Origin as a streetcar line ; the only railroad in Manhattan at that time was the New York and Harlem Railroad The Harlem Line in its current form originated from the New York and Harlem Railroad (NY&H), which was the first streetcar company in the
United States. It was franchised, on April 25, 1831, to run between the original city core in lower Manhattan to the suburb of Harlem, several miles to the north on Manhattan Island. The railroad's charter allowed the line to run between 23rd Street and any point on the Harlem River between Eighth and Third Avenue, with a branch running to the Hudson River, encompassing most of the island. While the company wanted to run the line as a steam line, the city made it use horse power south of 14th Street. On September 13, 1831, the board of directors of the railroad approved its route along Fourth Avenue (renamed Park Avenue on March 1, 1888) from 23rd Street to the Harlem River. On April 6, 1832, the railroad's charter was amended to allow the line to be extended south to 14th Street. On May 2, 1832, the City Common Council secretly granted the railroad the right to lay track along Broadway to City Hall and Bowling Green. There was a public outcry once this was found out by the general public, and at the time a fraudulent map was circulated showing that the railroad would take up of the street when it would only take up . Newspaper editors also came out against the railroad's plan. In Spring 1833, the railroad published a pamphlet to refute objections to their plan titled "A Statement of Facts in Relation to the Origin, Progress, and Prospects of the New-York and Harlem Railroad Company." On March 1, 1833, a meeting was held in Tammany Hall concerning the issue, and at the meeting cab drivers and owners came out against the railroad. After the meeting, the crowd tore up some of the railroad's track. After the meeting, the council withdrew its Broadway agreement with the railroad. The railroad was extended downtown in 1839, but along a different route.
Extension toward Albany The New York and Albany Railroad had been granted its charter on April 17, 1832, allowing it to build a single or double-track line from Greenbush (on the opposite side of the Hudson River from Albany) to New York along the Harlem River. In 1836, an amendment to its charter granted it the right to enter Manhattan along a route that they "may deem most eligible"–direct competition to the NY&H. The NY&A had periods of inactivity, in part due to the
financial panic of 1837. Surveys were completed in some places, and ground was broken in various areas.
Gouverneur Morris, a vice president and Director of the NY&A, reached an agreement with the Harlem. The NY&H would pay the NY&A's expenses on surveying with the understanding that the NY&H would be extended to Greenbush. The deal was completed on February 28, 1840, and on May 7, 1840, the
New York State Legislature granted the Harlem the right to extend into
Westchester County, which at the time included what is now
The Bronx. The corporate life of the NY&A ended on March 9, 1846, when it was bought by the Harlem. In 1845, the railroad's charter was amended to allow the route to be extended north to Albany. On May 10, 1852, the line was extended north to
Chatham Four Corners in Columbia County with a connection to the
Boston and Albany Railroad, and
trackage rights northwest to
Albany. In the years following, the Harlem Railroad ran some of its trains over the Boston and Albany Railroad from Chatham to Albany. Additional connections could be made to railroads serving
North Bennington, Vermont and other points in western Vermont. Chatham is about past the current terminal at
Wassaic. In
Boston Corners, about north of Wassaic, passengers could make connections to the
Central New England Railway (CNE). To the east, the CNE went to
Hartford, Connecticut. Westward, passengers could travel to
Poughkeepsie, cross the
Poughkeepsie Bridge, finally to
Campbell Hall. A -long freight branch, from the 1853 purchase of the
Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad, was built to
Port Morris. On May 15, 1876, partial rapid transit began on the Harlem Line, with sixteen trains a day running between Grand Central Depot and William's Bridge. These trains made all stops between Grand Central and William's Bridge, with the exception of Jerome Park, which was skipped by half the trains. This was in addition to eight regular trains per day that stopped at William's Bridge. Two new stations were opened at
86th Street and
110th Street, both being exclusively served by the rapid transit service. In 1888, work began on a project to grade-separate of the line from Mott Haven to Bedford Park, and to expand the line from two tracks to
four tracks, with the additional tracks to be reserved for express trains, doubling the line's capacity. This project was funded entirely by the railroad, and was reached in an agreement with the New York City Department of Public Works, titled the "Harlem Depression Agreement", with the railroad paying for the construction of bridges over the now-depressed line. of the line were put into a cut below the line's existing grade, starting north of 138th Street to north of Bedford Park station. Upon completion, there was a four track line from Woodlawn Junction to Grand Central. The line's cost was initially anticipated to be $2 million. On July 10, 1890, as part of the line's grade-separation project in the Bronx, the third track between Mott Haven and Fordham was completed. At the time, the four tracks between Woodlawn Junction and the Harlem River were almost completed, with a few hundred yards of rails needed to make some connections. The four tracks were expected to be completed on July 13. The
New Haven Railroad planned to build a flyover at Williamsbridge for northbound trains so that their trains would not have to cross the other three tracks at grade. The rebuilt rapid transit stations were not yet completed. The entire project cost about $4 million. On February 15, 1897, trains on the Harlem Division started running over the new drawbridge over the
Harlem River and the elevated structure connecting to it. As part of the project, the line north of 106th Street to the Harlem River was elevated so that it could reach the height of the new four-track drawbridge: the only one in the country at the time. The project was known as the Park Avenue Improvement. The new line went via a steel viaduct, replacing a masonry viaduct and an open cut. The bridge was built for about $500,000 by the King Bridge Company. The new bridge is higher than the old bridge, as mandated by the Federal Government. During the course of construction, trains ran over a temporary wooden structure along with a temporary wooden drawbridge. The station at
Mott Haven on the Bronx side of the Harlem River had to be elevated. The entire cost was $2 million. On October 15, 1897, a spacious new station in
Harlem was opened at 125th Street, replacing a small, dingy station in the old Park Avenue open cut. The new station was built atop the old open cut and directly under the new Park Avenue Viaduct. The platforms on the viaduct were built to be long. As part of the
construction of Grand Central Terminal in the early 1900s, all of New York Central's lines that ran into the terminal were electrified.
Third rail was installed on the Hudson and Harlem Divisions, while the New Haven Division received overhead wires on the segments that were not shared with the Harlem and Hudson Division. In November 1907, the first electric train operated on the Harlem Division, running between Grand Central Terminal and Wakefield. On October 10, 1909, the New York Central began installing third rail between Mount Vernon and White Plains. On March 14, 1910, electric service was extended to North White Plains. Passengers that used the Upper Harlem Division were attracted to this cleaner, faster service. In July 1909, the New York State Public Service Commission ordered that the New York Central Railroad eliminate grade crossings at Hamilton Avenue, Railroad Avenue and Tibbits Avenue in White Plains and construct a new station. The project was estimated to cost $200,000, with the village and state each funding one-quarter of the cost and the railroad paying the remainder of the cost. Tibbits Avenue would be put into a -wide tunnel underneath the rail line done about north of the existing crossing with a clearance of . Railroad Avenue would be put in a -wide tunnel, with a -wide roadway and sidewalks, with a maximum clearance of . An additional crossing of the rail line would be provided approximately to the north of Railroad Avenue. Property values along the line increased. Other improvements were made to the Harlem Division at the same time: grade crossings were being eliminated, tracks were being straightened and new stations were built at White Plains and Mount Vernon. In March 1910, the New York Central did not yet begin work on improvements to the line at White Plains and adjacent stations, as work on improvements at West Mount Vernon were still underway. This included the filling-in of the new roadbed west of the existing station. As part of the project, a viaduct was constructed to eliminate the dangerous grade crossing in Yonkers at Railroad Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue. A new freight station was built. As part of the project, there would be no grade along the line from White Plains to Mount Vernon. The roadbed at Hartsdale and Scarsdale would be lowered to reduce grades. In 1910, a yard dating back to the 1870s in Dover Plains was relocated to Putnam Junction in Brewster. The New York Central operated the
Berkshire Hills Express and several other through trains to
Pittsfield and
North Adams along this route to Chatham; then the NYC's Boston & Albany mainline to Pittsfield and the B&A's
North Adams branch to North Adams, into the mid-1940s, with
dining service.
1950s and 1960s In 1950, the through service to North Adams was trimmed to a shuttle from Chatham to North Adams, requiring a transfer at Chatham. Passenger service between Chatham and North Adams ended in 1953. However, the Berkshire Scenic Railway now operates a 5-mile tourist train between North Adams and Adams, Mass. On September 11, 1952, the New York Central's next-to-last steam-powered train run in the New York City Metropolitan area ran on the Harlem Division, being replaced by diesel locomotives. However, the diesels began wearing out in the 1970s, leading to a decline in service. The last New York City Metropolitan area New York Central steam train left Harmon for Albany and points west on August 7, 1953, behind NYC Niagara 4-8-4 #6020, after which the entire New York Central system became dieselized east of Buffalo (and east of Cleveland, Ohio the following month). On December 20, 1956, the state opened up bids for the elimination of grade-crossings in Pleasantville. Planned for 25 years, this was expected to cost $3.857 million. The crossings to be eliminated were at Manville and Bedford Roads. The tracks were lowered for and the two roads were bridged over the railroad. The station at Pleasantville was moved. On August 12, 1960, the PSC ordered the New York Central to continue the level of service to Chatham until it determined how much service was required. The Central had wanted to cut one train each way daily, leaving only one round-trip. On August 19, 1960, the Central requested permission from the PSC to reduce service between Pawling and Chatham to save $110,544.47 a year. Starting on October 25, 1961, some trains became equipped with two-way radio communication on the Harlem Line to test the technology, with the hope of adding them to all commuter trains on the New York Central. They were meant to be used when delays in service occurred. On January 10, 1964, the PSC approved plans by the New York Central to implement zoned fares in the southern part of the New York commutation area (north to North White Plains). The plan went into effect on January 22. Though it was meant to be experimental, and to last one year, this was kept in place. On July 1, 1964, expanded off-peak local and express service was implemented on a pilot basis. On February 1, 1965, the New York Central began operating zone schedules for some outbound evening rush hour trains. It expanded this to some inbound morning rush hour trains to Grand Central on June 28, 1965. The implementation of zone scheduling was intended to speed trains service and reduce delays. Three additional morning inbound trains were added to facilitate the new zone schedule. Four zones were set up: Fleetwood and Mount Vernon were in Zone A, Crestwood, Tuckahoe and Bronxville were in Zone B, Hartsdale and Scarsdale were in Zone C, and White Plains-North and White Plains were in Zone D. Zone schedules operated as follows: the first train ran non-stop to Grand Central from the closest zone, Zone A. The second train would serve Zone B stops and run non-stop to Grand Central, the third would run non-stop to Grand Central after making Zone C stops, and the fourth would do the same, but for Zone D stops. From June 28 to October 31, 1965, train 908 leaving Brewster at 7:23 a.m. and train 945 leaving Grand Central at 5:39, on a pilot basis, began running as through trains, without the need to change locomotives at White Plains-North Station using a pair of dual-power locomotives leased from the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. NYC, facing declining year-over-year profits, merged in 1968 with its former rival, the
Pennsylvania Railroad, forming the
Penn Central Transportation Company. Penn Central continued to lose money and attempted several maneuvers to delay bankruptcy, including auctioning off the air rights of
Grand Central Terminal; the Pennsylvania Railroad had done the same thing to
Penn Station. However, this approval was denied, and the denial was affirmed in
Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City, a 1978 decision by the
United States Supreme Court. In May 1970, Penn Central planned to discontinue service from
Dover Plains to Chatham when
Amtrak declined to take over that service. However, the New York Attorney General maintained that this service was within the commuter area, and therefore not subject to discontinuation. Without the objection, this service would have been eliminated on May 1, 1971, when Amtrak passenger service went into effect. The
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) held hearings on this in May 1971, and it ruled on June 28, 1971, that the service to Chatham was intercity, not commuter. On that same day, a bill that would have extended the power of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to Chatham was vetoed by Governor
Nelson Rockefeller. On July 31, 1971, Penn Central announced that it would discontinue all service to Chatham the following day. The railroad claimed that it lost $300,000 a year on the one round-trip between Chatham and Grand Central. Tracks were removed north of
Millerton shortly thereafter. The cutback of service to Chatham was strongly opposed by the Harlem Valley Transportation Association, which was led by Lettie Gay Carson. All freight service ended in 1993.
Growth under Metro-North High-level platforms In April 1971, a project to install high-level platforms at stations along the Harlem Line started. This was necessary as the new Metropolitan cars did not have any stairs to reach the low-level platforms. By having high-level platforms, dwell times could be cut in half. Most of the new platforms were built as island platforms. These cars started entering into service in September 1971. At the same time, reverse signaling was installed to allow trains to use either track in either direction, enabling both tracks to be used in one direction during the peak of the rush hour. On September 10, 1974, the MTA announced that work would start on the construction of high-level platforms at eleven stations in Manhattan and the Bronx including at the Wakefield, Woodlawn, Williamsbridge, Botanical Garden, Fordham and Tremont stations on the Harlem Line. The entire project cost $2.8 million. The work was expected to be completed in the late summer of 1975. As part of the work, the stations on the Harlem Line received -long cast-in-place concrete platforms. The abandoned station building at Woodlawn was removed as part of the project. On March 15, 1975, these cars started stopping at the Melrose, Tremont, Fordham, Botanical Garden, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn and Wakefield stations on the Harlem Line with the partial completion of their high-level platforms. However, initially they only served the stations during weekends and early mornings and evenings on weekdays until the platform work was completed.
Electrification The extension of electric service to Brewster had been discussed since the late 1920s. Numerous improvement studies were undertaken to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of extending electrification north from North White Plains. In 1976, the MTA undertook a study on the existing traction power system and it identified extending electric service to Brewster as a priority. On February 8, 1980, Metro-North announced its plan to extend electrification to Brewster. On February 5, 1981, UMTA approved the contract for the third rail required for the project. The first electric train ran on April 30, 1984, beginning at Brewster North. As additional new M3As were put into service that spring, electric service increased. On September 1, 1984, a new schedule was put out, and running times decreased by 18 minutes on peak hour trains. In June 1986, MTA and Metro-North officials said it was unlikely that service would be discontinued. At the time, about 70 percent of riders along this section of the line drove to Brewster North, which had more frequent service. In addition, about 100 riders traveled southbound from the four stations on any given weekday. It was estimated that over $700,000 a year could be saved by replacing trains with buses. A decision on service north of Brewster North was expected within six months by two MTA Board members. On February 26, 1988, the MTA board approved plans to close Melrose station. A spokesman for Metro-North said that the station was being "land banked" and was being boarded up, allowing it to be reopened if ridership increased. The decision was strongly opposed by Bronx Borough President
Fernando Ferrer, who said that the agency created a self-fulfilling prophecy by failing to promote the station and by not maintaining it. Service at the station was very infrequent, and as a result local residents did not consider using it. Metro-North planned to close the station on April 1, 1988, but delayed it by ninety days at the request of Bronx officials. Melrose was removed from the April 3, 1988 timetable in anticipation of its closing but was reinstated on the June 19, 1988 timetable as the station never did close. On August 16, 1989, Metro-North announced that it had dropped plans to close the station. The station had been kept open, cleaned up, and the issue was reviewed at the request of Ferrer.
Upper Harlem improvements The introduction of new coaches allowed for improvements in service on the Dover Plains Branch. The first peak through service since the 1970s was inaugurated in October 1991. At the same time, a Sunday night through train was added. The reduced travel times made the line more attractive to commuters. In 1994, Metro-North conducted a train movement analysis of service on the branch to determine whether trains would pass one another based on speeds and the condition of tracks. As a result, a new passing siding was constructed at Wingdale, increasing service flexibility and allowing for increased service in 1996. Also around this time, 447 additional parking spaces were added to stations on the Branch. In 1996, four car-length high-level platforms with heated shelters were built at Patterson, Pawling, Harlem Valley–Wingdale and Dover Plains, replacing low-level platforms that could only accommodate two cars. These platforms were made to be compliant with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Travel times could be reduced further as it would take less time for passengers to exit and board the trains. for the cost of $10,000. Its creation was the suggestion of George Zoebelein, who was an avid hiker and a veteran of the NY/NJ Trail Conference as well as both the NY/NJ Appalachian Trail Conferences, and also served as a member of the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council (MNRCC) of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC) to the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It is one of three limited service stops operated by Metro-North primarily for hikers – the other two being
Breakneck Ridge and
Manitou on the
Hudson Line. On October 19, 1995, the town of Amenia passed a resolution supporting the Harlem Line's extension by to Wassaic. On January 23, 1997, Metro-North acquired the property necessary for the extension of service on the Upper Harlem Division to Wassaic. In August 1997, the Final Environmental Impact Study for the Wassaic extension was completed, recommending that the preferred option, the extension of service to Wassaic, be completed. In 1998, it was announced that platforms at eight stations on the Harlem Line would be extended as part of $73 million in station improvements. Platforms at Hawthorne, Pleasantville, Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills, Katonah, and Goldens Bridge would be extended two cars. This work was not expected to begin until 2000. In addition, work would be done at Mount Vernon West to eliminate a gap between a canopy and the top of the stairs, to design the rehabilitation of overpasses at Hartsdale, Scarsdale, Crestwood, and Tuckahoe, to rehabilitate an underpass at North White Plains, to repair a platform and fencing at Chappaqua, to replace an asphalt path to an elevator at Crestwood, to rehabilitate an overpass at Pleasantville, to design a new overpass at Goldens Bridge, and to repair stairs and an elevator shaft at Valhalla. Additional projects would ensure canopies, windows, and other elements were in good shape at Brewster, Croton Falls, and Purdys, would move a police substation into a building and move a ticket office to a more convenient location at White Plains, and design work for a platform extension, a new overpass, and potentially new track at Brewster North. Work to rehabilitate a station building at Bronxville was 90 percent complete at the time. Additional projects were planned on the Hudson and New Haven Lines. Some stations would receive the first major work done in 15 to 20 years. In April 1999, the MTA put out bids to purchase signal equipment to go along of the line from Brewster to Wassaic. The signal system was bi-directional with cab signaling. On July 9, 2000, Metro-North restored service between Dover Plains and Wassaic, a move the railroad billed as its first service expansion since it was created in 1983. As part of the project, the trailhead of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail was moved from milepoint 81.6 to milepoint 82. of right-of-way had to be acquired from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historical Preservation. To make up for this loss, $490,800 was received by the Transportation Enhancement Program to design and construct an access pathway from Wassaic station to the new trailhead. In fact, since 1984, weekday ridership on trains to Dover Plains increased by 463 percent to a total of 535 people riding south daily. The extension cost $6 million. In the early 2000s, through 2002, Metro-North completed its Upper Harlem Station Improvement Project. As part of the project, stations from Valhalla to Brewster had their platforms extended, received modified elevators, repairs to their roofs, canopies and platforms, improvements to their entrances, the replacement of windows and improved platform lighting. On April 1, 2001, work began on several projects to improve the line's right-of-way, including the replacement of the bridge that carries the Harlem Line over the Bronx River north of Woodlawn station and the extension of platforms at Purdy's and Goldens Bridge to fit eight-car trains.
Mid-Harlem third track project Early in 1994, Metro-North announced plans to build a third track along of the Harlem Line between
Mount Vernon West and
Crestwood to increase capacity and to eliminate a bottleneck. At the time, Harlem Line ridership was growing, with an expected 31 million people using the line in 2020. Without the construction of an additional track, only one southbound peak-hour train could have been added without cutting local service, express service or reverse peak service. In August 2001, construction on the $57 million project began. The project was completed in 2004. The Fleetwood and Crestwood stations were expanded through the adding of island platforms to allow for the third track to stop there. The right-of-way was wide enough to fit the third track, requiring no taking of property. The plan for the installation of a third track was first conceived in 1989, but it was faced with strong community opposition due to concerns over noise and vibrations. Once opened, the third track resulted in improved service. Reverse-peak trains were able to run every 30 minutes instead of every 90 minutes, helping fuel a 30 percent increase in ridership along the line through Southern Westchester and the Bronx. Most of the new reverse-peak users came from the Bronx. The increased service helped revitalize White Plains' downtown, helping anchor the economy of central Westchester. Express trains could skip stops via the express track while additional local trains could make stops in Westchester and the Bronx.
Purchase by the MTA On November 13, 2018, the MTA announced its intent to purchase the Hudson and Harlem Lines as well as the Grand Central Terminal for up to $35.065 million, plus a
discount rate of 6.25%. The MTA's finance committee approved the proposed purchase on November 13, 2018, and the purchase was approved by the full board two days later. The deal finally closed in March 2020, with the MTA taking ownership of the terminal and rail lines. Following this purchase, the MTA has owned the entirety of the Harlem Line. The agency had previously acquired the segment north of Dover Plains in 1990 when Harlem Line service was extended on this trackage.
Incidents On February 3, 2015,
a Harlem line train struck a car on the tracks near
Valhalla and caught fire, killing six people. ==Future==