About Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad is the commuter railroad of the New York City metropolitan area's northern suburbs, with three principal lines (Hudson, Harlem, New Haven) serving Grand Central Terminal and three west-of-Hudson lines (Pascack Valley, Port Jervis) operated by NJ Transit under contract. The MTA-operated Metro-North carried more than 280,000 weekday riders before the pandemic. Background context on the carrier's history is also catalogued in the North American Rail Atlas & Route Encyclopedia.
Operator Profile
- Headquarters
- New York, NY
- Founded
- 1983
- Routes catalogued
- 2
- Stations served
- 21
- Total route miles
- 704 mi
- States served
- 2
Fleet
M3, M7, M8 (jointly owned with Connecticut DOT), and the upcoming M9A and Charger SC-42DM dual-mode locomotives provide service across the system. Equipment assignments rotate as new orders are delivered and existing rolling stock is retired or rebuilt; consult individual route pages for current information.
Capital plan and modernization
Penn Station Access, opening 2027, will route New Haven Line trains via the Hell Gate Bridge to Penn Station with four new Bronx stations. Quarterly capital-plan progress is tracked in the Passenger Rail Advocacy & Reform Quarterly.
Routes operated by MNR
The table below lists all Metro-North Railroad services catalogued in the RailRover index, sorted by distance. Each entry links to a full route page with stations, fares, and timetable references.
| Route | Type | Endpoints | Distance | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro-North Railroad | Commuter Rail | Grand Central ↔ Waterbury | 385 mi | Frequent service on six lines |
| Long Island Rail Road | Commuter Rail | New York ↔ Grand Central | 319 mi | Frequent service on 11 branches |
States served
Metro-North Railroad service touches 2 states in the RailRover index. Each state hub aggregates every operator's service through that state on a single page.
Booking and ticketing
RailRover does not sell tickets. To book travel on Metro-North Railroad, visit the carrier's official booking site or app directly. Many of the same trip-planning principles that apply to Amtrak — advance purchase saves significantly, multi-ride passes are heavily discounted on commuter services, group sales unlock 60% off Saver coach for parties of 8 or more — apply across operators. For a deeper walkthrough, see the RailRover guide to buying tickets and saving on fares, the field guide to onboard Wi-Fi and power outlets, and the baggage rules reference. Independent fare-watch newsletters such as the Commuter Rail Operators Reform Brief publish current promotional fare summaries.
Further reading on Metro-North Railroad
- Riding MNR: a first-timer's system tour
- Equipment census and locomotive roster of MNR