The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a $19.7 million design contract to protect the Metro-North Hudson Line between Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx and Hastings-on-Hudson from stormwater runoff, tidal flooding, and mudslides. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the award on September 23, 2026, during Climate Week NYC. It is the first step in a $270 million construction project.
Key Takeaways
- The $19.7 million award covers the design phase of a $270 million project on the Hudson Line segment between Spuyten Duyvil and Hastings-on-Hudson.
- The segment carries about 25,000 Metro-North riders each weekday, plus Amtrak and freight trains, and has seen repeated floods and mudslides in recent years.
- The project is part of an $800 million Hudson Line resiliency effort in the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan.
- Work will target drainage and water-flow infrastructure, slope stabilization along the right of way, and assets rated in poor condition.
- Metro-North has projected that 80 percent of the Hudson Line will face increased flood risk by the 2050s.
- After Superstorm Sandy, the MTA spent more than $400 million hardening Hudson Line power, communications, and signal systems.
The Spuyten Duyvil to Hastings Segment Sits Between a River and a Hillside
The Metro-North Hudson Line has two water problems at once along this stretch. The Hudson River borders the tracks to the west, and steep slopes rise to the east. Heavy rain sends stormwater and debris downhill toward the tracks, while storm surges and high tides push water in from the river side.
The MTA says this combination has caused numerous floods and mudslides on the segment, disrupting a portion of the line used by roughly 25,000 Metro-North riders each weekday. The segment runs through the Bronx stops at Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale, then through the Yonkers stations at Ludlow, Yonkers, Glenwood, and Greystone, before reaching Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County. Amtrak’s Empire Service joins the corridor at Spuyten Duyvil, and freight rail shares the tracks as well. A washout here can affect intercity travel to Albany and beyond, not just the evening commute to Riverdale.
The $270 Million Project Targets Drainage, Slopes, and Aging Assets
The design contract sets up a $270 million construction project focused on three kinds of infrastructure: assets that manage water flow and drainage, structures that stabilize the right of way, and components already in poor condition. The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, in its statement on the award, listed the planned improvements as drainage, slopes, retaining walls, and shoreline structures.
An MTA Construction & Development solicitation for Hudson Line climate resilience design, issued earlier this year, described this kind of work in two tracks. The first covers preliminary engineering and bridging documents leading to a design-build construction contract for a lower Hudson Line segment. The second is a corridor-wide study to guide future projects. The design-build approach matches how the agency is handling other capital work, including the design-build rehabilitation of the Chambers Street J/Z station in Lower Manhattan. In that model, a single team handles both design and construction to shorten the timeline between approval and groundbreaking.
The Award Builds on the Hudson Line Climate Resilience Blueprint
The contract follows the Metro-North Hudson Line Climate Resilience Blueprint, which the MTA unveiled in April 2025. The Blueprint calls for rebuilding culverts, drainage, retaining walls, slopes, shorelines, and track. It focuses on a 20-mile stretch between Riverdale and Croton-Harmon that the agency identified as especially exposed to extreme weather.
The Blueprint also sets rules for every future Hudson Line project, including target track elevations, standards for waterfront shoreline improvements, and performance criteria for drainage. According to the MTA, more than half of the 74-mile line is vulnerable to coastal flooding, and much of its infrastructure is more than a century old. About 10 million riders use the Hudson Line each year.
At the Blueprint’s launch, Metro-North President Justin Vonashek projected that 80 percent of the line would face increased flood risk by the 2050s. That projection is why the $19.7 million award matters beyond its dollar amount. It moves the Blueprint from planning into engineering on the segment closest to New York City.
MTA Leaders Frame the Award as a Long-Term Commitment
Governor Hochul tied the award to the millions of riders whose commutes depend on the corridor each year. She described the spending as a long-term effort to make Hudson Line service more reliable.
MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer called the award a major milestone and said “the future of the line depends on us taking action now.” Justin Vonashek said, “We have a responsibility to protect this corridor,” and pointed to sustained investment and a series of projects to safeguard the line.
Local officials north of the city line welcomed the award. Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Thomas Drake thanked the Governor for advancing the work and called the design contract an important step against stormwater, tidal flooding, and extreme weather.
The Hudson Line Corridor Has Several Upgrades Moving at Once
The resilience award is one of several projects on the same rail corridor. The state’s 2025 budget committed $25 million to plan and design Hudson Valley rail improvements between New York City and Poughkeepsie. Those include a second track at Spuyten Duyvil, interlocking and signal work at Croton-Harmon, and a signal redesign at the Yonkers curve.
For Bronx and Yonkers riders, the practical question is sequencing. Design work comes first, followed by a construction contract. Riders should expect advance notice of track outages once crews start on slopes and shoreline structures. The Climate Week timing of the announcement placed a regional commuter line inside the city’s week-long climate conversation. The engineering that follows will show whether Metro-North can keep trains moving along a riverbank that floods more often than its builders ever planned for.
FAQs
What does the $19.7 million Hudson Line contract pay for?
The contract pays for the design phase of a $270 million project to protect the Hudson Line between Spuyten Duyvil and Hastings-on-Hudson from flooding and mudslides. Construction will follow under a separate phase.
Which Metro-North stations are in the project area?
The segment runs from Spuyten Duyvil to Hastings-on-Hudson. It includes the Bronx stations at Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale and the Yonkers stations at Ludlow, Yonkers, Glenwood, and Greystone.
How many riders use this part of the Hudson Line?
About 25,000 Metro-North riders use the segment each weekday, according to the MTA. Amtrak and freight trains also operate on the corridor.
How does this project fit into the MTA Capital Plan?
The project is part of an $800 million Hudson Line resiliency effort in the MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan. That effort follows the Hudson Line Climate Resilience Blueprint released in April 2025.
Why is the Hudson Line vulnerable to flooding?
The line runs along the Hudson River, with steep slopes on its eastern side in many places. That exposes it to both coastal flooding from the river and stormwater runoff from the hills, and much of its drainage infrastructure is more than 100 years old.
