.gif){kind=tracking}
Beacon (Metro-North station)
Encyclopedia
Beacon is a Metro-North Railroad
station that serves the residents of Beacon
, New York
, via the Hudson Line
. Trains leave for New York City
every hour during off peak hours, and about every 15–25 minutes during rush hour
. It is 59 miles (95 km) from Grand Central Terminal
and travel time to Grand Central Terminal vary depending on run, ranging from 1 hour and 10 minutes (super-express runs) to 1 hour and 15–18 minutes (trains making all local stops north of Croton-Harmon and 1 hour and 25–30 minutes (trains making all local stops north of Croton-Harmon and some lower Hudson stops, such as Ossining, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Marble Hill).
It is a wheelchair accessible station, featuring wheelchair ramps, an elevator
to the train platform, and a high-level island platform
which is level with the doors on the train (for many years, most Upper Hudson Line stations had platforms that were lower than the train doors). It also boasts a small newsstand on the platform itself, open daily. It is not fully ADA accessible.
Paid parking is provided. There are spaces that require permits and others which can be paid for on a daily basis. Parking is free on weekends and holidays.
renovations by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
reflect the station's increasing traffic and importance as a destination. The Dia:Beacon
art museum, a short walk from the station, has drawn regular visitors from the city since its 2003
opening to see its collection of large installations
which could not be shown in the more limited spaces available in Manhattan
. Many signs in and around the station point the way. The heavy Dia traffic on weekends is complemented by visitors to prison
ers at Fishkill
or Downstate
correctional facilities, who take many of the taxis
available from the station to the prisons just outside of town. Inmates being released are sometimes dropped off here as well to catch trains back to the city.
Like many others on the Hudson Line, the station is also right on the Hudson River
. On October 17, 2005, ferry service to the station from Newburgh
resumed after 42 years in which the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
had sufficed to bring people across the river. This has allowed the MTA to essentially increase the available parking for the station with little new construction due to the availability of land on the Newburgh waterfront. Fare is $1.25 per person each way; unlike Beacon, parking in Newburgh is free.
The station complex also has long housed an upper Hudson Line station of the MTA Police
. Unruly passengers are often put off here to be taken into custody.
-bound trains. The eastern one is a side platform adjacent to Track 3 and generally used by northbound or outbound trains.
The Hudson Line has three tracks at this location.
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
station that serves the residents of Beacon
Beacon, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, via the Hudson Line
Hudson Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line is a commuter rail line running north from New York City along the east shore of the Hudson River. Metro-North service ends at Poughkeepsie, with Amtrak's Empire Corridor trains continuing north to and beyond Albany...
. Trains leave for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
every hour during off peak hours, and about every 15–25 minutes during rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
. It is 59 miles (95 km) from Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
and travel time to Grand Central Terminal vary depending on run, ranging from 1 hour and 10 minutes (super-express runs) to 1 hour and 15–18 minutes (trains making all local stops north of Croton-Harmon and 1 hour and 25–30 minutes (trains making all local stops north of Croton-Harmon and some lower Hudson stops, such as Ossining, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Marble Hill).
It is a wheelchair accessible station, featuring wheelchair ramps, an elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
to the train platform, and a high-level island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
which is level with the doors on the train (for many years, most Upper Hudson Line stations had platforms that were lower than the train doors). It also boasts a small newsstand on the platform itself, open daily. It is not fully ADA accessible.
Paid parking is provided. There are spaces that require permits and others which can be paid for on a daily basis. Parking is free on weekends and holidays.
renovations by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
reflect the station's increasing traffic and importance as a destination. The Dia:Beacon
Dia:Beacon
Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries is the museum for the Dia Art Foundation's collection of art from the 1960s to the present. The museum, which opened in 2003, is situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Beacon, New York. Dia:Beacon occupies a former Nabisco box-printing facility that was renovated...
art museum, a short walk from the station, has drawn regular visitors from the city since its 2003
2003 in art
-Events:*January 21 – The Spire of Dublin is completed.*May 11 – Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera is stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.*November – Gustav Klimt's Landhaus am Attersee sells for $29,128,000.-Full date unknown:...
opening to see its collection of large installations
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
which could not be shown in the more limited spaces available in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Many signs in and around the station point the way. The heavy Dia traffic on weekends is complemented by visitors to prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers at Fishkill
Fishkill Correctional Facility
Fishkill Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in New York, USA. The prison is located in both the Town of Fishkill and the City of Beacon in Dutchess County.Fishkill was constructed in 1896...
or Downstate
Downstate Correctional Facility
Downstate Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison in the Hudson Valley region of New York.Downstate is a maximum-security prison located along the north side of Interstate 84 in Fishkill, New York. Downstate serves primarily as a classification center, as it the first stop for all new...
correctional facilities, who take many of the taxis
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
available from the station to the prisons just outside of town. Inmates being released are sometimes dropped off here as well to catch trains back to the city.
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. On October 17, 2005, ferry service to the station from Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
resumed after 42 years in which the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge
The Newburgh–Beacon Bridge, is a cantilever toll bridge that spans the Hudson River in New York State carrying NY 52 and Interstate 84 between Newburgh and Beacon...
had sufficed to bring people across the river. This has allowed the MTA to essentially increase the available parking for the station with little new construction due to the availability of land on the Newburgh waterfront. Fare is $1.25 per person each way; unlike Beacon, parking in Newburgh is free.
The station complex also has long housed an upper Hudson Line station of the MTA Police
MTA Police
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, or MTA Police, is the police agency of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA...
. Unruly passengers are often put off here to be taken into custody.
Platform and track configuration
This station has two high-level platforms each six cars long. The western one is an island platform adjacent to Tracks 1 and 2 and generally used by southbound or inbound or ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
-bound trains. The eastern one is a side platform adjacent to Track 3 and generally used by northbound or outbound trains.
The Hudson Line has three tracks at this location.