Two of the Bronx’s top pols announced a $1.6 billion deal for the Metro-North’s Penn Access project last weekend — a feat that is set to bring four new Metro-North stations to the borough with a goal of reducing commute time to Penn Station and stimulating the local economy.
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference on Nov. 5 announcing the Federal Railroad Administration would be awarding $1.6 billion for the project. The funding is set to go toward rehabilitating 19 miles of the Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line, as well as the construction of the four new stations in Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest and Hunts Point. As part of the deal, the senators also announced a separate $58 million award to replace the existing 115-year-old Pelham Bay Bridge track.
“Transit development equals community development, and now $1.6 billion is on the way to accelerate Penn Station access,” Schumer said. “That means shorter commute times, four new stations here in the Bronx, and more equitable transit. For far too long, the East and South Bronx has been a transit desert.”
The project, which has been in the works for years, will transform Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line from two to four tracks in the East Bronx and Westchester. The line will then connect with the New Haven line in New Rochelle to the new Bronx Metro-North stations, before ending up at Penn Station.
“These are transformational infrastructure projects that will improve safety, quality of life and economic opportunity for countless New Yorkers and in particular, for residents of the East Bronx,” Gillibrand said.
A benefit for Manhattan-bound Bronx commuters is that travel times through existing MTA lines to Penn Station that take an hour or longer will now be cut down by up to 50 minutes, according to officials.
Brad Knote, the deputy Penn Access Project executive, told the Bronx Times in an interview this summer that the new stations will also make it easier for people to get out of the city back up north.
“It provides a secondary egress point out of Manhattan back up into the Bronx and Westchester and into Connecticut,” Knote said.
According to Schumer’s office, the project is the largest expansion of the Metro-North Railroad — and it’s estimated to bring transit service within one mile of 500,000 residents.
Supporters of the megaproject also tout the possibility of increased infrastructure in the stations’ surrounding areas — including the chance of bringing more housing and commerce, although there aren’t many solid plans in place yet. However, Knote did tell the Bronx Times this summer that the Bronx Borough Planning Office is in the process of rezoning both the Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest station locations to allow for increased building heights and commercial opportunities.
This comes four months after a delay in which Penn Access officials blamed Amtrak for not delivering resources to keep the project running on schedule.
The project was originally slated for completion in March 2027, but this summer was pushed back to late 2027.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
