (Metro-North station)

White Plains

View of White Plains station from platform
Location 16 Ferris Avenue
White Plains, New York, 10601
Coordinates 41°02′02″N 73°46′29″W / 41.0338°N 73.7747°W / 41.0338; -73.7747Coordinates: 41°02′02″N 73°46′29″W / 41.0338°N 73.7747°W / 41.0338; -73.7747
Platforms 1 island platform
1 side platform
Tracks 2
Connections White Plains TransCenter
Construction
Parking 1,226 spaces
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Fare zone 4
Electrified 700V (DC) third rail
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 2.383 million[1] Steady 0%
Services
Preceding station   Metro-North Railroad   Following station
Harlem Line
toward Wassaic
  Former services  
New York Central Railroad
Harlem Division
toward Chatham

The White Plains Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of White Plains, New York via the Harlem Line. It is 22.3 miles (35.9 km) from Grand Central Terminal, and the average travel time varies between 33 and 51 minutes (depending on if a train is express or local). With 9166 daily commuters as of 2006,[2] White Plains is the busiest Metro-North station (other than Grand Central) in Westchester County, and the busiest non-terminal or transfer station on the New York Commuter Network.

Though it is not a terminal station, White Plains is one of the key stations on the Harlem Line. Its downtown White Plains location is not far from many businesses and office buildings making it very convenient to commuters and making it a stop for all off-peak trains and most peak trains regardless of terminal location. A short walk from the station is the White Plains TransCenter, a terminal/transfer point for many Bee-Line buses as well as intercity buses (Greyhound Lines, Leprechaun Lines, Short Line Bus, and Trailways of New York) and Connecticut Transit's I-Bus to Stamford, Connecticut.

Pace University's Graduate Center is located across the street from the White Plains Station, while Pace Law School's 12-acre (49,000 m2) campus lies several blocks away on North Broadway. Mercy College, Berkeley College, as well as The College of Westchester are also located within walking distance of the station. The Westchester campus of Fordham University, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) away, is served by this station.

This station is located in the Zone 4 Metro-North fare zone.

History

Rail service in White Plains can be traced as far back as December 1, 1844[3] with the establishment of the New York and Harlem Railroad, which became part of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and was eventually taken over by the New York Central Railroad. As an NYC station, it originally served both commuter trains in the New York Tri-State Area and long distance trains toward Albany, New York and Boston, Massachusetts, via Chatham, New York. As with most of the Harlem Line, the merger of New York Central with Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968 transformed the station into a Penn Central Railroad station. Penn Central's continuous financial despair throughout the 1970s forced them to turn over their commuter service to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which made it part of Metro-North in 1983.

The current station house was built in 1987[4] as a replacement for the previous Warren & Wetmore-built depot originally built for the NYC. The former was similar to that of the current Poughkeepsie Station on the Hudson Line, and continued to operate through the reconstruction.

Platform and track configuration

2 ■ Harlem Line for Grand Central
1 ■ Harlem Line for Wassaic

This station has two high-level platforms each 10 cars long. The western one is the station's main platform, used by passengers awaiting trains in both directions. It is an island platform adjacent to both tracks and is used by trains traveling in both directions. It has waiting rooms and a ticket office and numerous electronic signs indicating upcoming train and track information. The eastern platform is a side platform adjacent to Track 1 and generally used by northbound trains. It is used only to discharge passengers. The Harlem Line has two tracks at this location.

References

  1. ↑ Using 260 weekdays in a year multiplied by number of weekday passengers (9,166)
  2. ↑ New York Times 2006 Metro-North commuter rail info
  3. ↑ Grogan, Louis V. (1989). The Coming of the New York and Harlem Railroad. Self-Published. p. 14. ISBN 0-962120- 65-0.
  4. ↑ "White Plains Opens New Train Station Tomorrow," by James Feron (New York Times; January 25, 1987)
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