Southeast (named Brewster North until 2003) is a modern Metro-North Station that opened in 1980, as part of the Upper Harlem Line electrification project with third-rail electric M1s trains able to serve the station, starting in 1984 when the Upper Harlem Line electrification was completed. The station replaced the former Dykeman Station 2 miles north of this station, where the line becomes single-tracked for the rest of the journey to Wassaic. Today the stop is an important terminus station receiving hourly or better service throughout the day, with base off-peak electric service to and from Grand Central running local to White Plains, some trains serving Scarsdale and then non-stop to 125 Street. Passengers (except for four through dual-mode diesel trains that run during rush hours, with one trough train on Weekends) heading to Wassaic transfer to a diesel shuttle train here at Southeast to continue their journeys.
The station does this all from a single-island platform that has a single elevator and staircase at it’s southern end. This leads across the west track to another staircase and elevator down to a small drop-off area and a long and narrow parking lot (just two aisles and four rows of parked cars), that stretches north to just before I-84 crosses over the now single-tracked line up to Wassaic, and south to a fenced off area that is employee parking lot and entrance to the Brewester/South East train yard and Southeast Diesel Maintenance Facility, near Prospect Hill Road. The station is not well suited to pedestrians with just one 1-mile long access road that lacks a sidewalk named Independence Way that ends in about the middle of the parking lot, a bit north of the train platform.
Metro-North wants to expand their train yard and has a plan to convert all parking into a parking garage and improve access to the station. This project was supposed to begin in Fall 2020 but due to the COVID-19 related ridership cliff that is effecting Metro-North the status of this project is unknown (Presentation to the Town of Southeast on the Project).
All Photos: 12 June, 2008
Brewster 