It’s beginning to look a lot like a Metro-North stop. (Photo courtesy of the MTA)
In a few months, when the new Yankee Stadium opens, the MTA will debut its latest addition to Metro-North: a stop at Yankee Stadium.
Yesterday, the authority released a bunch of pictures of the ongoing construction. The pedestrian bridge is coming along; the platforms are staircases are rounding into shape. But a major question remains on the fares the MTA will charge for this quick ride from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium.
To that end, the commuter railroad would like to hold a hearing to set the fare. The MTA’s press release fills us in:
Fares from Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street and from suburban Hudson Line stations would be the same as existing fares to and from all other Hudson Line Bronx stations.
Metro-North also will introduce new “via” fares for travel to the new station for Harlem and New Haven Line stations. These via fares will consist of the already established one-way fare to Manhattan plus a small additional amount for the portion of the trip between Manhattan and the new station. Metro-North is proposing an additional $1.00 for all peak one-way fares and 75 cents for all one-way off-peak fares.
The new station will be open year round serving both the neighborhood and baseball fans attending the ball games. Metro-North also proposes to honor CityTickets for weekend travel between the new station and both Grand Central and Harlem-125th Street. CityTicket is a special, $3.25, weekend-only fare for travel on Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road within New York City limits.
I wonder if Metro-North would consider variable pricing for trains around game time. They could alternately charge less for access to Yankee Stadium in an effort to discourage driving and encourage rail use. Or they could charge more for Yankee Stadium-bound trains as a way to capture additional revenue during extreme peak hours.
In the end, the MTA will probably just adopt the fare recommendations set forth by Metro-North. The hearing will take place on Monday, November 17, at 6 p.m. at the office of the Bronx District Attorney just up the block from Yankee Stadium.
14 comments
[…] Ave. Sagas takes a peak at the current state of the new Metro-North stop at Yankee Stadium. The MTA will, in November, host […]
I visited the site a couple days ago for a bike ride–my old neighborhood is a mile north. Overall, I’m thinking the new stadium (a nice looking building in itself) is an obscenity in its impositions on the surroundings. The Metro North stop is the one bright spot but who knows if fans from Westchester and Connecticut will actually opt for the train?
They won’t. The New York commuter rail system is terrible unless you’re commuting from the suburbs to Manhattan during rush hour. The transfers are inconvenient; even the subway has no east-west service north of 59th, to say nothing of a Metro-North line from Yonkers to New Rochelle or from Tarrytown to Port Chester, which could funnel people between different north-south lines.
I don’t think people will choose the train to the game because they make it not worth it financially. The tickets on MetroNorth and the LIRR are VERY overpriced.
If you are supposed to give up the convenience of your private vehicle then it should be cost efficient but it’s not.
I disagree completely. I go to several games a year from Westchester, and I would never even consider driving. The traffic is terrible to and from the stadium, and the parking is expensive and/or inconvenient. Also, I like to drink a few beers at the stadium and would rather not drive drunk. I have always taken metro north to 125th st and then the subway to the stadium and there are many other people who do the same. It is no more expensive to take the train than it is to pay for gas and parking. This new stop will be a tremendous convenience and I think even more people will take advantage of the train because of it.
Hello, all:
I live in midtown, right by Grand Central. If the ticket is, say $3.75 round trip and faster than the long haul by da fouh, I’ll definitely be taking Metro-North. Also, my friends who live in the ‘burbs and take Metro-North anyway will certainly use the stop.
This presume the Yankees don’t keep finishing in fourth place… if they do, the crowds will disperse, just like in the ’80s. For the financial sake of the city, the Yankees must perform better! Maybe the city should buy them from the Steinbrenners. The Green Bay Packers are owned by their city…
I live in Rockland County and i am looking forward to the Metro North line. i can take cab or bus to Tarrytown and take the train in, then vice versa after the game. it’ll beat sitting in traffic.
This station will likely be used by those who currently transfer to/from the (1) train at Marble Hill. They can use the (D) train and even the (4) train and save on fares. Reverse Commuters will like this as well, much cheaper than going to 125 St.
Those with monthly tickets will likely use the train since their off peak travel will be free (especially for Hudson Line Commuters).
The Yankees finished in 3rd place not 4th place
[…] blog all a bunch of info. I’m also told, via a MTA mole, that the station is a little behind schedule and will not open […]
I live in northern westchester and I will DEFINIETLY be taking the metro north train to games. Round trip to grand central is roughly $20 off peak and $27 peak on the harlem line, plus a small fee for the shuttle. When you consider the price of gas, parking, etc you could be talking double or more likely triple the price to drive there from my area. Not to mention the hassle of fighting traffic. Seems like a good sacrifice for an additional 20-30 minutes of travel time and a no brainer.
As someone who frequently trains in already from fairfield (worth the fare vs that of gas, parking and the pain of fighting traffic), I’m wondering how much more convenient this will be than making the transfer at 125th, which isn’t that big of a pain but is far from ideal. In reading the lohud yankees blog (linked me here) it’s seemed a bit confusing in regards to shuttles, transfers etc… My dream scenario was boarding a train in fairfield and being directly dropped within blocks of the stadium, any idea if that will be possible once construction is complete?
[…] Here is some nice information about the Metro North train stop near Yankee Stadium. I am looking forward to being able to take the train in and not deal with traffic and $20 parking. Hopefully the MTA will have incentives to go green and not drive. […]
[…] Here is some nice knowledge about the Metro North train stop near Yankee Stadium. I am looking forward to being able to take the train in and not deal with traffic and $20 parking. Hopefully the MTA will have incentives to go green and not drive. […]
1. I spent most of my life in Westchester, and if I still lived there I would absolutely use MN to get to the stadium, all the time. A no-brainer. Sure, there’s a fare — but there’s also a ridiculous fee to park, plus the hassle of driving, so it more than evens out.
2. There is no reason, no reason, what did I say? NO REASON the Yankees, the MTA and the city couldn’t have made a commuter rail stop a reality there years and years ago. I should have been riding Metro-North from Croton to the stadium to see Munson play. It’s great that they’re doing it now, but save the back-patting until someone explains why it took so long.