South Bronx residents have limited transit options to reach jobs, education and other opportunities in the business districts of Manhattan, Westchester County and neighboring states.
However, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is expanding their service with the Penn Station Access project, which will build four new MTA stations in the Bronx in Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester and Hunts Point.
While MTA’s Environmental Assessment (EA) of Penn Station Access was approved for publication last month, Congressman Ritchie Torres and Senator Chuck Schumer are calling on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to prioritize promptly approving the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project.
As parts of the south and east Bronx have been transit deserts for decades, the lawmakers sent a letter to FTA Acting Administrator Nuria Fernandez on June 10, expressing their desire to have the FONSI expedited. This new mode of transit will save up to 50 minutes in each direction, and Bronx passengers traveling north to jobs in Westchester County and Connecticut will save up to 75 minutes per trip.
“With Penn Station Access’s FONSI, the project will be able to move forward, and provide needed commuter rail
services to our constituents,” they said in the letter. “Penn Station Access is a transformational project for the residents of the South and East Bronx, offering them needed access to mass transit. In order for it to move forward quickly, we urge you to prioritize its FONSI approval. We look forward to your response and working together to serve our constituents in the Bronx.”
