The Bronx is getting four new Metro-North stations
Aerial view of Co-op City via Wiki Commons
According to Governor Cuomo, the MTA, Empire State Development, and Amtrak have reached an agreement to build four new Metro-North Railroad stations along an underutilized rail line in the east Bronx, giving this very much underserved area access to Penn Station. The “transit desert,” as the press release calls it, will receive stations at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-op City. And considering the Bronx had the most approved residential units last year, the news couldn’t come at a better time. The buried news here is that this will also be the first time Metro-North will come into Penn Station.
Via Wiki Commons
As 6sqft previously reported:
First announced in 2014, the expansion of Metro-North service to the Bronx is part of the Penn Station Access project, which will link Penn Station to the New Haven Line. The four new stations in the Bronx would open after the completion of the Penn project.
The west Bronx benefits from several stops on the Hudson and Harlem lines of Metro-North, but the east and south Bronx are woefully underserved. To address this, over the summer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Transporation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, NYCEDC President James Patchett, and City Planning Director Marisa Lago joined forces to create the Bronx Metro-North Working Group to study the idea of bringing the four new Metro-North train stations to the borough.
In terms of logistics, lines from the new stations will travel over the Hell Gate Bridge into Queens, using the LIRR’s East River Tunnels to make their way to Manhattan and Penn Station. “With a reconstructed Moynihan Station currently underway, these four stations not only will connect the east Bronx to Manhattan’s West Side, but also build upon our ongoing efforts to fully transform our state’s transportation infrastructure,” said Governor Cuomo. Not only will the stations reduce commute times for Bronx residents, but it will bring a wider pool of workers and residents into the area and also allow people to consider jobs in Connecticut and Westchester.
This morning, the MTA Board’s Metro-North Committee approved a $35 million contract for “preliminary engeering and design” of Metro-North’s Penn Station Access project (as it’s called). Amtrak’s Board also needs to approve the plan, as does the full MTA Board, the latter of which will vote on Thursday. Both parties are expected to vote yes. The MTA’s 2015-2019 Capital Program includes an initial $695 million investment in the plan, with $250 million in state resources coming from Empire State Development. To complete the project, the MTA hopes for additional funding in the 2020-2024 Capital Program.
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