Metro-North Railroad completes Fordham Station renewal

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad has completed restoration and upgrade work on its Fordham Station.  

 

Upgrades to the station include a rebuilt northbound platform with double its previous capacity, a new entrance and the addition of permanent artwork. The enhancements follow the total renovation of the historic station building on Fordham Road in 2014.

“Fordham Station is the busiest reverse-peak commutation station in the nation,” said Joseph Giulietti, president of Metro-North Railroad. “These renovations are making it easier, more comfortable and more pleasant for our Bronx customers who work outside the city to get to their jobs.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., described the Fordham Metro-North station as a “key transit hub” for the borough, saying he expects the improvement to allow for a safer, more comfortable customer experience.

“I applaud the MTA’s efforts to bring about positive change for Bronx riders at the Fordham station,” Diaz said.

Both northbound and southbound platforms have been painted, cleaned and updated with renovated elevators, LED lighting, canopies, benches, real-time information monitors and public address systems. Widened and enclosed staircases are also expected to reduce commuter congestion. MTA also added “Push for Heat” technology within its platform shelters. 

“As the Fordham Road area continues to grow as an economic hub in the Bronx we must continue to invest in the infrastructure around it,” said New York State Sen. Jeffrey D. Klein. “These most recent upgrades to the Fordham Road Metro-North Station will ensure that those coming to the area to shop or to work are able to do so safely and conveniently. I look forward to continuing to work with the MTA to make these important investments in our infrastructure possible.”

Metro-North acquired a narrow strip of approximately 7,128 square-feet of property from Fordham University to expand station’s northbound platform and nearly double its width. The platform’s previous width was nearly 10 feet, and it is now more than 19 feet wide, enabling an 813-person capacity, which representatives say is nearly double the prior capacity of 461. 

The larger platform is expected to decrease crowding and improve on-time performance if trains can spend less time waiting for customers to exit and board the vehicle.

A ramp has been installed to improve customer accessibility at the north end of the southbound platform, as well.

MTA Arts and Design commissioned artist Dan Funderburgh to create a site-specific installation on the north-bound platform. Entitled Eureka, the artwork is a series of four “rose windows” made with two layers of waterjet-cut aluminum in black and gold. The installation depicts the diverse array of vegetation present at the local New York Botanical Garden, representatives say.

Fordham Station’s remodeling took place simultaneously with the renovation of the adjacent Fordham Plaza. As a major transit and commercial hub, the Plaza sits at the crossroads of the Metro-North station, 12 local and regional bus lines, Fordham University, Roosevelt Educational Campus and Fordham Road.

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