Upgrades Include a More Spacious Platform, New Entrance, Artwork, Wider Stairway, Modernization of Station Elements
The MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced it has completed restoration and upgrades of the Fordham Station, including a rebuilt northbound platform with double the capacity, a new entrance leading directly to Webster Avenue at 193rd Street and new permanent artwork. These upgrades follow the complete renovation of the historic station building on Fordham Road, which was completed in 2014.
“Fordham Station is the busiest reverse-peak commutation station in the nation said Joseph Giulietti, President of Metro-North Railroad. “These renovations are making it easier, more comfortable and more pleasant for our Bronx customers who work outside the city to get to their jobs.”
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., said: “The Fordham Metro north station is a key transit hub in our borough, and these renovations will make for a safer and more comfortable experience for station users. I applaud the MTA’s efforts to bring about positive change for Bronx riders at the Fordham station.”
“As the Fordham Road area continues to grow as an economic hub in the Bronx we must continue to invest in the infrastructure around it. These most recent upgrades to the Fordham Road Metro-North Station will ensure that those coming to the area to shop or to work are able to do so safely and conveniently. I look forward to continuing to work with the MTA to make these important investments in our infrastructure possible,” said Senator Jeff Klein.
Both northbound and southbound platforms were restored with customer safety and comfort in mind. They’ve been painted, cleaned and updated with rehabilitated elevators, new LED lighting, canopies, benches, real-time information monitors and public address systems. Widened and enclosed staircases also reduce commuter congestion. Platform shelters have been modernized with “Push for Heat” technology.
Metro-North acquired a narrow strip of approximately 7,128 square feet of property from Fordham University so that it could expand station’s northbound platform to nearly double its width. The platform had previously been just under 10 feet wide, and it is now more than 19 feet wide, boasting an 813-person capacity, almost double the previous capacity of 461.
The larger platform, giving customers greater room on the platform to board and exit trains, will mean less crowding and better on-time performance as trains spend less time waiting for customers to board and exit the train.
A ramp that is accessible to customer with disabilities has been installed at the north end of the southbound platform, cutting travel time for pedestrians in the densely populated neighborhood to the north and west of the station.
MTA Arts and Design commissioned artist Dan Funderburgh to create a site specific installation on the north-bound platform. Entitled Eureka, the artwork is a series of four “rose windows” composed of two layers of waterjet-cut aluminum in black and gold. It depicts the diverse universe of flora seen at the nearby New York Botanical Garden and references the Gothic details found in the surrounding architecture of Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus.
Fordham station’s makeover took place alongside the renovation of neighboring Fordham Plaza, work done by the NYC Department of Transportation and NYC Department of Design and Construction. As a major transit and commercial hub, Fordham Plaza sits at the crossroads of Metro-North’s busy station, twelve local and regional bus lines, Fordham University (home to some 6,700 students), Roosevelt Educational Campus (with some 6,800 elementary and high school students) and Fordham Road, which is traveled by 80,000 pedestrians daily.