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Penn Station Access

The MTA will create an extension of Metro-North Railroad‘s New Haven Line to reach Penn Station. This will create four new accessible stations, improve existing tracks and bridges, and will cut travel times from the Bronx to Manhattan by as much as 50 minutes.
Updated Sep 16, 2024

Details

  • Location
    Bronx, Connecticut, Manhattan, Westchester County
  • Type
    System Expansion
  • Status
    Construction

Area Map

Timeline

Planning
  • May 2021: Environmental Assessment released for public review
  • September 2021: FTA issued Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
Construction
  • December 2021: Design-build contract awarded to Halmar International, LLC/RailWorks, J.V.
  • January 2022: Notice to proceed issued
  • February 2022: Site surveys and advanced design are underway
  • December 2022: Groundbreaking for Penn Station Access takes place in the Bronx

About the project

Penn Station Access will not only provide new rail service for New Yorkers living and working in the East Bronx to Penn Station, but it will also create a direct Metro North connection from Manhattan’s West side to the Bronx, Westchester, and Connecticut via four new ADA-accessible stations located at Hunts Point, Morris Park, Co-op City, and Parkchester/Van Nest. In order to support new rail service, the project includes a scope of work necessary to bring Amtrak’s existing Hell Gate Line into a state of good repair, which includes four bridge rehabilitations, reconfigured interlockings, and the modernization of signal, power, and communication equipment.

As construction progresses, the MTA will hold public meetings to give community members advance notice of key construction phases and milestones.

Penn Station Access broke ground in December 2022, and the project is estimated to be complete by 2027.

Project benefits

  • Four new ADA-accessible stations at Hunts Point, Morris Park, Co-op City, and Parkchester/Van Nest
  • A one-seat ride between Penn Station and the East Bronx, Westchester, and Connecticut
  • Significant reduction in commutes between the Bronx to Manhattan
  • Newly generated economic growth in and around the East Bronx
  • A second Metro-North route into Manhattan and another terminal for the railroad
  • 19 miles of new and rehabilitated track along Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line, which will improve reliability and on-time service for Amtrak customers
  • Less traffic and air pollution

Map of the Penn Station Access track and stations

Construction updates

We are coordinating closely with Amtrak and CSX on right-of-way access to advance the Penn Station Access project.

From March 2023 through September 2023, Amtrak provided a long-term single-track outage. Longer-term outages can significantly improve construction efficiency, productivity, and safety by giving the Design-Builder larger windows to complete critical work along the tracks.

MTA coordinated with Amtrak on a second single-track long-term outage from May 2024 through July 2024 to commission Leggett Interlocking, a critical project component that will provide operational flexibility for the duration of the project.

Read more about Amtrak service impacts.

Sidewalk, traffic, and parking updates

Latest news

About Penn Station Access

Contact us

24/7 construction hotline: 347-263-7837
Email: PSAOutreach@mtacd.org

Please use this form to sign up for updates on the Penn Station Access project.

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