Page 66 - 2023 Westchester Relocation & Moving Guide

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LIVING IN WESTCHESTER AND THE HUDSON VALLEY | RELOCATION & MOVING GUIDE
TRANSPORTATION
Getting There From Here
OBy Train, Ferry, Bus And Plane
ne of the greatest advantages every place in between. Rockland and of living in Westchester and Orange County residents are serviced the Hudson Valley is the re- by Metro-Nor th’s Pascack Valley and gion’s strong transpor tation Por t Jervis lines, respectively. There are
capabilities, including one of the larg- also ferries connecting Haverstraw to est commuter railroads in the nation as Ossining and Newburgh to Beacon.
well as easy access to all parts of the Tri-State Area — and beyond.
The latest innovation is the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, spanning the Hudson River and connecting Westchester and Rockland counties. The 3.1-mile, state-of-the-ar t twin spans feature eight general traffic lanes and dedicated space for disabled vehicles, emergency responders, and buses. The popular shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians also boasts a public art program.
Railroad And Ferry Services
Bus Services
Buses remain an essential mode of transpor tation for thousands of resi- dents. In Westchester, the Bee-Line bus system serves the county’s passengers annually with a combination of local, express, and railroad-feeder bus services.
Rockland residents can also take Hudson Link — the commuter bus service which opened in October 2018 along the I-287 corridor and the Cuomo Bridge — to Metro-Nor th stations in Tarrytown and White Plains.
Transpor t of Rockland (TOR) is Rockland County’s local bus system, providing service along major corridors as well as feeder loops within the county.
Putnam Area Rapid Transit (PART)
operates fixed routes year-round in addition to a seasonal trolley in Cold Spring, and a commuter shuttle to the Metro-Nor th station at Croton Falls.
Dutchess County Public Transit
transpor ts approximately 800,000 passenger trips per year on 13 routes and two different RailLink routes to train stations.
Orange County sponsors 16 individu- al transit operators providing services in four general categories: commuter bus, local bus, dial-a-bus, and para transit services.
Paratransit services are provided in all counties for people who can’t use the local system due to disability.
Innovative transpor tation options are also gaining ground in the area. Since its launch three years ago, Circuit NR — a complementary on-demand electric shuttle service that transpor ts riders along several downtown routes — has provided more than 50,000 trips.
Air
The runway repaving of the main 6,500-foot runway in 2020 makes the Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains a preferred base for commercial, business, and general aviation services. The Airpor t is currently served by four major passenger airlines: American, Delta, United, and JetBlue.
General/private aviation has grown at the airpor t, with private char ter companies providing by-the-seat ser- vices, including Tradewind Aviation, Blade, XO Jet, and evoJets, and JSX. In addition to private jet char ters, these companies fly popular city pairs like NY to Miami.
Several Fortune 100 Companies have their corporate flight depar tments based at HPN. IBM, BlackRock, PepsiCo, and Nets Jets all occupy space at the airport, using HPN as a base for corporate jet travel. In May 2018, Houston-based fixed-base-operator Million Air opened a new hangar at HPN’s private aviation complex. The facility includes an 8,000 sq. ft., two- story, Adirondack-style terminal and a new, 52,000 sq. f t. hangar addition.
New York Stewar t International Airport in Orange County is routinely served by Allegiant Air and Frontier, offering flights to several U.S. cities in Florida, as well as European airline Play, which offers flights to Reykjavik, Iceland.
Metro-Nor th Railroad
ridership rates dipped dramatically when the coronavirus pandemic began, but are coming back. In September 2022, Metro-Nor th ridership reached its highest point since the pandemic began, logging slightly more than 179,000 daily riders. The 2019 numbers show the true strength of the system: overall ridership was 86.6 million, up 100,000 from 2018. The Hudson Line broke a record with 17.4 million rides in 2019, and trains overall arrived on time nearly 95% of the time, the best
performance in six years.
Commuters who take the Hudson
Line through Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties have an added bonus, with the Hudson River and Palisades serving as a beautiful backdrop. The Harlem Line brings commuters to and from bustling communities such as White Plains, Pleasantville, and Mount Kisco. The New Haven Line hugs the Long Island Sound and brings passengers to and from New York City or New Haven, CT, and
© COURTESY OF NEW YORK STATE BRIDGE AUTHORITY
Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge