MTA releases environmental report on Penn Station project

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently published the Environmental Assessment for its Metro-North Penn Station Access Project and opened up the 45-day public comment period.

The project will bring Metro-North service to the west side commuter hub and add four new stations in the Bronx via a rail line used by Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

Once the project is completed, it will cut travel times for East Bronx residents and provide access to destinations in Connecticut and Westchester that were previously difficult to reach.

“To be able to expand to another part of the Bronx and to help our customers more easily reach the west side of Manhattan and other employment destinations in the region is a major development and incredibly exciting for us,” Catherine Rinaldi, Metro-North Railroad president, said. “This project will give the East Bronx and all of our customers better transit options which translates to more economic and social opportunities for all.”

Residents can review the assessment online and at various in-person sites throughout the Bronx.

On June 15, a virtual public meeting on the project will be held.

The project resumed May 13 after being paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of several projects to make Metro-North service more useful in the Bronx.