The 183rd Street station was a station on the
New York Central Railroad's
Harlem Line, serving the neighborhoods of
Fordham,
Tremont and
Belmont
Belmont may refer to:
People
* Belmont (surname)
Places
* Belmont Abbey (disambiguation)
* Belmont Historic District (disambiguation)
* Belmont Hotel (disambiguation)
* Belmont Park (disambiguation)
* Belmont Plantation (disambiguation)
* Belmon ...
in
the Bronx,
New York City. The
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad also ran through this station but did not stop here.
History
Background
The
New York and Harlem Railroad
The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...
expanded their main line across the Harlem River through Tremont into
Fordham in 1841. Stations existed both in Tremont and Fordham back then, but not at 183rd Street. The New York and Harlem was bought by the
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...
in 1864, but did not build a station at this location until sometime between 1898 and 1901.
Opening
On July 1, 1901, the
Metropolitan Elevated Railway (later acquired by the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company) extended the
Third Avenue Elevated Line to Fordham Station, bringing a rapid transit connection there.
Pelham Avenue station was the northern terminus of the line until it was extended to
Bronx Park Terminal ten months later. As a result, the
Third Avenue Railway also began to operate from Fordham Plaza converting it into the major transit hub that it is to this day. 183rd Street station was built just in time to deal with the capacity issues at Fordham Station to the north, though the Third Avenue El also had another station on 183rd Avenue nearly several blocks to the east.
Decline
On May 25, 1909, a hearing was heard on the New York Central's application to discontinue the station. In summer 1950, the Central sent a petition to the
New York Public Service Commission (PSC), requesting permission to close the station. On April 10, 1951, the PSC denied the Central's request.
Declining ridership following World War II, coincided with the decline of much of the Bronx. As with other NYC stations in the Bronx, 183rd Street became a
Penn Central station once the NYC &
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
s merged in 1968. Penn Central acquired the New Haven Railroad in 1969, but the New Haven only stopped at nearby Fordham station, as it had been doing since the 1920s. However, because of the railroad's serious financial distress following the merger, commuter service was turned over to the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1972. The station was closed by Penn Central in 1972, along with
138th Street and
Morrisania stations in the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
.
Hagstrom's Street Map of The Bronx; 1943 (War of Yesterday)
/ref>
References
{{Reflist
External links
image at Museum of the City of New York
"Onehundredeightythird Street Station" Topo Map in Bronx County NY (TopoZone.com)
Former railway stations in New York (state)
Former New York Central Railroad stations
Railway stations in the Bronx
Railway stations closed in 1972
Park Avenue
Tremont, Bronx