CRESTWOOD STATION RENOVATIONS

UPDATE:

April 18, 2019

Metro-North Railroad Announces Progress on Enhanced Stations Initiative at Crestwood and Port Chester

Upgrades Enhancing Station Safety, Accessibility and Customer Amenities

MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced major milestones on its Enhanced Stations Initiative, which is transforming the railroad’s Crestwood, Harlem-125th Street, Port Chester, Riverdale and White Plains stations.

Crews will begin to transform the Crestwood station into a more inviting, comfortable and appealing place with improved accessibility, easier access to real time train information and enhanced customer amenities. At Port Chester, crews have recently concluded work to make the station safer, with better access for all commuters and a more customer friendly environment. 

Catherine Rinaldi, President of Metro-North Railroad, said: “Well maintained, safe and welcoming stations help make riding Metro-North each day a positive experience for our customers. The benefits our customers are receiving through the Enhanced Stations Initiative, and indeed the entire MTA capital program, are having a real impact in many of our customers’ lives every single day.”

Senator Shelley B. Mayer said: “I am thrilled with the renovations that Metro-North is investing in at train stations throughout the 37th District. Thank you to President Catherine Rinaldi for your collaboration and partnership and for listening and responding to the needs of Metro-North riders. These improvements deliver enhanced accessibility, a new Wi-Fi system, digital information upgrades, artwork, safer crosswalks, and overall infrastructure enhancements. The renovations at the Port Chester train station are complete, and a landscaping project is scheduled for this spring. Riders will be glad to know that improvements at the Crestwood station will be finished by the end of 2019 with minimal disruption to operations. I am pleased to support and advocate for additional funding and resources for Metro-North Railroad which serves thousands of commuters in my district daily.”

Work Begins on Crestwood Station

Crestwood customers will be welcomed to the station with a new entrance plaza, kiss and ride canopy, new signage, LED lighting and freshly landscaped property. Customers will also have access to a free Wi-Fi system with USB benches in the kiss and ride area and overpass. Also associated with the upgrades, in February crews started work on the renovation of the station’s overpass, and the renewed overpass will have a digital information dashboard as well as a ticketing center.  

Accessibility improvements are always considered a priority when Metro-North prepares the scope of all of its station renovation projects, and the bustling Crestwood station will become more accessible to all customers. On April 17, crews will begin work on the installation of a new ramp with a canopy that will carry customers from the sidewalk level on Columbus Avenue and directly in front of the existing elevator to the overpass

As part of the station improvement, MTA Arts & Design commissioned artist Tricia Wright to create original, site-specific artwork for the station. Tentatively titled “The Perennial Village,” the artwork will consist of stainless steel sculptural panels for the railings along the ADA Ramp, and floor-to-ceiling art glass for the overpass windows.

The artwork is a celebration of the perennial rhythms of daily commuting and the regenerative growth that has made Crestwood and Tuckahoe a tight-knit community. Elements including perennial flowers (morning glories, evening primroses), ornate arches, the village clock faces, and patterns of water lily pads will be featured to evoke a sense of fluid movement, the rich tradition of wrought-iron fence-work, as well as the cyclical rhythm of the day and village life

The station improvements will be accomplished with minimal disruption to customers, and Metro-North anticipates that the renovation will be complete in the fourth quarter of 2019

Metro-North issued a design-build contract to expedite the station improvement project. Design-build contracts call for a team of designers and contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.  The projects are funded by MTA’s 2015-2019 Capital Program.

Assemblymember Amy Paulin said: “Crestwood has always been a critical hub for commuters in my district and across the county. I am heartened to see that improving accessibility to accommodate passengers with disabilities continues to be at the center of Metro-North’s plans for station renovation. I look forward to experiencing the enhancements for customers and anticipate that the aesthetic touches will renew some of the charm of the station that inspired Norman Rockwell to paint it almost 75 years ago.”

Assemblyman Nader Sayegh said: “The Crestwood Metro-North Railroad station is a vital connector for people who live, work, and play in our region. These welcome improvements will make the Crestwood Station more accessible, safer, and ultimately create a better experience for all commuters and residents in the area.”

Tuckahoe Village Mayor Greg Luisi said: “I commend the MTA for choosing Crestwood for the Enhanced Station Initiative. The proposed design not only increases the functionality and amenities of the station, but also complements recent Village improvements to the area. We are excited for this project to finally begin – as I know once completed, the residents, nearby business owners and station patrons will be enamored with the improvements.”

Port Chester Station Renewal and Enhancements Completed

Port Chester customers are now welcomed to the station with new entrance signage and LED lighting.  The new kiss and ride canopy and plaza, coupled with a repaved and striped parking lot, improves the customer experience of traveling to and from the station. A raised crosswalk provides safer and easy travel from the kiss and ride to the sidewalk on Broad Street.  Customers also have access to a free Wi-Fi system in the kiss and ride area.  Landscaping at the station is scheduled to begin in the spring.

Renewal and upgrades were accomplished with minimal disruption to customers. 

The bustling station, which serves about 3,000 commuters a day, is now even more accessible to all customers.  An aging ramp at the Port Chester station was demolished and replaced, supplementing 2018’s accessibility improvement that brought an elevator to Westchester Avenue.

The elevator, built out of structural steel with a glass enclosed cab, is located on Westchester Avenue next to the rail bridge. It carries passengers from the sidewalk level to the Connecticut-bound platform and from the platform to the street. An aging concrete staircase was demolished and replaced it with a sleek, steel staircase, situated adjacent to the elevator. A ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was installed to the New York-bound side of the station, located at 127 Westchester Avenue, the former site of the old Port Chester Auto School. 

Contractors installed a safety feature relatively new to Metro-North stations, a Heat Trace cable system. Buried in the concrete at the base of the elevator and staircase, an orange cable – controlled by two sensors – emits heat once a certain temperature is reached. That heat, in turn, keeps the area free of ice and snow.

Assemblyman Steve Otis said: “Port Chester commuters will benefit from these needed upgrades at our Metro North station. I appreciate Metro-North officials working with the Village of Port Chester and the state legislature to make these improvements a reality. Of special value are the ADA accessibility improvements which I pursued with the Village to make both platforms fully accessible.”

Port Chester Mayor Richard A. Falanka said: “Port Chester is thrilled with the station improvements and we have received many compliments about these upgrades.  We are pleased that Metro-North included Port Chester Station in its Enhanced Station Initiative and my thanks to Metro-North for making our station brighter, safer and as accessible as possible to everyone who uses it."

Other Stations Under Enhanced Stations Initiative

Other stations being renewed and enhanced under Metro-North Railroad’s Enhanced Stations Initiative are Harlem-125th Street, where work is nearing completion, White Plains, where work is about halfway completed and is progressing on time and on budget, and Riverdale, which was completed in September 2018.