Mount Vernon East station


The Mount Vernon East station is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, located in Mount Vernon, New York. The station is the first station north of the junction where the New Haven Line splits from the Harlem Line and is the northernmost station on the line before it changes from third rail power to overhead catenary power, which takes place between the Mount Vernon East and Pelham stations. Some New Haven Railroad-era overhead catenary poles can still be found southwest of the Gramatan Avenue bridge. After Pelham, the New Haven Line joins the Northeast Corridor at New Rochelle.
It contains stained glass artwork named Tranquility by Marjorie Blackwell from 2001, and the station itself is dedicated to Fred Wilkinson.

History

Prior to being acquired by Penn Central Railroad, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad had two stations in Mount Vernon. The main station, Prospect Avenue, which was actually located west of the Park Avenue Bridge rather than east of it, and another at Columbus Avenue, which also included a connecting station for the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, one of five NYW&B stations within the city. Mount Vernon's main New Haven Railroad station contained a series of sidetracks on the north side of East First Street between Park and Fulton Avenues. Penn Central closed the two stations and replaced them with the Mount Vernon station on December 20, 1972. The new station was built with two high-level side platforms, allowing the new M2 cars to platform at the station. The two old stations, including Columbus Avenue, which caught fire on March 31, 1957 were subsequently demolished.
After the station became a Metro-North station, it was moved and rebuilt across the Park Avenue Bridge to Elm Avenue across from Portugal Place, in spite of the fact that Metro-North still gives the address as being at East First Street. Today, the site of the old Mount Vernon New Haven Railroad Station is occupied by August Petrillo Plaza, a Westchester County Bee-Line Bus System and local taxi hub.
This station stood in for the Rockville Centre station during the filming of the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Station layout

This station has two high-level side platforms, each 10-cars long.

Petrillo Plaza bus connections

The following bus routes serve the Petrillo Plaza area, along the site of the former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Depot at Mount Vernon. The site was named for former Mayor August Petrillo.