For more than two decades, STV has been a key participant in the redevelopment and modernization of one of MTA Metro-North Railroad’s (MNR) most essential maintenance facilities, the Harmon Shop in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
MNR’s largest maintenance facility, the Harmon Shop has been a central component of New York’s rail infrastructure for more than 100 years. Since 2001, the site has undergone significant improvements with the fifth and final phase – the construction of a brand new, 400,000 square-foot state-of-the-art maintenance and repair facility – wrapping up soon.
STV, as a subconsultant, is serving as the industrial engineer-of-record for the Harmon Shop’s fifth phase, which was commemorated last year with a visit from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. During the ceremony, the facility was celebrated by dignitaries for being able to “ensure the MTA meets the maintenance needs of the Metro-North fleet now and into the future.”
For STV’s team, the ceremony marked the culmination of efforts that began during the program’s second phase, which, among other improvements, called for the demolition of the existing 100-year-old Car Maintenance facility and its replacement with a new facility.
STV has a long-standing relationship and understanding of MNR’s maintenance operations and of the larger Harmon Shop redevelopment, which has given us key insights throughout this program. That knowledge allowed us to partner with other firms during this final phase to overcome some challenges during the design, including developing interior areas within the facility that could service several different variants of passenger vehicles and locomotives, all developed by different car builders. As a result, when we were designing the service pits in the shop, each one needed to be able to accommodate equipment that could support cars at different locations along the vehicle.
The new facility has been equipped with a dozen car hoists, four pedestal tracks and multiple door-level and roof-level platforms to assist in the preventive maintenance of MNR’s fleet. A second floor was designed to streamline the parts distribution between the new electric shop and adjacent support shops and the consist maintenance shop by integrating a service corridor connecting all three buildings.
The need to upgrade the Harmon Shop was first identified when MNR took ownership of the facility in 1983. By the late 1990s, capital funds were appropriated by the MTA with the first phase formally kicking off in 2001.
STV first came onto the program in Phase II, providing preliminary design, design oversight and construction support services. In the second phase, the firm developed bridging documents for the new maintenance-of-way building which also encompassed the installation of a drop table, an 11,000-square-foot expansion of the material distribution center and the construction of a 5,000-square-foot central communications building. In Phase III, STV provided preliminary design for a 109,000-square-foot coach shop and the 67,000-square-foot locomotive shop. The coach shop consists of two train-length maintenance tracks and three tracks equipped with vehicle lifts for maintenance. The locomotive shop features four pit-pedestal inspection tracks with floor-level and roof level platforms, a two-track drop table and a locomotive wash facility. The phase also included support areas like a truck repair shop, a parts storage area, administrative offices and employee welfare facilities.
Through every phase of the program, the larger goal was to accommodate MNR’s ongoing growth as one of the largest commuter rail systems in the United States. The new shop will also allow MNR to continue its current streak of four straight years with an on-time performance of at least 97 percent and provide tens of thousands of daily commuters with reliable transportation.
