Williams Bridge (Metro-North station)

Williams Bridge
Southbound view of the Gun Hill Road Bridge over Williams Bridge Station
Location	402 Gun Hill Road and 3399 Webster Avenue Williamsbridge, Bronx, New York
Coordinates	40°52′44″N 73°52′15″W / 40.8788°N 73.8707°WCoordinates: 40°52′44″N 73°52′15″W / 40.8788°N 73.8707°W
Owned by	Metro-North Railroad
Line(s)	Harlem Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	New York City Subway: trains at Gun Hill Road NYCT Bus: Bx28, Bx30, Bx38, Bx41, Bx41 (SBS)
Other information
Fare zone	2
Electrified	700V (DC) third rail
Services
Preceding station   Metro-North Railroad   Following station Botanical Garden toward Grand Central Harlem Line Woodlawn toward Wassaic   Former services   New York Central Railroad Botanical Garden toward New York City Harlem Division Woodlawn toward Chatham

The Williams Bridge (also known as Williams Bridge - East 210th Street) Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 10.5 miles (16.9 km) from Grand Central Terminal and is located at the intersection of Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue. Service at Williams Bridge is hourly. Due to its short platform length, only the doors of four cars open for passengers.

This station is located in the Zone 2 Metro-North fare zone.

History

Rail service in Williams Bridge can be traced as far back as 1842 with the establishment of the New York and Harlem Railroad, which became part of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in 1864 and eventually taken over by the New York Central Railroad. Williams Bridge Station itself, which was originally built sometime in the 19th Century, originally had a station house on the southeast corner of the Gun Hill Road bridge and even had a turntable. From 1920 through the 1970s, it was in close proximity to the 210th Street – Williamsbridge elevated station of the IRT Third Avenue Line.^[1] In fact, the line itself used to curve from Webster Avenue over Gun Hill Road before terminating at Gun Hill Road station on the IRT White Plains Road Line to the east. Because of this, the Gun Hill Road bridge over the Harlem Line was a two-level bridge until the Third Avenue Line was abandoned in 1973.^[2]

As with many NYCRR stations in the Bronx, the station became a Penn Central station once the NYC & Pennsylvania Railroads merged in 1968. Penn Central's continuous financial despair throughout the 1970s forced them to turn over their commuter service to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The station and the railroad were turned over to Conrail in 1976, and eventually became part of the MTA's Metro-North Railroad in 1983.

Platform and track configuration

3	■ Harlem Line	for Grand Central
	■ New Haven Line	no stop
1	■ New Haven Line	no stop
2	■ New Haven Line	no stop
4	■ Harlem Line	for Southeast, Wassaic
	■ New Haven Line	no stop

This station has two offset high-level side platforms, each four cars long and accessible from East Gun Hill Road (East 210th Street). When trains stop at this station, normally the front four open cars receive and discharge passengers.

The western platform, adjacent to Track 4, is generally used by southbound trains. The eastern platform, adjacent to Track 3, is generally used by northbound trains.

The Harlem Line has four tracks at this location. The two inner tracks not adjacent to either platform are used only by express trains.

References

1. 3rd Ave El just south of the northbound platform of the 210th St Station, looking south at the NYC Harlem Branch by Vic Gordon (NYCSubway.org)
2. April 1973 View of 3rd Ave. el from upper level by Kenneth Palter (NYCSubway.org)

External links

• Metro-North Railroad - Williams Bridge
• List of upcoming train departure times and track assignments from MTA
• Gun Hill Road entrance from Google Maps Street View