It was billed as a public workshop/open house and help plan around future Metro-North service in your neighborhood!
However, it appeared to be a what would you like to see by the new Metro North station, and very little about the Metro North service. There were plenty of people from the various city agencies involved with lots of charts and drawings, but no concrete answers. Over a dozen people from the City planning Commission, people from the Parks Department, Housing Preservation Development Department, and Department of Transportation, but no real answers.
As you will see residents gave their suggestions as to what they wanted to see by the new train station, which ranged from a fitness center to curb cuts for buses to let people off at the station and other suggestions. The Bronx DOT Commissioner was on hand to say that the city no longer makes curb cuts for buses, but now extends the curb out as a bus bulb. Other ideas were taken as the study area is about one half a mile around from where the new Metro North station is to go, That however was not conveyed to members of the public who were giving their suggestions for the the strip of East Tremont Avenue adjacent to the rail lines. Not noted also was that Amtrak and CSX railroads share and have priority as to the use of the New Haven Line of the Metro North Railroad, or that this particular Metro North line covers the states of New York and Connecticut.
When I asked what the fare would be from Parkchester to Grand Central Station no one was able to give me a clue. As to other Metro North related questions, I received the same 'We don't know yet' answers to the frequency of service, accessibility from the full area around the station, and the answers were "We are here today to hear what the community wants'.
Above - The station area is in a bold line, with the impacted area around. Parkchester to the south, and Van Nest to the north.
Below - A chart with the various educational levels and incomes of people living around the new Metro North station.
Above - A City Planning Commission worker puts community suggestions on a map of the area around the proposed Parkchester Metro North station.
Below - With all the suggestions on it, the area sheet is gone over to make sure the suggestions are written and have been done correctly.
