Movie Real Estate: 5 New York/Westchester Film Locations In The Girl On The Train
Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train has been one of the most highly anticipated book-to-movie adaptations of 2016 since first inklings of the film in March 2014. The novel’s original setting in London and its suburbs was transplanted to New York City and Westchester County. Here are five of the most prominent Westchester locations starring in “the thriller that shocked the world.”
1. Ardsley-on-Hudson train station
The cloudy days of November 2015 painted a suitable picture for this gloomy mystery-drama as Luke Evans, Lisa Kudrow, Allison Janey, Justin Theroux, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson and star Emily Blunt filmed at the town’s Ardsley-on-Hudson train station and train platform on Nov. 8 and Nov. 14. Moviegoers keeping a sharp eye out can spot the MetroNorth sign at the station behind Blunt’s character, Rachel, when she waits for her night train. A classroom in nearby school Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pelham served as another of the village’s backdrops.
2. Irvington, NY
Irvington’s Station Road tunnel and Village Hall are two other Westchester landmarks featured in The Girl on the Train. The town is something of a seasoned pro of the entertainment industry; the romantic comedy Wilde Wedding—starring Sir Patrick Stewart, Glenn Close, Minnie Driver and John Malkovich—also set up shop here recently, and Age of Innocence, Stephen King’s A Good Marriage, CBS’s Madame Secretary, and HGTV’s Property Brothers have shot footage in the area.
3. Dobbs Ferry—Main Street
Like Irvington, this tiny town is no stranger to the Hollywood spotlight; Showtime’s series The Affair has shot multiple sequences in Dobbs Ferry. The town’s Main Street is also one of the movie’s “main” (sorry) attractions; Megan attends class in the downtown Pilates and More studio, and Harper’s Bar and Restaurant at 92 Main St—whose locally sourced food and drink make for a lively, community-conscious night out—was also a set location.
4. White Plains, NY—Fisher Avenue Tunnel, Macy Avenue & Gedney Farms
Several spots in White Plains make appearances in The Girl on the Train, including the single-lane Fisher Avenue tunnel that features in Rachel’s investigation into the missing woman. Two houses in the town’s Gedney Farms neighborhood (adjacent ones on Macy Avenue, between Robinhood Road and Gedney Esplanade) served as the house of the couple Rachel develops her obsession with and her former home, where her ex, Tom, resides with his new wife.
5. Metro North Hudson Train Line
The Girl on the Train centers on something Rachel witnesses while on her daily commute to work; locking down the perfect train line, then, was perhaps the most crucial step in creating the ideal atmosphere. Director Tate Taylor, screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson, production designer Kevin Thompson and location manager Joe Guest selected the Hudson Line between Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester counties and Manhattan’s Grand Central Station along Metro North. The Grand Central Oyster Bar further figures in one of the most significant moments in the film.
