MTA begins Penn Station access project; LIRR takes over Grand Central Madison

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week broke ground on the MTA Metro-North Railroad Penn Station Access project in New York City.

The project will deliver rail service to the Bronx with four new rail stations, the commuter railroad's largest expansion since its founding in 1983, MTA officials said in a press release. Rail service to and from Manhattan, Westchester and Connecticut will be offered within a mile of 500,000 East Bronx residents, expanding access to jobs, education and entertainment.

The new route is designed to reduce travel times, provide reverse commuting opportunities and offer critical additional service into Manhattan, MTA officials said. The new stations will be located in Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City and will be fully accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The expansion will use Amtrak's Hell Gate Line to access Penn Station to optimize existing infrastructure and minimize construction impacts on surrounding communities, MTA officials added. The new stops will also serve as an extension of the New Haven Line from the New Rochelle Station.

Amtrak will benefit from the infrastructure improvements to be made along the Hell Gate Line, MTA officials said, and will contribute $500 million toward the project.

The project will cost $3.18 billion after the MTA amended its capital plan in July to include an additional $385 million in funding for the New Rochelle Yard expansion project and $312 million to support initial fleet acquisition needs, according to MTA documents detailing the amendment.

Meanwhile, the MTA Long Island Rail Road yesterday took operational control of Grand Central Madison from MTA Construction and Development, which has been building the new 700,000-square-foot terminal below Grand Central Terminal. The control transfer represents a step taken toward the terminal's opening, which is expected before year's end, MTA officials said in a press release.

Overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration, the transfer signifies that rail operations at the new terminal and the tunnels leading into it are now federally regulated territory, MTA officials said.

The project is in the final stages of testing, with contractors testing air flow and life safety systems as well as escalators and elevators.