Hudson Line Will Have Two New P.M. Peak Trains and Harlem Line Will Have a New A.M. Reverse Peak Express Train
Waterbury Branch Upgrades Complete Enabling Service Increases, Reaffirming Commitment to Rail Service for Naugatuck Valley Communities
MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that new train schedules will take effect Sunday, July 10. The schedules reflect Metro-North’s partnership with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) featuring a pilot project for six new express trains between New Haven and Grand Central Terminal timed to connect with enhanced service on the Waterbury Branch. Elsewhere, there are additional service enhancements on the Harlem and Hudson Lines and on the New Haven Line between Stamford and Grand Central, and Harrison and Grand Central.
Metro-North worked with CTDOT to create a pilot program that features the six new express trains between New Haven and Grand Central Terminal. These trains depart New Haven at 5:09 a.m., 5:41 a.m. and 7:52 a.m.; eastbound, the express trains depart Grand Central at 4:16 p.m., 4:49 p.m. and 6:26 p.m. The trains stop at Bridgeport and Stamford and operate in as little as 1 hour and 39 minutes between New Haven and Grand Central. From conception to start-up, this service addition required only a few months to identify available crews and equipment, operate test trains on the proposed schedule, and design a new operating package, indicative of the strong and effective service partnership between CTDOT and Metro-North.
“Metro-North is proud of its excellent working relationship with CTDOT,” said Metro-North Railroad President and Long Island Rail Road Interim President Catherine Rinaldi. “This partnership has helped bring faster service for customers who travel from Connecticut into Manhattan. As more riders return to the system, Metro-North is improving the attractiveness of its weekday service with more trains and seating capacity as well as faster trips.”
Other Service Changes
New Haven Line:
• With the completion of substantial infrastructure improvements on the Waterbury Branch in partnership with CTDOT, seven new weekday trains are added to the schedule, increasing the number of weekday trains from 15 to 22, an increase of 47%. Service begins earlier in the morning in both directions, 50 minutes earlier southbound and an hour earlier northbound, with the first northbound train connecting from the new train from Stamford and South Norwalk.
• In conjunction with the additional service on the Waterbury Branch and to provide connecting trains at Bridgeport, three late-morning and mid-day roundtrips are restored to the schedule between Grand Central and New Haven, along with their associated Grand Central-Stamford local trains.
• The 6:57 a.m. train from Bridgeport to New Haven is extended to originate in Stamford, departing at 6:15 a.m., making all stops to New Haven, including a connection at Bridgeport to the first northbound morning train to Waterbury, and arriving in New Haven at 7:28 a.m., with a connection to the 7:35 a.m. Hartford Line train to Hartford and Springfield.
• The 9:01 a.m. and 9:28 a.m. trains making all local stops from Stamford to Grand Central become limited-stop local trains, reducing their trip time by 6-7 minutes. Two local trains will be added between Harrison and Grand Central. Customers must transfer between the limited-stop trains and the local trains at Harrison.
• The 5:12 p.m. and 6:19 p.m. trains, making all local stops from Harrison to Grand Central, have been restored to provide additional service options from Westchester County stations to the Bronx and Manhattan.
Hudson Line:
Hudson Line customers will see two new peak trains in the evening, designed to fill an existing gap in limited-stop service in the Lower Hudson zone, as well as an additional stop at Yankees-E 153rd St station on a northbound rush-hour train. On weekends, six half-hourly trains between Grand Central and Poughkeepsie are suspended until late September to provide track-access time for crucial infrastructure work in the Bronx between Yankees-E 153rd St and Spuyten Duyvil; Grand Central-Poughkeepsie service will continue to operate hourly all day.
• The 7:28 p.m. and 8:32 p.m. trains from Grand Central that made all local stops to Croton-Harmon will become limited-stop local trains, reducing their trip time by 6-8 minutes. Two local trains are added between Grand Central and Greystone, with a transfer at Yonkers between the local stations and the limited-stop trains.
• The 5:20 p.m. train from Grand Central to Croton-Harmon adds a stop at Yankees-E 153rd St at 5:34 p.m. to provide improved service to riders leaving the local government and commercial area near the station.
• Six weekend half-hourly trains between Grand Central and Poughkeepsie are suspended until the end of September to provide track-access time for crucial infrastructure work in the Bronx between Yankees-E 153rd St and Spuyten Duyvil stations. Metro-North continues to provide hourly service all day on weekends between Grand Central and Poughkeepsie.
Harlem Line:
• A new morning reverse-peak express train operates from Grand Central to North White Plains, departing Grand Central at 7:08 a.m., stopping at Harlem-125th Street, White Plains and North White Plains.
Numerous trains on all three lines have minor scheduling adjustments to accommodate Way Ahead – Moving Forward infrastructure projects and the additional train frequencies. Customers should check the TrainTime app or the MTA website for specific times at their stations.
