New Yankee Stadium gets brand new train station

MICHAEL A. HARRIS/THE EXAMINER

For Yankee fans the option to take the train to the game has been limited to people traveling from New York City, but on Saturday that will change when a  new $91 million MetroNorth commuter rail station opens at the stadium.

While during the day, the ten car trains that will run along the Railroad’s Hudson Line and only local trains will stop at the new Yankees - E. 153rd Street station, both before and after games, the station will serve as a major transportation hub, allowing fans far and near to leave their cars at home. 

From Poughkeepsie and Katonah to New Haven, Connecticut and Grand Central Terminal, commuters from the New York City Metropolitan area and beyond will have direct access to the stadium with all three east of Hudson rail lines (Hudson, Harlem and New Haven) stopping at the stadium.  Both local and express trains on all three lines will stop at the stadium before and after games.

“When the Yankees committed to investing more than $1 billion of their own money to build a new stadium, our Administration agreed to invest in some key infrastructure upgrades, and the Yankees – E. 153rd Street MTA Metro-North Railroad station is one of the most significant,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber. “Transportation is always a critical driver of economic development, and this new station will serve the area well for a long time to come.”

The top boss at the MTA couldn’t have agreed more.

“Everyone should be proud of this momentous achievement, which is the result of a successful collaboration between the City of New York and the great transportation agency that serves it,” said MTA Chairman Hemmerdinger.

But the stadium isn’t just intended to offer transportation to baseball fans; it’s also designed to offer a new transportation option to residents of the South Bronx.  In fact, New York Governor David A. Paterson only mentioned the stadium as an afterthought.

“The opening of this station is part of a broader effort to ignite a new spark of commerce in the South Bronx, an area that has too often been left to fend for itself,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “By encouraging people to use mass transit instead of driving, the station will also be a boon to the environment and to the health of all New Yorkers suffering from respiratory ailments. Today is truly a great day for the MTA and for the Bronx, not to mention the millions of Yankees fans throughout the region.”

Previously the 4 and D subway lines provided 24 hour hour service to the stadium, which is also served by the B line weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined Hemmerdinger and MTA Executive Director and CEO, who recently resigned, Thursday joined reporters on a “test run” from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan to the new stadium; a 15 minute ride.

“As most of you know I take the subway to work most days,” Bloomberg told reporters at the new station.  “When I go to Yankee games, I take the 4 train, but this was a nice change of scenery and a direct ride.”

The mayor was referring to the handful of subway stops between the terminal and the station; MetroNorth Railroad trains only make one stop (Harlem - 125 Street) between the terminal and the stadium.

“For decades, residents of the South Bronx have sought rail service to increase their transportation options and limit the number of people who drive to Yankees games,” added Bloomberg. “Today, it has finally arrived. The new Yankees – E. 153rd Street MTA Metro-North Railroad station is the first railroad station to open anywhere in the Bronx in decades. Not only will it provide access to the new stadium, the fantastic new Gateway Center at the Bronx Terminal Market retail complex and the new waterfront parks, it will reduce traffic on neighborhood streets and help bring new jobs and economic investment to the area, which is something all Bronx residents can cheer about.”

The City contributed $39 million to build the station, while $52 million came through the MTA Capital Program, which included allocations from Congressman Jose Serrano and Assembly Members Carmen Arroyo and Jose Rivera. The new station is designed to safely handle 10,000 people on game days.  It will provide neighborhood residents a new transportation option as well as access to the waterfront park and ferry dock now being built along the Harlem River.

MTA officials estimate 400 commuters will use the station on non-game days.

The MTA proudly touted that the entire stadium was completed in only two years without disrupting service.

Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets is serviced by the # 7 subway train and about a dozen bus lines.  The Long Island Railroad also stops there, but the station is in a state of disarray   Repairs to the station began two years ago and aren't expected to be completed until 2011. 

This reporter asked Sander about the disparity between the two stations, to which he responded, "some things just take more time than others.

The first train will stop at the station at 5:58 a.m. tomorrow and the station will get its first real test in the afternoon, when commuters from across the region will take the train to see the Yankees take on the Philadelphia Phillies.  The first pitch will be thrown out at 4:10 p.m.