A long-awaited plan has been approved for constructing four Metro North stations in the Bronx.
According to Senator Jeff Klein, the $743 million plan to build the Metro-North stations in the Bronx was approved by the MTA Board at the MTA Metro-North Presentation to Co-op City Stakeholders on Wednesday, September 24.
The envisioned plan of the MTA is finally coming to fruition – a highly anticipated project that would construct Metro-North stops in Hunts Point, Parkchester, Morris Park and Co-op City by 2019, connecting Bronx commuters to Manhattan, Westchester and Connecticut easier than ever before.
This plan also includes connecting Penn Station to Grand Central, making it easier for Metro-North riders to transfer to subway lines, the Long Island Railroad and the New Jersey Transit, and vise versa.
“This plan will put residents in transportation deserts on track for quicker commutes and better job opportunities,” said Klein, who worked closely with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to put this plan in the works.
Currently, the Metro-North has 13 stations located in the Bronx – seven on the Harlem Line and six on the Hudson Line. However, none of these stations are located in neighborhoods of the east Bronx.
This plan proves to be extremely beneficial for the commuters of these neighborhoods, especially for Co-op City – which stands isolated from the current Metro North New Haven Line and IRT 5 Lexington Avenue Express Line.
With a population of almost 40,000 people, Co-op City, a city in itself, now has an easy, quick and reliable source to connect its commuting residents to the rest of the borough and beyond, amidst its isolation.
Currently, Co-op City commuters who don’t own a car must rely on the Bx23, Bx26, Bx28 and Bx30, with the closest subway, the IRT 5, nearly two miles away. For a commuter traveling from Co-op City to Manhattan by bus, the expected travel time is just under one hour to midtown and an hour of 15 minutes to the west side.
Since the plan has officially been OK’d, commuters now look forward to quicker, easier and more direct commutes to and from work, in the state with the longest job commute in the country on average, according to published reports.
“This is an important first step as we move towards a victory for our borough,” said the senator. “Ruben Diaz Jr. and I found that this major transportation development will also act as an economic engine for the Bronx.”
The MTA has hosted information sessions for Morris Park, Co-op City and Hunts Point stakeholders to spread insight on the new project. A fourth session will be held for the stakeholders in Parkchester at St. Raymond’s Auditorium, 2380 E. Tremont Avenue, on Wednesday, October 22.
For more specific information on each proposed station, go to web.mta.info/mta/planning/psas
