Beauty, History, and Lasers on Tap for Fall at Metro-North Railroad

Metro-North Adding Special Weekend Trains on the Hudson Line for Leaf Peepers

Laser Train is Ready to Keep Trains Moving When the Leaves Start Falling

Hudson Line Turns 175

Changing seasons bring beautiful colors along the Hudson Line, slippery rails, and a big railroad birthday to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad customers.

"Metro-North is the best way for everyone to come see the beautiful fall colors along the Hudson River as we celebrate the Hudson Line's 175th birthday," said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. "The laser train was a big success in 2023, keeping tracks clear and reducing slip slide which allowed Metro-North to get our customers where they needed to be quickly and safely.

Leaf peepers rejoice!

Metro-North will be running extra trains on the Hudson Line on Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 5 through Nov. 10 to take New York City metro area riders to the incomparably scenic Hudson River Valley.

These trains will provide more options for customers who want to view fall foliage and spend the day visiting quaint towns like Peekskill, Cold Spring, and Beacon. You can also visit popular autumn destinations like Walkway Over the Hudson State Park (exit at Poughkeepsie Station).

These trains are in addition to our regular hourly Hudson Line service to these destinations. For more detailed schedule information and to purchase tickets, use the TrainTime app.

See below for train times:

On both Saturdays and Sundays during that time, service will operate as follows:

• Two extra trains will depart Grand Central Terminal at 9:32 a.m. and 10:32 a.m., making stops at Tarrytown, Ossining, Croton-Harmon and then every stop to Poughkeepsie including Manitou and Breakneck Ridge.
• Two extra trains will depart Poughkeepsie at 4:39 p.m. and 5:36 p.m., making every stop to Croton-Harmon, including Manitou and Breakneck Ridge, Ossining and Tarrytown.

The Laser Train is Back

When those colorful leaves start to fall off the trees, many land on Metro-North's tracks but the good news is that the railroad's laser train is back for Fall 2024 and ready to clear rails of dangerous wet, slimy sludge caused by crushed fallen leaves by zapping it with lasers. It's also still wrapped in a bold display that features illustrations of leaves commonly found throughout Metro-North's vast service area.

When trains encounter the slimy leaf sludge - caused by a chemical in leaves known as pectin - they can slip along the rails as trains brake, which causes the wheels to develop a flat spot incompatible with safe operations. For trains to operate safely and quietly, wheels need to be perfectly circular, or "true". Train cars with wheels that have flat spots are taken out of service so Metro-North machinists using precision lathes can re-true the wheels.

The Laser Train locomotive can be seen rolling throughout the territory, clearing leaves from the track area. Metro-North received the Rail Safety Gold Award in 2023 from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) for developing a Laser Train capable of operating 60 mph, which allows Metro-North to clean its entire territory at least once a day.

The Long Island Rail Road first deployed laser trains in 2017. Metro-North expanded their laser train fleet in 2023 following a successful 2022 pilot run.

Happy Birthday Hudson Line

The Hudson Line can trace its roots back to the original Hudson River Railroad, which was chartered in 1846 to build from New York City north along the shore of the Hudson River. The line to Albany was completed in 1851. In 1864, the Hudson River Railroad became the second property acquired by Cornelius Vanderbilt, right after the New York & Harlem (today's Harlem Line). In 1869 he acquired control of the New York Central Railroad which at that time ran between Albany and Buffalo and merged all three lines together to form the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. The Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad was built to connect the Hudson River Railroad to the New York & Harlem at Mott Haven, plus a branch to Port Morris. Thus, the Hudson Line now had access to Vanderbilt's Grand Central Depot, consolidating passenger service with the New York & Harlem (Harlem Line) and the New York & New Haven Railroad (future New Haven Line).

Vanderbilt's railroad empire would continue to grow to stretch all the way to Boston, Chicago, and St. Louis. The route between Albany and New York became known as the Hudson Division. The Hudson Division was the main line for New York Central and was four tracks wide in many places to handle all of the freight and passenger business. At Spuyten Duyvil, the original Hudson River Railroad branched off to run down the West Side of Manhattan, providing New York Central with lucrative direct access to New York City for its freight trains, establishing yards at 72nd Street, 30th Street, and a freight terminal near St. John's Park. Abandoned by Conrail in 1980, the portion from Spuyten Duyvil to 30th Street was reactivated by Amtrak so Empire Service trains could access Penn Station. The rest of the elevated line was converted into High Line Park, the first portions opened in 2009.

Control of the Hudson Division passed from New York Central to Penn Central in 1968. In 1970, Metropolitan Transportation Authority signed a subsidy agreement with PC for operation of the lines out of GCT, and the Hudson Division between GCT and Poughkeepsie became the Hudson Line. PC became part of Conrail in 1976, and in 1983, the new Metro-North Commuter Railroad assumed direct operation of the Hudson Line, which continues to this day.

Today the Hudson Line is known for its scenic beauty and serves as an important artery for customers traveling from the Hudson Valley, providing a reliable alternative to the congested parkways and bridges for hundreds of thousands of daily riders.

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