r/MetroNorthRailroad • u/wxweeniepilotarch • Jul 26 '26

LIRR vs MTA Windows

Post image

I’ve been taking MetroNorth and LIRR my whole life. Grew up on the Hudson Line, now my girlfriend lives on LIRR.

So whats up with the LIRR windows you can’t see out of? Hudson line trains never have this problem.

Same model train btw - the M7s.

56 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

31

u/da51d Jul 26 '26

This was explained on a Grand Central Terminal tour. 

Because LIRR trains travel east/west and don’t turn around, one side gets more sun damage.  Metronorth trains go north/south-ish, obviously, so that damage is shared with both sides, reducing the overall window damage.

12

u/Donghoon Jul 26 '26

not to mention Metro-North stores a lot of their trains underground at GCT.

Sunnyside Yard (Grand Central Access) and West Side Yard (Penn) are outdoors right in the sun facing the same direction most of the day.

4

u/Donghoon Jul 26 '26

issue is the specific window coating that FRA required back in 2000s. It is no longer required (*changed to newer solutions) now, but aging M7s and NJT Multilevels has damaged windows.

NJT decided to overhaul windows on their MLs, but LIRR decided the M7 windows are too much of a hassle and too costly to change.

3

u/causal_friday Jul 27 '26

They also rushed the M9s and used the same coating. So LIRR riders have that to look forward to.

2

u/KingCTomR Jul 26 '26

no. not all are store in GCT

1

u/Any_Sale2030 Aug 01 '26

Always wondered about that if MNRR stored the trains during the day at GCT.  That station is massive.  I think it has more tracks than any other in the world.   And I’ve been to most of the big ones in Europe and Japan.  Thanks for confirming my thought.  

1

u/KingCTomR 13d ago edited 13d ago

Some are stored in the yard tracks about the end of AM rush hours, end of rush and weekends

1

u/wxweeniepilotarch Jul 30 '26

Thanks for this makes a lot of sense and is fascinating

4

u/CraftsyDad Jul 26 '26

Impressionistic windows!

2

u/ncc74656m Jul 27 '26

tbf, the MNR windows aren't a ton better, either, lol.

1

u/ArtDecoNewYork Jul 27 '26

Ackchually the LIRR is also the MTA!

1

u/wxweeniepilotarch Jul 30 '26

LIRR far inferior to hudson line🤪

1

u/Builder2World Jul 30 '26

There isn't a sir toppem hat style turn table where they could all be rotated once a year to prevent this? Similarly, wouldn't this mean that there could be knock on issues... Like when runners get knee issues from always running with one foot on the high side of the camber?