Claim: Melrose Station, which was acquired by Conrail in 1976 and was turned over to Metro-North Railroad, a suburban commuter rail service which was run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was almost closed due to low daily ridership.
Evidence: As with other NYC stations in the Bronx, the station became a Penn Central station once the NYC and Pennsylvania Railroads merged in 1968. However, because of the railroad's serious financial distress following the merger, commuter service was turned over to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1972. Penn Central was acquired by Conrail in 1976, and the line and station were completely turned over to Metro-North Railroad on January 1, 1983. In 1988, the station was nearly closed due to the station's low daily ridership of 20. The MTA has the responsibility for developing and implementing a unified mass transportation policy for the New York metropolitan area, including all five boroughs of New York City and the suburban counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester. 2,429 commuter rail cars
6,418 subway cars
63 SIR cars
5,725 buses