MTA Metro-North Beacon Station

I have commuted from many stations on the Hudson line regularly (Garrison, Tarrytown, Marble Hill, Croton Harmon and Ossining) and the Beacon station is the absolute worst. For a station that yields a $ 460 monthly pass to GCT (or 45 dollar roundtrip) this train station needs a serious upgrade. The underpass smells like dead people in a port-​o-​potty. I have to hold my breath every day to walk through. The parking is horrendous and it can sometimes take 15 – 20 minutes to just get out if you’re getting picked up at rush hour times. I LOVE the town of Beacon and its people deserve a lot better!!! I really hope they upgrade soon.

Worst Metro North station I’ve been to. The man who previously worked at the concession stand was downright nasty. As a result of no station bathroom and a padlocked port-​a-​john, the underpass reeks of urine. I’ve seen even worse things here, but will spare you the details.
I regularly vote against Beacon in various «cutest town» competition on behalf of the dismal station.

This is a mediocre train stop with decent lighting and a small shop for newspapers and soft drinks. Taxi cabs are available to take you throughout the city of beacon and the city of Newburgh which is directly across the river. It’s usually crowded during the rush hours and parking can be a nightmare. Be careful at night walking to your vehicle as the crowds thin out. Overall not a bad place to catch a train to the city and avoid the traffic.

When I think of other Metro North stations (and I have seen a lot lately) I usually smile. When I think of this one, I grimace. It is functional, I will give it that.
But it lacks the charm of some of the stations on the Harlem Line. Heck, it isn’t even as charming as Peekskill, just a few towns south. It wasn’t that clean and the sign wasn’t well maintained.
Plus, it kind of smelled like urine. I do not think there was any correlation between that detail and the fact that my friends and I had just spent 8 hours drinking beer before waiting for the return train to NYC, but I could be wrong about that. In any case, it was unpleasant.
But don’t let that stop you from visiting Beacon, it is a lovely town, pee notwithstanding.

The round trip ride from Beacon to Harlem isn’t bad. I actually like taking the train, although, it is pricey. The only issue is there are a lot of selfish people on the Metro North going upstate to Beacon… People see you standing and refuse to move their bags, water bottles, feet etc… Or they just plain old refuse to move over… Middle seats are useless because no one sits in them. The state needs to rearrange the seating on the Metro North… A few days ago I watched a pregnant lady standing next to me… Very selfish… Today, I stood for about ½ hour until the next stop. Extremely selfish people.

From Grand Central Station to
was a comfortable ride and the ticket person from central to beacon was very nice– 1:30pm ride

For a weekend commute to the city, this is a great station. This station has a great view of the Hudson River. The $ 30 roundtrip is worth the savings in gas, tolls, carbon emissions, and parking hassle. The trip to the city is straight forward, rarely requiring a transfer.
Parking is free on weekends and holidays. There is permit parking for regular commuters and also long term metered parking during the week.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed metro north yet. Well this is one of the stations that runs directly to grand central station in manhattan.
I love to take the train from here to grand central because it is so stressful to drive and this train takes you rite to 42^nd and then I can get to the upper east side in no time.
The prices at the station during peak hours are $ 20 each way. The prices once on the train are $ 26 bucks each way. Round trip peak is $ 40 bucks which isn’t that bad because of you drive down there then you have to park. I would rather pay $ 40 than $ 100 to hire a driver to take me down. I made the mistake of buying my ticket on the train coming back upstate and I will never do that again it’s $ 26 bucks or you get kicked off the next stop haha. The parking is good here it is a pretty big lot but ⁹⁄₁₀ times there will not be a spot in the main lot. I usually get dropped off here. I would recommend getting dropped off if you can.
The views are really nice you can hear the birds and the views from the platform in the fall are amazing the water looks soo nice from here.
I would recommend taking the train to manhattan from here it is great just make sure you get your tix at the station and not on the train. You can save a few bucks.
PROS:
–easy way to get to manhattan
CONS:
–parking can be difficult some days. If you can get dropped off

The Beacon Metro-​North train station is the place to be for absolutely breath taking views in the summer and fall. Metro North is also the place you don’t want to ride if you want your breath to be taken from you literally on a sweltering summer day.
I often take the Metro North in the summer in lieu of driving to Manhattan to reduce my carbon footprint and reduced carbon emissions into the air hoping I’m helping the environment at my own expense by dying of heat exhaustion on the train. 9 out of 10 times when I ride the train the air conditioning is non-​existent and makes for a terrible ride especially when it’s 90+ outside. For the price I’m paying I’d expect a little more so if they are going to be cheap with the air conditioning they can at least provide high powered fans.
Service failure/​interruptions is average when compared to other mass transit (i.e. bus). Parking is an absolute nightmare unless you arrive at 3AM so for anyone traveling after 5AM, good luck finding parking. If you are a regular commuter then you’re already getting raped with pricing between monthly passes & monthly parking fees which I’ve looked into before opting for the bus across the river.
If you’re just getting away for the day the Metro North is the best option in terms of scheduling but on a hot summer day bring a battery powered pocket fan or some paper to create a make-​shift homemade fan, you’ll thank me. For regular commuters who fear change, you’d be shocked how much you would save taking the Shortline bus across the river. The bus has FREE parking and the monthly ticket pack is about 25% cheaper than train.
Parking is by far the biggest problem at this train station so give parking some thought beforehand and consider parking a few blocks from train if necessary which is not ideal on a hot day. Good Luck!

The main entrance is a narrow artery, too small for the throngs of people who use this station. It is also prone to flooding, which cuts off the only handicap-​accessible entry.
There is a secondary passage, a stairway. This, too, is small for the crowds.

Like all Metro North stops, the vistas from here are quite stunning; you definitely see a side of NY that you don’t initially think of when you hear «New York.»
The riverfront and the park are right here, so any events going on (which do happen) can make for an easy commute from the city to attend your fairs, craft beer fests, etc. The kiosk for tickets is user friendly and accepts card, and there is the little glass looney box for those that can’t take that 50 degree weather and need protection from the elements.

I went through Beacon station on my way to Poughkeepsie to catch the Amtrak back to Ohio. Overall, the station isn’t terrible but it was really difficult to figure out where to go to get to the track after our taxi dropped us off. Once on the platform, we only had to stand for a few minutes before the MTA to Poughkeepsie arrived. Pretty basic station but it accomplishes the job — if the signage were a little more «nonlocal» friendly, I’ve certainly give it 4 stars.

While the train was on time and the platform had the requisite amenities (easy to find kiosks to purchase train tickets and a small coffee shop), my main complaint about the train station is about the parking situation. It was suggested to me to leave my car at Beacon and take the Metro North into Grand Central for a recent trip I took to the City. And yes, there is plenty of parking and lots of empty spaces, for permit holders only. Come here during a weekday and you need to come very early to find parking, otherwise the spaces fill up and there’s nowhere for you to park without breaking the rules. Try contacting the parking vendor, LAZ, and get nowhere there either. In my opinion, this could be handled better.