New ‘super-express’ Metro-North trips travel between NYC and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes
Metro-North is launching faster “super-express” trains on the Hudson Line next month, zipping passengers between New York City and Poughkeepsie in under 90 minutes. Starting October 6, the service will offer the fastest trip ever between New York City and Poughkeepsie, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. Originally slated for 2026 and first unveiled in her 2025 State of the State address, the early launch comes after work was completed ahead of schedule.
“Delivering better, faster Metro-North service to Hudson Valley commuters will propel economic growth across our state and improve quality of life,” Hochul said. “These new super express trains will save commuters nearly 15 minutes of travel time every day, giving riders back over an hour a week of their precious time.”
She added: “This is just the start—work remains underway to deliver even more service improvements along the line, improving reliability and making trips up and down the Hudson Valley even faster.”
Currently, non-express trips between Poughkeepsie and Grand Central can take up to 115 minutes, depending on the number of stops. The new service will cut travel times by up to seven minutes on super-express trains and as much as 20 minutes on non-express trains.
Under the new schedule, the 6:08 a.m. train from Poughkeepsie will now be an 89-minute run, five minutes faster than the current run time, stopping at New Hamburg, Beacon, and Harlem-125th Street. The 6:44 a.m. train will depart at 6:44 a.m., making an 89-minute trip—seven minutes faster than its current run—stopping at New Hamburg, Beacon, and Croton-Harmon.
The 7:03 a.m. train from Poughkeepsie will depart at 7:05 a.m., making a 95-minute trip, five minutes faster than its current run time, with stops at New Hamburg, New Beacon, and Croton-Harmon.
In the afternoon, the 5:08 p.m. train from Grand Central will instead leave at 5:09 p.m., completing an 88-minute trip, seven minutes faster than it is currently, stopping at Harlem-125th Street, Beacon, and New Hamburg. The 5:30 p.m. departure will also be an 88-minute run, six minutes faster than its current trip, serving Beacon and New Hamburg.
Finally, the 6:11 p.m. train from Grand Central will depart at 6:12 p.m., making an 88-minute trip, seven minutes faster than its current run time, stopping at Harlem-125th Street, Beacon, and New Hamburg.
The railroad utilized special train-simulation software and in-depth analyses of GPS and signal data to create the new timetables. Improvements to the railroad’s signaling infrastructure have allowed it to further increase train speeds and reduce the effect of speed restrictions along the Hudson Line.
During her 2025 State of the State address, Hochul proposed investments in Hudson Valley rail service to increase capacity, reduce delays, improve safety, and cut travel times, including shortening “super-express” Hudson Line trips to under 90 minutes.
In addition to faster “super-express” service, Metro-North’s popular Leaf Peeper trains will run more trips for passengers visiting the Hudson Valley to see fall foliage. The Hudson Line will also offer extra weekend service from October 5 through November 9, with five additional trains running between Grand Central, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Thanks to these schedule improvements, riders can get where they need to go faster, while continuing to enjoy the safe, reliable service they expect from Metro-North,” Justin Vonashek, president of Metro-North, said.
“These enhancements build on the railroad’s record-setting reliability with a systemwide on-time performance of 98% — and with more improvement work underway, this is only the beginning.”
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