Metro-North Announces 2016 Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule for Harrison Commuters

HARRISON, NY — There will be extra service on Metro-North over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and travel will be a little cheaper because off-peak fares will be in effect Thursday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 27.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that customers will be able to take advantage of free parking at many of its stations as well.

A Thanksgiving weekend timetable is available at Grand Central Terminal and outlying stations, or you can access it online here.

Wednesday, Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving
On Wednesday, Nov. 23 — the heaviest travel day of the year for the railroad — there will be 18 early getaway trains that leave Grand Central Terminal during the midday. Extra service includes three additional trains on the Harlem Line between 2:18 p.m. and 3:34 p.m., five extra trains on the Hudson Line between 1:38 p.m. and 4:11 p.m., and 10 extra trains on the New Haven Line between 12:58 p.m. and 4 p.m. Some evening trains may be canceled or combined, so be sure to check the timetable.
There will also be early getaway trains on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines Wednesday. On the Port Jervis Line, the 2:41 p.m. train from Hoboken to Middletown, with a connection departing Penn Station at 2:29 p.m., is extended to Port Jervis. The 6:11 p.m. train from Hoboken will not operate.
On the Pascack Valley Line, there will be a 2:58 p.m. departure from Hoboken, with a connection departing Penn Station at 2:51 p.m., making select stops in New Jersey before arriving at Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley. The 7:20 p.m. train from Hoboken will not operate.

Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24
Metro-North will provide additional inbound morning service for customers heading to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which kicks off at 9 a.m. at 81st Street and Central Park West and ends in front of Macy’s at Herald Square (34th Street). There is also expanded outbound service starting in the late morning and continuing through mid‐afternoon. If you’re leaving New York after the parade, customers must show a ticket before boarding trains at Grand Central or Harlem-125th Street Station. On this day last year, about 30,000 customers departed Grand Central between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Finally, there will be extra trains in the evening for customers returning to New York City after their Thanksgiving feasts.

West of Hudson, a regular holiday/weekend schedule is in effect for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line, with one additional round trip on the Port Jervis Line (shown in the Nov. 6 timetable). Parade-goers can take a 6:22 a.m. departure from Port Jervis arriving in Hoboken at 8:30 a.m. (a connection at Secaucus Junction arrives at New York Penn Station at 8:39 a.m.). After the parade, there is a 12:21 p.m. departure from Hoboken (12:14 p.m. from New York Penn Station) that operates express to Suffern before making all stops to Port Jervis.

Friday, Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving
On Friday, Nov. 25, Metro-North will operate on a Saturday schedule with additional inbound service in the morning and outbound service in the afternoon to accommodate the Friday workforce and Black Friday shoppers.
West of Hudson, a regular weekday schedule is in effect for Friday, Nov. 25.

Saturday and Sunday (Thanksgiving Weekend)
Metro-North will round out the holiday weekend schedule with extra trains and additional cars on existing trains. Service on Saturday, Nov. 26 features upper Hudson and outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Special service. Regular half‐hour service to/from Stamford on the New Haven Line and to/from North White Plains on the Harlem Line will operate all day. On Sunday, Nov. 27, trains run on a normal half‐hourly schedule featuring outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Specials.
A regular weekend schedule is in effect on Saturday, Nov. 26, and Sunday, Nov. 27, for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line.
Customers are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, and those traveling into Manhattan can purchase a 10-trip off-peak ticket to save 30 to 40 percent off of the one-way fare. The ticket can be used by more than one person, even when you are traveling together. The “Family Fare” costs $1 per ticket for up to four children (ages 5 to 11) when they are traveling with a fare-paying adult. Metro-North recommends customers use MTA eTtix®, the mobile ticketing app that enables you to purchase one way, round trip, 10 trip, weekly and monthly passes on your smartphone or mobile device. For information about the eTtix® app, please visit: this website.

Patch file photo.