Current and Future Use
The Beacon Line was purchased by Metro-North so it could keep the right-of-way intact for possible future use. It also serves as a route to move trains between Metro-North's various service and maintenance facilities, without the need to move trains all the way down to New York City, the only other place all three east-of-Hudson lines are connected.
However, the high cost of maintaining a rail line, especially one that does not generate revenue, is a chief reason the Beacon Line is not used very often. Steep grades over Stormville Mountain are an additional deterrent, especially if longer trains were to be moved.
Many have advocated reactivating the line for passenger service. Although no such service is currently contemplated, it was one of the reasons for the purchase of the line. One current use of the line is as the Dutchess Rail Trail. The portion of the line which was the former Maybrook Line was double-tracked; the Beacon Secondary Track was single-tracked. Dutchess County is currently attempting to acquire Right-of-way along the Beacon secondary to continue Phase III of the rail-trail project.
On Monday morning, March 7, 2011, when heavy downpours washed out part of the right-of-way on the Danbury Branch just south of Bethel, 5 locomotives and 25 rail cars were stranded in Danbury Yard. Because these trains were needed for passenger service and the repairs were expected to last at least two weeks, the MTA decided to move the equipment over the Beacon Line to the Harlem Line just north of Brewster, where the trains were moved south to the Mott Haven Wye, where they were sent back up the New Haven Line to Stamford for passenger service. Multiple cars were coupled, with the trains operating at restricted speed.
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