Metro-North adds weekend foliage trains to Beacon and Poughkeepsie through Nov. 8

Metro-North Railroad is running six extra trains every weekend between Grand Central Terminal and the Hudson Valley for fall foliage season. The added service started last week and continues through Sunday, Nov. 8.

The seasonal “Leaf Peeper” runs are three morning departures from Grand Central heading north toward Beacon and Poughkeepsie, and three afternoon trains back to the city.

Metro-North leaf peeper trains: planning a Hudson Valley day trip

The timetable works for a simple outing. Ride north in the morning, spend a few hours upstate and take an afternoon train back to Manhattan. Saturday works too, which leaves Sunday free.

The Hudson Line runs beside the river for much of the trip north, so during foliage season a window seat offers a view of the changing landscape before the train reaches the stations.

Extra trains don’t change when the leaves turn. Check foliage conditions before choosing a weekend.

New Metro-North weekday trains from Oct. 4

The foliage runs come with a wider schedule change that took effect Sunday, Oct. 4. Commuters on three lines, the Hudson, the Harlem and the New Haven, now share five new weekday trains on the regular timetable. A number of existing trains also leave at different times or make different stops.

Hudson Line riders heading home get a new peak express at 4:52 p.m. It leaves Grand Central and ends at Croton-Harmon, with stops in Tarrytown, Philipse Manor, Scarborough and Ossining along the way. North White Plains now has a morning express of its own on the Harlem Line. On the New Haven Line, the changes bring more room for morning riders, plus a pair of new express trains to South Norwalk in the afternoon.