It’s hard to believe that this whole new Yankee Stadium thing is actually happening. I’ve been going to Yankee games for my whole life at Yankee Stadium; my dad has been going to games at Yankee Stadium for his entire life. But come January 2009, the Yanks will be playing in some other stadium called Yankee Stadium with the so-called modern amenities that the House that Ruth Built is supposedly lacking.
While this is a discussion for another blog, one positive part of the new Yankee Stadium plan got off the ground — or should I say underground? — today as Yankee, MTA, city and state officials journeyed up to the Bronx for the Metro-North groundbreaking. The new stop, which I discussed in depth in May, will link the south Bronx area around Yankee Stadium to the popular Metro-North commuter rail network. During non-game hours, the Hudson line will head through this station. During game days, the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines will deliver thousands of fans to Yankee Stadium.
NY1 had more about the groundbreaking:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Eliot Spitzer were among those at a ground breaking Friday for a new commuter train station in the Bronx where Metro-North trains will one day pull up to the new Yankee Stadium. The station is located on the north side of 161st Street in the Bronx.
Officials say the station will be able to accommodate up to 12,000 fans, reducing traffic on the subway and streets. “There’s an awful lot of traffic and there will be even more traffic as time goes on, because more and more people will be coming to these games,” said Bloomberg. “So finding a way that we can get there by mass transit is just as integral of having the stadium as the actual field and the stands.”
The station is set to open in June of 2009, two months after the new stadium. And New York officials are hopeful that it will reduce congestion and traffic around the stadium during game days.
Meanwhile, the social impact of the new station can already be felt in the Bronx. As with any new transportation hub, real estate value is on the rise in the area, and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion noted that many young families are opting to buy apartments in what hasn’t been a very desirable neighborhood. While some think long-term residents will stick with their trusty automobiles, the congestion fee could very well change those plans.
Yankee fans will enjoy the benefits of this station too, and with fans coming from all over the area, this stop will be a boon for the Yanks and a boon for the area.
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[…] Yankee officials and Chien-Ming Wang were on hand with MTA, city and state representatives as the MTA broke ground on the new Yankee Stadium Metro-North stop. For more on this story, check out my post at Second Ave. Sagas. […]
NY1: The station is located on the north side of 161st Street in the Bronx.
That would certainly be convenient for getting to and from the new stadium, but from the photo it doesn’t look like what’s actually going to happen…
Yeah, Anon. You’re right. I should have noted that in this post. The station is definitely not located on 161st St. It’ll get out at what is about 158th or 159th St instead. The walk will be just around the home plate end of old Yankee Stadium to the entrances of the new Yankee Stadium. NY1 seems to have got that wrong.
If I take the MTA from Brewster on the Harlem line, how will that connect me to the new station at Yankee stadium in 2009?
On game days, it should go right to the stadium, but that’s still up in the air. Official schedules will be released as the completion date for the station arrives.
[…] when 2009 rolls around, my suggestion is to utilize the new Metro-North stop or take the subways. It sure beats paying for gas, tolls and $25 […]
you get to walk past the old to get into the new. at least it’s a little silver lining.
[…] when 2009 rolls around, my suggestion is to utilize the new Metro-North stop or take the subways. It sure beats paying for gas, tolls and $25 […]
[…] Metro-North and the City of New York broke ground on a new Metro-North stop just a few blocks away from new Yankee Stadium, the station was set to cost $91 million and open in […]