In our August 2005 issue, former staffer Marisa LaScala wrote that for thousands of Westchester residents, a ride on Metro-North “bracket[s] their weekdays like unrelenting parentheses.” Well, that trenchant sentiment has never been truer than now, with ridership on the rail line more than doubling in the past decade. We take a closer look at some key Metro-North Railroad stats — then and now (using the most recent numbers available).
Number of commuters on an average weekday and likely percent residing in Westchester:
2005: 125,000 or 60%
Today: 292,182 or 55%
Number of miles traveled by the Metro-North fleet annually:
2005: 49.24 million miles
Today: 80 million miles
Number of Metro-North trains traveling into and out of Grand Central Terminal every weekday:
2005: 606
Today: 606
Number of railroad ties that are used in Metro-North’s territory:
2005: Unavailable
Today: 2.4 million
Busiest Metro-North station:
2005: White Plains (9,665 avg weekday riders)
Today: Stamford (14,600 avg weekday riders)
Least-busy Metro-North station:
2005: Valhalla (303 avg weekday riders)
Today: Mount Pleasant (1 avg weekday rider — it’s a special stop that serves two adjacent cemeteries)
Approx. number of cellphones left on trains each month:
2005: 300
Today: 275
Most unusual items left on trains:
2005: 6 prosthetic legs
Today: an urn with ashes, crutches, baby strollers, bridal gowns, tuxedos, bridesmaid dresses, Paralympian’s running blades, a Festivus pole
