Penn Station Access Newsletter - Issue 3 (February 2023)

 

Newsletter

Issue 3: February 2023

Welcome to the Metro-North Penn Station Access project quarterly newsletter. Penn Station Access will bolster equity, regional connectivity, and reliability by providing a new transit option. For past newsletter issues, please visit our project website. For updates on specific areas along the project corridor where work will take place, sign up here.

Clic aquí para leer más sobre este proyecto transformador, nuestro equipo, y lo que hemos logrado hasta ahora en 2022.

2022 Year In Review

Above: Governor Kathy Hochul accompanied by elected officials and various agency leadership for groundbreaking. Source: Marc Hermann / MTA Above: Governor Kathy Hochul making remarks at THE POINT. Source: Marc Hermann / MTA

The Penn Station Access project has made significant progress in its first year! In December 2022, the project team welcomed New York Governor Kathy Hochul along with Senator Chuck Schumer and other representatives for the project’s ceremonial groundbreaking at the future Parkchester/Van Nest station site. The groundbreaking was followed by a press event at THE POINT Community Development Organization in the Bronx. Read more about the event here.

Project Updates DCP Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan The Penn Station Access project continues to be in close coordination with the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Study – a separate NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) initiative to ensure that Bronxites see the most benefit from the stations delivered by the MTA project. In December, representatives from the MTA and project team presented at DCP’s Bronx-Metro North Public Info Sessions about the planning work for the Morris Park and Parkchester/Van Nest station areas. Read more about the DCP Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan to here. Capital Program Committee Meeting On January 30, 2023, Project Executive Tom McGuinness presented at the MTA board Capital Program Committee meeting with a focus on project status, coordination with Amtrak, potential risks, and ongoing mitigation efforts. You can watch the full presentation here. What’s Next in 2023 The Penn Station Access project has a busy year ahead, developing design packages and commencing work on several major elements along the project corridor. MTA is coordinating closely with Amtrak and CSX on right-of-way access to keep construction on track (pun intended). Starting in March 2023, Amtrak will provide a long-term single-track outage for as long as 8 months, with no impacts to customers. Longer-term outages can significantly improve construction efficiency and productivity as they provide the Design-Builder larger windows to advance critical work along the tracks. It also provides an opportunity to install certain engineered controls to protect the work with less required Force Account support (see below). Rail Term Roundup – Force Account Force account is another term for a railroad’s in-field staff, such as flaggers and supervisors, working to carry out a capital project. These crews are essential to maintaining safety during construction on an active rail corridor. MTA must rely on Amtrak force account support when work takes place on or adjacent to Amtrak-owned properties. At the start of the Penn Station Access project, MTA entered into an agreement where Amtrak committed to providing track access and force account staffing to keep the project on schedule. Recently, Amtrak reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the project and is working with the MTA to provide the necessary extended track outages and force account resources while maintaining both passenger and freight service along the corridor. Collaborating with our railroad partners is the key to delivering this mutually beneficial project that will bring the Hell Gate Line into a state of good repair, improve reliability and on-time performance for intercity passengers, and prepare the line for future high-speed rail. Above: Penn Station Access construction worker conducting test pit along the project right-of-way, 2022 Contact Us Interested community members can now sign up for updates on specific areas along the project corridor where work will take place. Website: http://new.mta.info/project/penn-station-access Email: PSAOutreach@mtacd.org Phone: 347-263-7837