Breakneck Ridge station

The Breakneck Ridge station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line, serving campers and hikers traveling to and from Breakneck Ridge, north of Cold Spring, New York and south of Beacon, NY. Trains stop there on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only. It is served by twelve trains daily on those days: six northbound to Poughkeepsie in the morning and early afternoon, and six southbound to Grand Central Terminal in the afternoon and early evening. It is 55 miles (89 km) from Grand Central Terminal, which takes approximately one hour, 28 minutes.

Breakneck Ridge
New York-bound Metro-North train passing the station, with the ridge itself in background.
Location1 Route 9D, Cold Spring, New York
Coordinates41.4508°N 73.9829°W / 41.4508; -73.9829
Line(s)Empire Corridor
Platforms2 low-level side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
Fare zone7
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station
Beacon
towards Poughkeepsie
 Hudson Line
limited service
 Cold Spring
towards Grand Central

Station layout

This station has two small, wooden low-level side platforms each long enough for one door of one car to receive or discharge passengers.[1]:6 It is located off an embankment from New York State Route 9D, with only one sign (on the east side of the track), merely a small path leading to the overpass and then down to the tracks about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of the main parking area for the Breakneck Ridge hiking trail.

Side platform
Track 1 ←      Hudson Line limited service toward Poughkeepsie (Beacon)
←      Empire Corridor services do not stop here
Track 2 ←      Empire Corridor services do not stop here →
←      Hudson Line limited service toward Grand Central (Cold Spring) →
Side platform

Upgrade

In June 2017, the Town of Fishkill requested a portion of Metro-North's property to build and operate a multi-use trail from New York State Route 9D to the Hudson Line. It would run from the Breakneck Ridge Trailhead before running north to the pedestrian overpass that provides access to the inbound side of Metro-North's Breakneck Ridge station. To be known as the "Breakneck Connector," it is the first portion of the proposed Hudson Highland Fjord Trail to be constructed. Over the past few years, more people have been using the Breakneck Ridge station, resulting in an increase in weekend service at the station.[2]

The station has low-level platforms which are connected to Route 9D by dirt paths, posing a safety risk. The Trail will directly connect the station and the trail head without meeting Route 9D at-grade. The low-level platforms at the station will be replaced with small high-level platforms with ADA accessible ramps. A newly designed parking lot will be constructed while maintaining an existing Metro-North access point for maintenance vehicles. The platforms and other appurtenances will be paid for by the Town for $200,000. The land will be leased for 257 years to the Town of Fishkill.[2] The stop and trailhead was initially planned to close for reconstruction at the beginning of 2018, with reopening planned for April 2019.[3] However, by May 2019, the station's closure and reconstruction, along with that of the rest of the Breakneck Ridge trailhead, was slated for mid-2020 at the earliest.[4]

The station temporarily closed for the winter starting on December 2, 2019.[5]

References
  1. "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  2. "June 2017 MTA Board Action Items" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. June 20, 2017. pp. 102–103. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  3. Zucker, Dave (September 22, 2017). "Popular Hiking Trail to Close for Construction". Westchester Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. "Breakneck Connector Project Expected to Begin Construction in 2020". New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Retrieved July 11, 2019. The current anticipated timeframe for closure of the trailhead and the Breakneck Ridge train stop is in mid-2020 and both would remain closed until the project is complete.
  5. "Breakneck Ridge Station CLOSED" (PDF) (Press release). Metro-North Railroad. December 2, 2019.
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