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Fordham station
Fordham station
Fordham station
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Fordham station, also known as Fordham–East 190th Street station, is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem and New Haven Lines, serving Fordham Plaza in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. The platforms are situated just below street level and feature two expanded side platforms that serve eight cars each, on the outer tracks. The station building sits above the tracks on the Fordham Road (East 190th Street) overpass, and still bears the name New York Central Railroad on its facade. The station is among the busiest rail stations in the Bronx.[3][4]

Key Information

Service

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Most service is provided to Grand Central Terminal by local Harlem Line trains from and to North White Plains. These trains run at least every half-hour. However, during the reverse peak (outbound mornings and inbound evenings), express trains to and from Southeast also serve the station. On early weekend mornings and late evenings, a few express trains to and from Southeast stop here as well.

The station is partially served by off-peak local New Haven Line trains to and from Stamford and some peak trains. It is the only station in the Bronx that New Haven Line trains serve daily. Until 2019, New Haven Line trains to Grand Central could only discharge passengers while trains to Connecticut could only pick up passengers. Those going to and from Manhattan had to use the Harlem Line. This is due to Metro-North's operating agreement with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT), which dates to the 19th century.[5] Beginning April 14, 2019, passengers heading to and from Manhattan can also travel on New Haven Line trains. This was a result of an agreement reached with CDOT, under which revenue from tickets between Fordham and Manhattan would be split between Metro-North and CDOT.[6][7]

The Fordham station is the busiest reverse-peak commutation station in the United States. Over 3,000 passengers travel outbound on an average weekday, more than ten times the reverse-peak-commuter number in 1982. In addition, it is the busiest Metro-North station in the Bronx and the third-busiest station outside Manhattan.[8][9]: 178 (PDF p. 3) 

Station layout

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The station is adjacent to the western end of the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University. It is part of the Fordham Plaza complex, served by several MTA and Bee-Line bus routes that operate through the Bronx and Westchester County. The station has two high-level side platforms, each eight cars long, serving the outer tracks of the four-track line.[10]: 9  Both are accessible via stairways from the station building and from Fordham Plaza. There are also elevators from each platform to the station building.

The Fordham Plaza Bus Terminal is located on the south side of East Fordham Road, across from the headhouse. It is a terminal for routes serving the Bronx and southern Westchester County:

History

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The New York and Harlem Railroad laid tracks through Fordham as far back as 1841, and a station is known to have existed shortly afterwards.[11][12] The New York and Harlem was bought by the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1864. A March 17, 1848, agreement gave the New York and New Haven Railroad trackage rights over the NY&H from Williamsbridge south into New York City. NY&NH was merged with the Hartford and New Haven Railroad to form the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1872, and the trackage rights along the Harlem Division remained intact. This aspect of the line would prove to be of little importance to the station until the next century. Throughout the late-19th Century, the Harlem Division was widened and rebuilt into an open cut line as part of a grade elimination project, and Fordham Station was one of several in the Bronx that were rebuilt with a station house on a bridge over all four tracks, including Melrose, the former Morrisania and Tremont stations.[13][14] The reconstruction of the Harlem Line in this area lead to the creation of Fordham Plaza.[15]

The station building in 2013
The new Fordham Plaza entrance, across Fordham Road from the station building, in 2020

Two major milestones of the early 20th Century brought an increase in ridership to the station. The Metropolitan Elevated Railway (later acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company) extended the Third Avenue Elevated Line to Fordham Station, bringing a rapid transit connection on July 1, 1901. Pelham Avenue station was the northern terminus of the line until it was extended to Bronx Park Terminal ten months later. As a result, the Third Avenue Railway also began to operate from Fordham Plaza converting it into the major transit hub that it is to this day. Due to the popularity of football games between the Fordham Rams and Yale Bulldogs in the 1920s, joint service between the New York Central Railroad and New York, New Haven and Hartford was moved from Woodlawn station to Fordham, where it remains.[16]

As with other NYC stations in the Bronx, the station became a Penn Central station once the NYC & Pennsylvania Railroads merged in 1968. Penn Central acquired the New Haven Railroad in 1969, thus transforming the station into a full Penn Central station. However, because of the railroad's serious financial distress following the merger, commuter service was turned over to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1972. To make matters worse, the connection to the Fordham Road–190th Street station as well as the rest of the IRT Third Avenue Line was eliminated in 1973, although the station still had a major mass transit connection in the form of Fordham Plaza.

The station and the railroad were turned over to Conrail on April 1, 1976. On September 1, 1976, New Haven Line trains began stopping at Fordham as part of regular service, with three trains stopping in each direction.[17] The station and both lines became part of the MTA's Metro-North Railroad in 1983. Metro-North extended the platforms to handle longer trains in the 1990s, and removed the luncheonette and other local businesses that operated from the station.

Major changes to Fordham station were completed on November 22, 2016. The renovation's scope included a new entrance leading directly to Webster Avenue and 193rd Street, a new permanent artwork, and a rebuilt northbound platform. The northbound platform was widened from being just under ten feet wide to being 19 feet wide. This was made possible with the acquisition of property from Fordham University. At the north end of the southbound platform a ramp was installed. Both platforms received rehabilitated elevators, new LED lighting, new benches and canopies, real-time information monitors, and public address systems.[8]

In 2018, work was completed on a new interlocking to the north of the station, which was expected to increase reliability and capacity on the line. This project cost $29.9 million.[18]

References

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Fordham station

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Fordham station is a major commuter rail station on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem and New Haven lines, situated in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, at the intersection of Fordham Road (East 190th Street) and Third Avenue. It serves as a key transit hub for local residents, students, and visitors, connecting to Manhattan, upstate New York, and Connecticut, while integrating with the surrounding commercial district that includes Fordham University, the Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden. The station is fully accessible, featuring elevators, tactile warning strips, and audiovisual announcements, with facilities including ticket offices, vending machines, and waiting areas open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Established in the mid-19th century as a junction between the New York & Harlem Railroad and the New Haven Railroad, Fordham station played a pivotal role in early regional rail development, with New Haven line trains initially stopping there before ceasing Bronx service by 1920. Following the formation of the Metro-North Railroad in 1983 under the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the station saw resumed and expanded service, though New Haven line trains long operated as discharge-only stops for Manhattan-bound passengers due to a historic agreement, a policy that began allowing boarding in April 2019. The historic station building, bearing remnants of its New York Central Railroad origins, underwent a complete renovation in 2014, followed by platform expansions and canopy additions in 2016 as part of an $18 million project to accommodate growing demand. As the third-busiest Metro-North station outside , Fordham handles significant reverse-commute traffic, with ridership increasing tenfold since 1982 to over 3,000 daily outbound boardings as of the early ; in 2023, it led all stations in CityTicket sales with 301,905 intra-city fares, reflecting its importance for -to- travel; segment ridership, including Fordham, increased 20% in 2024 compared to 2023. The station connects seamlessly to the New York City Subway's (4 train) at the adjacent station and multiple MTA bus routes (Bx9, Bx12, Bx15, Bx17, Bx22, Bx41 ), as well as Bee-Line buses, enhancing multimodal access despite lacking on-site parking or bike facilities. The nearby Fordham Plaza was reconstructed in 2016 to improve pedestrian flow and public spaces around the station.

Service and operations

Lines and routes

Fordham station is primarily served by local trains on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line, providing regular service to Grand Central Terminal. During weekdays, these local trains operate every 30 minutes off-peak, accommodating commuters traveling southbound to Manhattan and northbound toward North White Plains and beyond. The station also receives service from the New Haven Line, which began providing bidirectional access between Fordham and Manhattan on April 14, 2019. This includes partial off-peak trains extending to Stamford, Connecticut, enhancing connectivity for riders heading northeast without requiring transfers at intermediate stops like Harlem-125th Street. Off-peak frequencies on the New Haven Line typically reach up to four trains per hour, supporting both local and some limited-express patterns to destinations such as Stamford and New Haven. The station's four-track configuration influences service operations, with platforms serving only the outer tracks (1 and 4) for stops. Inner tracks (2 and 3) are reserved for express trains that bypass Fordham entirely, allowing higher-speed services to maintain schedules while s handle station access. This setup ensures efficient throughput on the busy corridor shared by both lines. Service patterns at Fordham vary significantly between peak and off-peak hours, as well as weekdays and weekends. On weekdays, inbound peak service (typically 6-10 a.m.) features combined Harlem and New Haven s every 15-30 minutes, with outbound peaks (4-8 p.m.) mirroring this frequency for reverse commuters. Off-peak weekdays see reduced service to every 30 minutes on the Harlem Line and up to every 15 minutes on select New Haven trains. Weekends adjust to hourly or bi-hourly intervals overall, with no dedicated peak expresses, prioritizing balanced coverage throughout the day across both lines.

Ridership and usage

Fordham station is a key hub for reverse commuting in the . As of 2016, it was the busiest reverse-peak commutation station in the United States, with over 3,000 outbound weekday passengers (as of 2011) reflecting residents traveling to jobs. This pattern underscores the station's economic significance, facilitating workforce mobility for local communities accessing employment opportunities in despite the predominance of traditional inbound commutes on the Metro-North system. In 2023, Fordham led all Metro-North stations in CityTicket sales with 301,905 intra-city fares. The station's high volume highlights its role in the regional network, where reverse-peak activity stands out compared to typical suburban-to-city flows on the and New Haven Lines. Following the , Metro-North achieved a record ridership year in 2024, with the segment (including Fordham) seeing a 16.1% increase over 2023 amid broader recovery. This rebound emphasizes the station's enduring importance for daily commuters in a diversifying transit landscape.

Station layout and facilities

Platforms and tracks

Fordham station is located at 417 East in , New York, adjacent to Fordham Plaza, a pedestrian area that decks over the underlying rail infrastructure. The station features four parallel tracks on the mainline, with the inner two tracks dedicated to express trains and the outer two serving local stops. High-level platforms facilitate level boarding for cars. Two side platforms serve the outer tracks, each expanded to accommodate eight cars and positioned just below street level. The platforms are narrow, with the northbound platform widened to about 20 feet in recent upgrades, and they extend northward from the station's core area. The station building is a single-story brick structure straddling the tracks on the , with the main entrance on the north side of Fordham Road between Webster Avenue and . It retains historical signage on its facade, a remnant of the pre-Metro-North era. An additional entrance connects via Fordham Plaza on the south side of the road.

Accessibility and connections

Fordham station is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), featuring elevators providing access from street level to both platforms, tactile warning strips along platform edges for visually impaired passengers, and audiovisual announcement systems for real-time train information and safety alerts. These features ensure barrier-free access for passengers with mobility, visual, or hearing impairments, supporting independent travel throughout the station. The station underwent renovations in that further enhanced accessibility, including the installation of a new ramp at the north end of the southbound platform to reduce travel time and improve entry for users. Station amenities include four ticket vending machines located at the street entrance, within the historic , and near the stairs to both northbound and southbound platforms, allowing for contactless purchases and information on fares and schedules. A designated waiting area is available daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering and seating for passengers, while the ticket office operates from 6:10 a.m. to 10:10 p.m. on weekdays and similar hours on weekends (with a brief closure). is not available on-site, with options limited to metered street parking or nearby private garages along and adjacent streets. Intermodal connections at Fordham station facilitate easy transfers to local transit, with direct access to several MTA bus routes including the Bx9, Bx12, Bx12-SBS, Bx15, Bx17, Bx22, and Bx41-SBS, as well as Bee-Line Bus services, all stopping at nearby Fordham Plaza. The station is in close proximity to the Fordham Road subway station serving the 4, B, and D trains, though there is no direct pedestrian link, requiring a short walk along . Additionally, the station integrates seamlessly with local pedestrian paths, providing direct access to campus just across the street, enhancing convenience for students, faculty, and visitors. Secure waiting areas within the station building contribute to passenger safety during commutes.

History

Early development

Fordham station first opened on March 1, 1841, as an early stop on the New York and Railroad's extension northward from into what was then rural Westchester County, now part of . The station, located at and serving the nascent village of Fordham, played a key role in connecting the area to , facilitating the transport of passengers and goods amid the gradual suburbanization of . Initially operated with steam locomotives on street-level tracks, it catered primarily to local residents and supported the growth of institutions like St. John's College (later ), which opened nearby the same year, drawing students and contributing to the area's transformation from farmland to a burgeoning . By the late , the station had transitioned to steam locomotives following the New York and Harlem Railroad's upgrades, including track elevations to separate rail from street traffic. A significant development occurred in with the extension of the Third Avenue Elevated Line () to Fordham, opening on July 1 as part of a three-station northward push from 177th Street. This connection to Manhattan's rapid transit system greatly enhanced accessibility, integrating Fordham more fully into the urban fabric and boosting ridership by providing faster, more frequent service to downtown, which spurred commercial and residential growth around the station. Under the ownership of the , which leased the in 1857 and assumed operational control, the station underwent minor upgrades in the early to accommodate increasing commuter traffic. Key improvements included the introduction of third-rail electrification along the Harlem Division starting in 1907, extending service to by November of that year and enabling electric multiple-unit trains to replace steam operations south of , improving efficiency and safety.

20th and 21st century changes

In 1968, the and merged to form the , making Fordham station part of this new entity that operated the and New Haven lines. By 1972, facing financial difficulties, Penn Central leased the commuter operations of the and Hudson lines to the (MTA) for a 60-year term at $1 per year, with Penn Central retaining responsibility for maintenance and operations initially. This transition ensured continued service amid the railroad's broader challenges, culminating in the formation of the MTA Metro-North Commuter Railroad on January 1, 1983, which assumed full operation of the lines including Fordham station. The , which initially stopped at Fordham after the 1848 junction with the New York & Railroad at Woodlawn, ceased all stops including Fordham by 1920. Service resumed in the 1970s under Penn Central and later Metro-North, but trains operated as discharge-only stops for Manhattan-bound passengers due to a historic agreement between the railroads; boarding was not permitted until a policy change in April 2019. Significant infrastructure enhancements began in the mid-2010s to address capacity and safety needs at the aging station. In November 2016, Metro-North completed a major renovation project that rebuilt the northbound platform to double its previous capacity, added a new direct entrance to the platform, installed wider stairways, modernized elevators, and incorporated LED , canopies, benches, and public artwork. These upgrades improved passenger flow, accessibility, and overall safety for the station's high volume of users on the and New Haven lines. Further operational reliability was bolstered in 2018 through the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) technology along the Harlem and New Haven lines, including fiber optic installations between Fordham and Woodlawn stations to support the new signal system. This upgrade enhanced train spacing, speed enforcement, and collision prevention, contributing to more consistent service across the network. As of 2024, Fordham station has seen no major dedicated projects since 2018, though it benefits from Metro-North's broader recovery efforts, with ridership reaching 77.8% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels amid system-wide improvements. Ongoing planning for the Penn Station Access project, which extends New Haven Line service to Manhattan's Penn Station via the Bronx, aligns with these enhancements by potentially easing congestion at Grand Central Terminal and offering expanded connectivity options in the region.

References

  1. https://www.mta.info/stations/fordham
  2. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/plans-studies/sustainable-communities/bmn/bronx_metro_report/fordham.pdf
  3. https://www.nydailynews.com/2018/10/19/history-leaves-bronx-metro-north-commuters-hanging-at-fordham-station/
  4. https://www.mta.info/document/55376
  5. https://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/2016/11/22/renovations-completed-at-fordham-metro-north-station/
  6. https://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-numbers-2023
  7. https://www.mta.info/document/170821
  8. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2016/pr16-004.shtml
  9. https://www.subwaynut.com/mnr/harlem_line/index.php
  10. https://www.mta.info/schedules/metro-north/harlem
  11. https://www.mta.info/schedules/metro-north/new-haven
  12. https://www.subwaynut.com/mnr/fordham/index.php
  13. https://www.ritd-llc.com/industry-news/metro-north-railroad-completes-fordham-station-renewal
  14. https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/new-york/2024/02/22/metro-north-railroad-ridership-woes-can-bronx-ny-commuters-solve-it/72512076007/
  15. https://www.mta.info/press-release/icymi-governor-hochul-announces-2024-metro-norths-railroads-strongest-year-yet-record
  16. https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/schumer-gillibrand-announce-nearly-2-million-coming-to-metro-north-fordham-station-for-renovations/
  17. https://archive.org/download/historyofnewyork00hyat/historyofnewyork00hyat.pdf
  18. https://www.lehman.edu/vpadvance/artgallery/publicart/neighborhoods/fordham.html
  19. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/fordham-landing-playground/history
  20. https://erausa.org/pdf/electric-railroads/1956-12-electric-railroads.pdf
  21. https://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/bronx.html
  22. https://www.historicpatterson.org/Exhibits/ExhRailroads1.php
  23. https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/the-harlem-line-from-ny-and-harlem-railroad-was-the-first-streetcar-company-in-the-world/
  24. https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/penn-central-history-remembered/
  25. https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/13/archives/mta-wins-its-fight-for-two-penn-central-lines.html
  26. https://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north-railroad-celebrates-40th-anniversary
  27. https://www.rtands.com/news/metro-north-railroad-completes-fordham-station-renewal/
  28. https://www.mta.info/document/24116
  29. https://www.mta.info/project/penn-station-access
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