Riverdale (Metro-North station)

The Riverdale (also known as Riverdale - West 254th Street) Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York via the Hudson Line. Trains leave for New York City every 25 to 35 minutes on weekdays. It is 13 miles (21 km) from Grand Central Terminal and travel time to Grand Central is approximately 26 minutes.

As of August 2006, daily commuter ridership was 543 and there were 153 parking spaces.

Considering the station's location on 254th Street, the name "Riverdale," while technically accurate, can be confusing. The station is one of two possible exit points for Riverdale bound passengers, the other being Spuyten Duyvil. Actually, when compared with Spuyten Duyvil's daily 913 daily riders, the Riverdale station serves a smaller percent of Riverdale's population than Spuyten Duyvil. That said, the station is almost exclusively responsible for serving the railroad needs of the Fieldston and North Riverdale sections of Riverdale.

Adjacent to the station's southbound platform lies the Riverdale Waterfront Promenade and Fishing Access Site. Dedicated in 2005, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the park "is 20 ft wide and 600 ft long, providing benches and a place to fish or take a stroll between Metro-North train tracks and the Hudson shoreline."

Platform and track configuration
This station has two high-level platforms each eight cars long. The western one is an island platform generally used by southbound or inbound or Manhattan-bound trains. The eastern one is a side platform generally used by northbound or outbound or Westchester County-bound trains.

The Hudson Line has five tracks at this location. The western platform is adjacent to Tracks 4 and 6, but only Track 4 carries Metro-North passenger trains. (Track 6 is used only by freight trains.) The eastern platform is adjacent to Track 3. The two inner tracks not adjacent to either platform are used only by express trains.