Manitou station

Manitou
Hikers returning from the Bear Mountain area await a New York City-bound train at the Manitou station.
General information
Location1 Manitou Road, Garrison, New York
Coordinates41°19′57″N 73°58′15″W / 41.3324°N 73.9709°W / 41.3324; -73.9709
Line(s)Hudson Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Other information
Fare zone7
Passengers
201830 per week
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Garrison Hudson Line
limited service
Peekskill
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Garrison
toward Chicago
Main Line Peekskill
toward New York
Location
Map

Manitou station /mænɪt/ is a commuter railroad station in the town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York. Named after the hamlet of Manitou where it is located, the stop services trains of Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. Manitou station is a limited service stop, one of two on the Hudson Line, along with Breakneck Ridge in the town of Fishkill. Both stations serve as stops for local hikers. Appalachian Trail station on the Harlem Line also serves this purpose. Manitou station is a two side platform station located at the crossing of Manitou Road. The station has seven inbound trains stop on weekends toward Grand Central Terminal and six outbound trains on the way to Poughkeepsie station. This station is the least used station in Putnam County, with only 42 passengers per week in 2018.[1][2]

History

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Manitou station in December 2018

In November 1972, a local development company offered to build a project at Manitou station on the Edward Swinburne property. This new development would build 630 condominium units on 125 acres (51 ha) of land between Route 9D and the Hudson River and have a v-shape design built into the hillside to prevent visibility from both sides. The new development would also build a new train station at Manitou, which would require a zoning ordinance from the town of Philipstown. The project's developers also wanted an assessment on the property that would create a tax decrease.[3]

Residents were skeptical of the new project and the benefits to the area, with locals in Philipstown showing opposition at a hearing on November 1. Numerous residents gave oppositional statements at the hearing and talked about the increase of traffic and possible crime that would come with a new condominium complex. The Phillipstown Planning Board and Putnam County Planning Board had already rejected the project on lack of access for cars and necessary facilities.[3] The Philipstown Town Board followed with their rejection on December 28, 1972.[4]

In June 1973, Penn Central Railroad announced they would discontinue 34 trains and four stations on the Hudson Division. Manitou, along with the stops at Oscawana, Chelsea and New Hamburg, were to be discontinued on July 2.[5] The stations officially closed that day.[6]

Station layout

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The station has two short low-level side platforms, which are each long enough for just one door of one car to receive and discharge passengers.[7]: 5 

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The Manitou station was featured in the television series Girls, in the episode "Video Games," in which Lena Dunham's character Hannah accompanies Jessa on a visit to her estranged father.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "2018 Metro-North Weekend Station Boardings". Google Docs. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "Metro-North 2018 Weekday Station Boardings Rankings.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Beardsworth, Denise (November 2, 1972). "Condominium Project is Opposed". The Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, New York. p. 15. Retrieved September 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Philipstown Board Rejects Swinburne Site Condominium". The Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, New York. December 30, 1972. p. 11. Retrieved September 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Penn to Shut Down Manitou Station". The Reporter Dispatch. White Plains, New York. June 7, 1973. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved September 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Grand Central Closes Early; No Incidents". The Herald Statesman. Yonkers, New York. July 2, 1973. p. 18. Retrieved September 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Metro-North Railroad Track & Structures Department Track Charts Maintenance Program Interlocking Diagrams & Yard Diagrams 2015" (PDF). Metro-North Railroad. 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
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