Renovation of Fordham Metro-North Station Now Complete
The Bronx rail station has a rebuilt northbound platform and features art work by Dan Funderburgh.
By Alexandra Pacurar
Eureka by Dan Funderburgh
New York—The MTA Metro-North Railroad announced the completion of upgrades at the Fordham Metro-North Station in the Bronx. The renovation followed the modernization of the historic station building on Fordham Road in 2014.
The northbound and southbound platforms were painted, cleaned and updated with renovated elevators, new LED lighting, canopies, benches, real-time information monitors and public address systems. The staircases were enclosed and widened to reduce commuter congestion, while platform shelters have been modernized with “Push for Heat” technology.
In order to double the capacity of the northbound platform from 461 to 813 persons, Metro-North acquired a strip of roughly 7,128 square feet from Fordham University. This allowed the widening of the structure from 10 feet to more than 19 feet. This will also improve time performance of trains, as passengers will take less time to board and exit the trains. Also, a ramp for people with disabilities has been installed at the north end of the southbound platform.
“Fordham Station is the busiest reverse-peak commutation station in the nation,” Joseph Giulietti, president of Metro-North Railroad, said in a prepared statement. “These renovations are making it easier, more comfortable and more pleasant for our Bronx customers who work outside the city to get to their jobs.”
The station now features permanent artwork by Dan Funderburgh, commissioned by MTA Arts and Design to create a site specific installation. Eureka, a series of four “rose windows” composed of two layers of waterjet-cut aluminum in black and gold, depicts the diverse flora seen at the nearby New York Botanical Garden and references the Gothic details found in the surrounding architecture of Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus. The NYC Department of Transportation and Department of Design and Construction have also renovated the neighboring Fordham Plaza.
Image courtesy of MTA Arts & Design via www.mta.info
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