CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad has completed upgrades to its maintenance facilities at Croton-on-Hudson, opening a new 400,000-square-foot Harmon Shop building to complete a multi-year project.
The facility opened on Friday can handle repairs for the entire Metro-North electrified fleet, including 12 carhoists, four pedestal tracks, and multiple door-level and roof-level platforms to aid in preventative maintenance. The structure’s second floor is designed to streamline parts distribution between the new electric shop and adjacent facilities through the inclusion of a service corridor connecting all three buildings.
“This is sort of long-term investment is what it takes to bring a century-old system into the modern age,” Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development, said in a press release. “Thanks to this sustained capital investment, Metro-North riders will benefit for decades to come.”
The work completes a 23-year, five-phase project spurred when Metro-North inherited the former New York Central and Penn Central facility in 1983 and immediately recognized it as inadequate to meet the commuter operator’s needs. Funding for upgrades was identified during the 1990s, with work beginning in 2001. The final phase included two-stage preplacement of the facility’s multipurpose building, first providing for the construction of a Consist Shop with two tracks able to handle 10 cars, followed by construction of the EMU Running Repair and Support shops. Earlier phases included new service tracks and wayside power; communications and maintenance-of-way buildings; a new coach shop and locomotive shop; and priority repairs on the multipurpose building.
“The Harmon Yard is the heart of Metro-North’s operations, and the timing of this project completion could not be better,” said Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi. “Metro-North is currently in the middle of an impressive streak – four straight years with an on-time performance of at least 97%. Now, with a completed Harmon Yard, the railroad can continue to deliver exceptional service to the tens of thousands daily riders.”
