NEW YORK- A project that will bring train service within one mile of 500,000 residents is moving full speed ahead, according to US Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirstin Gillibrand. The senators have announced the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is awarding $1.6 billion for the Penn Station Access project which will comprehensively rehabilitate 19 miles of the Hell Gate Line connecting Penn Station and New Rochelle.
“Transit development equals community development, and now $1.6 billion is on the way to accelerate Penn Station Access. That means shorter travel times for our Westchester commuters, four new stations here in the Bronx, and more equitable transit for all New Yorkers,” said Schumer. “For far too long, the East and South Bronx has been a transit desert, and communities from New Rochelle to Port Chester have had to go to extra lengths to get to work every day.
“These are transformational infrastructure projects that will improve safety, quality of life and economic opportunity for countless New Yorkers and in particular, for residents of the East Bronx. Most importantly they will help save New Yorkers’ most precious resources: time,” said Gillibrand.
Funds approved in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law are helping pay the lion’s share of the Penn Station Access project.
