Wait by the door at the end of the next car, although there are times when only the front half of the train opens, particularly when it has just arrived nearly empty and the passengers have been consolidated in the first four cars. If you're standing between them and the car has no middle door, you'll end up doing the choo choo equivalent of searching for a seat in a crowded school cafeteria.įor the best shot at a preferred perch in the Quiet Car behind the diesel, keep in mind that its doors don't always open at Grand Central because they remain closed at stops north of Croton-Harmon. At Grand Central the spray-painted numbers such as 9|50 and 9|00 on the low cement walls between tracks can give you a good idea of where the doors at each end of a car will open. No matter where you get on, note where the doors tend to be when a train stops, so you're not one of last passengers in if you're waiting in a crowd. Obviously the closer you cut it to the bone, the fewer available decent seats there will be, especially if you want one with some elbow room in a three-across or by a window. I'd like to share them with the class.įor starters, if you commute out of Poughkeepsie Station and/or Grand Central Terminal, try to arrive at least 10 minutes before your train's departure. While riding Metro-North's Hudson Line for 15 years I've learned a few tricks for grabbing a good seat and a more pleasant trip while saving some doubloons in the process.

Metro north hudson line stops