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Click here to learn about the Unlimited Membership! x Home / News & Reviews / News Wire / Groundbreaking marks start of work on Penn Station Access Groundbreaking marks start of work on Penn Station Access By | December 10, 2022 Project to connect Metro-North to Penn, add four Bronx stations aims for completion in 2027 Email Newsletter Get the newest photos, videos, stories, and more from Trains.com brands. Sign-up for email today! [ ] Get Updates Woman speaking at podium with video screen to her left Woman speaking at podium with video screen to her leftNew York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Penn Station Access project in the Bronx on Dec. 9, 2022, next to a video screen showing a rendering of the project's Morris Park station. Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul --------------------------------------------------------------------- BRONX, N.Y.-- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the Penn Station Access project, which will allow trains from Metro-North's New Haven Line to directly serve Penn Station while adding four new stations in the Bronx. Hochul said in a press release that the project "will not only drastically reduce commute times, but it will also help connect hundreds of thousands of residents and boost local economies," while Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber called it "a game changer for a huge and transit-deprived swath of the Bronx. 500,000 residents live within just a mile of the four new Metro-North stations, and many more when you look at the entire service area." Map showing location of new Metro-North stations in the BronxThe location of the four Metro-North stations to be built as part of the Penn Station Access project. Metropolitan Transportation Authority The project will use the Amtrak Hell Gate Line, which currently does not see commuter service, and take advantage of station slots opened at Penn Station by the forthcoming opening of the Grand Central Madison project, which will shift some Long Island Rail Road trains from Penn Station to the new facility beneath Grand Central Terminal. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarded the major contract for the project a year ago [see "MTA awards contract ...," Trains News Wire, Dec. 16, 2021]. It will add stations at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-op City, which are estimated to reduce commute times by as much as 75 minutes for some passengers. Currently projected to cost $3.18 billion following the addition of funding of the yard in New Rochelle, N.Y., where the Hell Gate Line meets the New Haven Line, the project is expected to see service beginning in 2027. It will also require four new interlockings, reconfiguration of the Pelham Bay interlocking, five new electrical substations, and upgrades to two existing substations. "Bringing Metro-North service to Penn Station will connect the subway, LIRR, NJ Transit, PATH, and Amtrak, offering regional connections unlike anywhere else in the country," said Catherine Rinaldi, Metro-North president and Long Island Rail Road interim president. "The completion of all transportation projects underway will redfeine what transit looks like in the Tri-state area and provide essential transportation to communities with limited options." The project will involve adding a third and, for most of its length, a fourth track along Amtrak's currently double-tracked Hell Gate line, which was built to accommodate up to six tracks. Amtrak, which also benefit from the infrastructure improvements along the Hell Gate Line, is contributing $500 million toward the project, and has agreed to pay any costs resulting from delays if it fails to meet commitments to provide workforce or outages for construction work. Comments+ 5 thoughts on "Groundbreaking marks start of work on Penn Station Access" 1. Charles Landey says: December 10, 2022 at 10:45 am When did Robert Moses do us a favor by leaving us and going on to the Next Life? Half a century ago? When was Co-op City built in a transit desert? Half a century ago? In New York, projects are measured by the half century. Sometimes it's worth the wait. This is an awesome project. Whatever it costs, do it. Reply 2. Harrison Weinberg says: December 10, 2022 at 11:14 am I heard that for part of the Penn Station access, Amtrak and the MTA would also replace the Pelham Bay Bridge with a high level fixed span sort of like the new Portal Bridge, is that still happening or will that be separate from the current Penn Station Access project? Nonetheless it is still exciting to see another long awaited project leave the proposals phase and enter the actual construction phase, and I can't wait for other projects like this to become more than just proposals and actually become reality. Reply 3. Lawrence Sell says: December 10, 2022 at 11:57 am These stations being built are not "new" stations. There are remmants of the old stations still visible. They were serviced by the New York, Westchester, and Boston on a line that operated from Port Chester along the New Haven to New Rochelle and then via the Hell Gate line to, I believe, 133rd street in the Bronx, making connection with the 3rd Avenue El. One can see the easement for six tracks between P. Chester and N Rochelle. Also, catenary supports are six tracks in width. These trains DID NOT operate into NYP. That service ended during the depression. The New Haven did operate into NYP via the same line but did not make stops at those stations. Reply 1. George Pins says: December 10, 2022 at 12:52 pm For those interested in this little-known aspect of New York rail history, "the" book is "Westchester's Forgotten Railway," by Roger Arcara, published by Quadrant Press in 1972 (revised and expanded edition). The railroad south from New Rochelle Junction was the Harlem River Branch of the New Haven, and NH did at one time operate local passenger service along it, as well as the NYW&B. Reply 2. Terry Green says: December 10, 2022 at 2:30 pm This is the kind of deep dive and historical context that makes my time spent at the news wire worthwhile. Thank you! 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