ARTICLE: Yankee stadium station gets Metro-North nod

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Yankee stadium station gets Metro-North nod

By: Catherine Tymkiw
Published: May 21, 2007 - 11:40 am

Plans to build a new Metro-North station at the new Yankee stadium crossed the final hurdle after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro-North Railroad committee inked a definitive deal with the city.

Under the agreement, the MTA will foot $52 million of the $91 million project. The city will contribute the remaining $39 million for the new station, which is expected to handle up to 10,000 people during Yankee home games.

The MTA said its portion would be funded from its capital program ($44 million), higher than anticipated income from the program ($4 million) and Legislative earmarks ($4 million) from Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, Assemblyman Jose Rivera and Congressman Jose Serrano.

The city and the MTA have agreed for some time to share the costs of building a new station near the new stadium but details had never been hammered out. With Monday’s deal, the new station is on track to open by the second quarter of 2009.

That’s good news for fans, especially those who have drive or trek all the way into Manhattan to catch the subway back because of the lack of a commuter rail station near the stadium, or drive.

The MTA will foot the bill for building the station, ticket facilities and a customer information system, as well as picking up half the cost of the mezzanine. The city will pay for the overpass and the other half of the mezzanine. The station will be located on Metro-North’s Hudson Line south of the Morris Heights station but the MTA said it anticipates providing game day service on all three lines.

A design-build contract has been signed with CCA Civil Inc/Halmar International and a construction management contract was signed with DMJM Harris Inc.

The MTA is expected to give its final OK at its board meeting on Wednesday.

Yeah, yeah. I will believe it when my ticket says "GCT-YANKEE STDM" and I'm actually standing on the platform. Ferchissake, we've only been waiting since 1922.

-otto-

how self centered - go to grand central STATION and take the 4

the biggie is going to be mamaroneck - yankee stadium or hartsdale -YS

Otto Vondrak wrote:Yeah, yeah. I will believe it when my ticket says "GCT-YANKEE STDM" and I'm actually standing on the platform. Ferchissake, we've only been waiting since 1922.

-otto-

I WANT TO BELIEVE

Another article. And the print version contains a sketch of the new station. You can download a PDF of today's issue at http://www.amny.com.

I think it's interesting that they are considering making this a normal Hudson Line local stop during non-game times. If there is potential ridership, then cool.

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LINK

New Metro North station for Yankee Stadium
By David Freedlander
Special to amNewYork

May 22, 2007
On deck for the new Yankee Stadium will be a new Metro-North train station that will make it easier for suburban fans to get from home to home plates.

The new station, announced Monday by the MTA, will provide suburban Yankee fans with their first direct train service to the stadium, a privilege long enjoyed by their city-dwelling counterparts.

"This new station will be a dream come true for Yankee fans throughout our territory in New York and Connecticut," said Metro-North Railroad President Peter A. Cannito.

"Ultimately, the new Yankee Stadium will be one of the most transit-accessible stadiums in the country, and the station will provide better service for Metro-North customers and a healthier environment for Bronx residents."

The station is slated to cost $91 million, with the city chipping in $39 million, with the MTA covering the rest. The new station is scheduled to open six blocks from the new stadium in June of 2009.

"Continuing to improve and expand our transportation infrastructure is essential to allowing our city and region to grow in the right way," Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said in a statement.

Transit advocates have criticized the new station for its high price tag and for the failure of the Yankees to help pay for it.

"We want to keep the Yankees, but we're giving away the store, or in this case the station," said Gene Russianoff, a spokesman for the Straphangers Campaign. "When you add a new project to the capital plan eventually something gets cut."

The MTA will add game day-service to the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson lines, and provide shuttle trains to the station from Grand Central Terminal. Officials estimate that up to 10,000 people will use the new train services, and hope it relieves the area of traffic congestion and pollution. The station will serve Hudson Line customers during off-game hours, as well.

"It dovetails very nicely with the overall plans for the city in terms of getting people off the roads and onto traffic," said Allison C. de Cerreno, the director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy. "It's supportive and helpful with what they're trying to do to redevelop the South Bronx."

The area is undergoing a development boom. Besides the stadium, 24.5 acres of parkland and a new mega-mall at the Bronx Terminal Market are under construction.

"The Yankee Stadium plan was not just about building a stadium," said Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. "It is about building a stronger Bronx and a stronger city and today we are one step closer to realizing that vision."

Found the handouts at MTA.info

http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=070521

http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/i ... -may18.jpg

http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/i ... ay18-2.jpg

http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/i ... -may17.jpg

[edited by OMV]

I usually ride the 4, but if MN is going to build a station, I'll support it.

When it gets built. And when they add a few more elevators and stairways.

-otto-

Yeah but the fine print is the "game day service from all three lines". I seem to remember discussing this at one point and someone (Dutch?) said that there are rules limiting engineers to one line only. I bet the "service" will be to 125th and then on an outbound Hudson Line train to YS.

brnxvill wrote:Yeah but the fine print is the "game day service from all three lines". I seem to remember discussing this at one point and someone (Dutch?) said that there are rules limiting engineers to one line only. I bet the "service" will be to 125th and then on an outbound Hudson Line train to YS.

No. It was mentioned in numerous articles, including in the monthly MNCR newsletter for passengers, that all three lines would serve the new station on game days.

Correct only GCT engineers can go to any line in one job.
any Harlem or New Haven line engineers can not be forced to hudson side, not even to Highbridge.
If MNCR were to create jobs like that they would have to pay twice for one shift .

I hate to link this, but from everyone's "favorite" transit reporter:

http://nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /705220342

Gannett's crack news staff breaks another story a day old! But I digress: there were a few more attempts at clarification. Apparently, it will be a four-track station with island platforms, and shuttles will run from 125th and GCT for NH and Harlem trains, although that seems muddled later in the article. I don't find that convenient at all - if I'm going to go to 125th or GCT (all the way from Atlanta), I'm going to take the 4, the only REAL way to get to a Yankee game.

To get to the 55,000-seat ballpark, fans will be able to board a special Yankee Stadium shuttle at Grand Central Terminal, with a stop at 125th Street to pick up riders from the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam and Connecticut. For the post-game ride home, the new Yankee Stadium station will be built to accommodate up to 12,000 riders, all trying to leave the stadium about the same time. Longer platforms will permit 10-car trains, and the railroad plans to run trains for northbound fans on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines, as well as continuous shuttles to 125th Street and Grand Central.

The four-track station will be about a 10-minute walk from the new stadium, which will be reached via an overpass, with elevators and stairs to a path to be built alongside parking lots and the park that will take the current stadium's place.

Ten minute walk? Where is it, Woodlawn?

Here's how it will work: In the Bronx, at Woodlawn, the Harlem and New Haven lines will merge and travel for seven miles south before they are joined by the Hudson Line at Mott Haven. At that junction, less than one-third of a mile southeast of the Yankee Stadium stop, there is a little-used track that allows trains from the Harlem and Hudson lines to switch over. That track is called a wye. A wye is shaped like the letter Y, but with a curved connector between the two outstretched arms of the Y. The railroad uses this track to reroute rescue trains, inspect tracks and redirect trains to its shops when they need repairs.

To carve out enough space for all the needed tracks, the railroad had to assemble easements for 15 real estate parcels from two private owners, as well as the city and state agencies. All but two were for token amounts: Metro-North will pay Related Cos. of Manhattan $1.2 million for a sliver of land ranging from 5 to 20 feet wide, needed so tracks can be spread to allow for two island platforms, and New York City will pay GAL, an elevator manufacturer, $5 million for the air rights for an easement over their property for the new, larger pedestrian overpass.

If the train is running from 125th, why is the wye (pun intended) needed for Stadium service? From the looks of the renderings, the station is in a perfect spot for the old stadium, but a good distance from the new. It's a great idea, but for NH and Harlem customers, I'd stick with the 4.

Sarge wrote:I hate to link this, but from everyone's "favorite" transit reporter:

http://nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... /705220342

Gannett's crack news staff breaks another story a day old! But I digress: there were a few more attempts at clarification. Apparently, it will be a four-track station with island platforms, and shuttles will run from 125th and GCT for NH and Harlem trains, although that seems muddled later in the article. I don't find that convenient at all - if I'm going to go to 125th or GCT (all the way from Atlanta), I'm going to take the 4, the only REAL way to get to a Yankee game.

To get to the 55,000-seat ballpark, fans will be able to board a special Yankee Stadium shuttle at Grand Central Terminal, with a stop at 125th Street to pick up riders from the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam and Connecticut. For the post-game ride home, the new Yankee Stadium station will be built to accommodate up to 12,000 riders, all trying to leave the stadium about the same time. Longer platforms will permit 10-car trains, and the railroad plans to run trains for northbound fans on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines, as well as continuous shuttles to 125th Street and Grand Central.

The four-track station will be about a 10-minute walk from the new stadium, which will be reached via an overpass, with elevators and stairs to a path to be built alongside parking lots and the park that will take the current stadium's place.

Ten minute walk? Where is it, Woodlawn?

Here's how it will work: In the Bronx, at Woodlawn, the Harlem and New Haven lines will merge and travel for seven miles south before they are joined by the Hudson Line at Mott Haven. At that junction, less than one-third of a mile southeast of the Yankee Stadium stop, there is a little-used track that allows trains from the Harlem and Hudson lines to switch over. That track is called a wye. A wye is shaped like the letter Y, but with a curved connector between the two outstretched arms of the Y. The railroad uses this track to reroute rescue trains, inspect tracks and redirect trains to its shops when they need repairs.

To carve out enough space for all the needed tracks, the railroad had to assemble easements for 15 real estate parcels from two private owners, as well as the city and state agencies. All but two were for token amounts: Metro-North will pay Related Cos. of Manhattan $1.2 million for a sliver of land ranging from 5 to 20 feet wide, needed so tracks can be spread to allow for two island platforms, and New York City will pay GAL, an elevator manufacturer, $5 million for the air rights for an easement over their property for the new, larger pedestrian overpass.

If the train is running from 125th, why is the wye (pun intended) needed for Stadium service? From the looks of the renderings, the station is in a perfect spot for the old stadium, but a good distance from the new. It's a great idea, but for NH and Harlem customers, I'd stick with the 4.

That article certainly is a big mish-mash. But going by what has been reported previously, including in the MNCR monthly newsletter, there will be direct service to and from the station from all three lines via the wye at MO.

And quoting directly from the MTA Press Release:

MTA Press Release wrote:Although the new station is located on Metro-North's Hudson Line south of the Morris Heights station, the intent is to provide service on game days from all three Metro-North services. In addition to scheduled service on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines, there will be special shuttles from GCT and 125th Street.

So they will run some trains direct from the Harlem and New Haven lines. And for those people arriving on trains that are still going to GCT, they will switch at 125 St for a special shuttle.

Why hasn't there been a station all these years? Seriously. Why hasn't anybody dropped the platform and stairs? The tracks have been there since the dawn of time...

You would have to ask the Yankees and the New York Central.

$91 million dollars!?

That's going to be some station!