Metro North Readies Route to Penn Station
New Haven Line trains to run via Hell Gate Bridge, serve East Bronx and South Bronx communities
Back from a two-week holiday break I focus tonight on the Hell Gate Bridge, which is, IMHO, the most iconic railroad infrastructure in the New York metropolitan area. Best known for the 1,017-foot through arch span across the eponymous channel of the East River, it actually stretches 17,000 feet from end to end as a viaduct, which makes it the third-longest railroad bridge in the United States.
Hell Gate was built by a joint venture of the Pennsylvania and the New Haven Railroads known as the New York Connecting Railroad and opened in 1917. The bridge and connecting rail lines unlocked New England markets for the Pennsylvania. They also gave the New Haven, which used trackage rights over the New York Central to reach Grand Central Terminal, an alternate route into Manhattan.
In addition, New Haven freight trains could now reach New York’s Upper Bay via the Long Island Rail Road’s Bay Ridge Branch. This brought them closer to the freight rail terminals in New Jersey and shortened car float runs. Plans for a rail tunnel under the bay to permit through train operations never came to fruition but are still proposed from time to time.
After the bridge opened the Pennsy and New Haven started through passenger trains via Pennsylvania Station between Washington and Boston, Montreal and Maine. They also operated coordinated freight schedules using car floats between Jersey City’s Greenville section and Bay Ridge.
The project represents Metro North’s largest expansion since it was formed in 1983 to take over Conrail commuter train operations in New York and Connecticut.
Hell Gate remains a vital piece of railroad infrastructure in the Northeast. Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor uses it to access points east of New York. In addition, it is the sole land route for rail freight moving on and off Long Island.
The Hell Gate Line, which begins in New Rochelle, where it diverges from Metro North’s New Haven line, is about to get busier. A $3 billion-plus upgrade of the 19-mile segment is now under construction with completion expected in 2028. When finished, 102 Metro North and 60 Amtrak trains are anticipated to run over the route. Project elements include:
· Eight miles of new track to expand from a two track to four track route.
· Rehabilitating 11 miles of existing track.
· Rehabilitation of four bridges over the Bronx River, Eastchester Road, Bronxdale Avenue, and Pelham Lane.
· Four new and one reconfigured interlockings.
· Five new and two upgraded substations.
· Modernization of signal, power, and communications infrastructure.
· New, ADA-accessible Metro North stations in the Bronx at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Ness, Morris Park, and Co-op City.
The project represents Metro North’s largest expansion since it was formed in 1983 to take over Conrail commuter train operations in New York and Connecticut. When it opens the route is expected to serve 30,000 daily riders, including 13,000 from the four new stations.
The new stations in the South and East Bronx will provide new transit options for residents of these underserved areas, 90 percent of whom are minority with 25 percent living below the poverty line. The 500,000 people who live within a mile of the route will gain access to quick, reliable commuter rail service into Midtown Manhattan and job centers in Westchester County and Connecticut.
“We are bringing modern, safe, and reliable public transportation to East Bronx communities and with it, more economic opportunity for New Yorkers," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a statement.
"This project means dramatically shorter commutes and life-changing access to jobs, education, health care and everything else New York has to offer,” added Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) CEO Janno Lieber.
For example, the trip from Co-op City to Penn Station, which now takes 75 minutes via bus and subway, would be reduced to 25 minutes, a 50-minute savings each way. Persons traveling from Connecticut could save as much as 75 minutes.
As a benefit of infrastructure improvements and greater redundancy the project provides Amtrak passengers will enjoy improved reliability and on-time performance when the project is complete. The intercity rail company, which owns the route, is contributing $500 million toward the project.
In addition, Amtrak will compensate Metro North for delays that result from failure to provide needed track outages and personnel needed for construction. Amtrak staffing issues added $1 billion to the cost of the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access project.
One of the first steps in the project is building the new Leggett Interlocking near Oak Point yard in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. It consists of new switches, signaling, and overhead wiring and allows Amtrak trains to operate around construction zones when one of the two existing tracks to New Rochelle is taken out of service. It is expected to enter service in early 2025.
The Penn Station Access project, as MTA calls it, is about redundancy, reliability, resilience, and serving under-served communities. Like with the LIRR’s Grand Central Madison station, which opened in 2022, Penn Station Access will give New Haven line riders a choice of Manhattan terminals. If trains are not running to one station passengers could still use the other to get home or into the city.
This additional capacity will prove its value since Metro North plans to rebuild the Park Avenue viaduct and tunnels, which lead in and out of Grand Central Terminal. Amtrak’s East River tunnels are also being rehabilitated. Hopefully that project will be finished before Metro North trains start to run over the Hell Gate Bridge.
Additionally, Gov. Hochul just issued a call to upgrade Metro North’s Hudson line. She wants to cut up to 15 minutes off running times between Poughkeepsie and Grand Centrals. One idea being discussed is adding a second track to Amtrak’s Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, which would allow some Hudson Line trains to run into Penn Station, as well.
Penn Station Access’ project high price tag gives some observers jitters. Transit critic Larry Penner recalls that when New York prepared the project environmental impact statement some 20 years ago the estimated cost was $350 million.
Construction inflation is a global topic, i.e., it is not solely an MTA issue. It warrants more thorough examination than I provide here, However, costs for this project are in line with the $2.5 billion it cost to build the LIRR Third Track between Floral Park and Hicksville, a 9.7 mile distance. With more than 100 new trains – and 30,000 daily riders – expected to use the upgraded Hell Gate line the project is a worthwhile investment.
Penn Station is overcrowded as it is. New Jersey Transit trains sometimes sit in the Hudson River tunnel waiting for a track. Where are they going to put the trains from New Haven?