So today marks the last day of 2024, quite a year, am I right? Anyways, now that East Side Access is completed, we can now focus our attention on Penn Station Access the exact opposite.
Penn Station Access is a project that will bring Metro-North service into Penn Station. In Phase 1, they’ll start with New Haven line trains via Hell Gate, and in Phase 2, Hudson Line trains will also be able to reach the lower East Side by usage of the Empire Connection. There isn’t much known about how Metro-North will split service between Grand Central and Penn Station, however, I assume Metro-North will go down the Long Island Railroad route by rewriting the schedules entirely. There isn’t that much known about completion dates of this project, however, New Haven line trains are expected to run into Penn Station by 2025. Phase #1 will bring 4 new stations in the Bronx, and one in Queens, and Phase 2 will bring two new stops in Manhattan.
As we ring into the New Year, Metro-North much continue to make strides on this project, and must begin preparing to meet the deadline. My hope is that Metro-North will unveil the new timetables (or at least give us a very good idea on what service will look like) so people will have an idea on what service will look like and they can express concerns on it. I’m hoping they do surveys so they can get a feel for what the transit demand is and The New Haven Line is a huge line so different parts have different travel demands.
As Metro-North sets its sights on Penn Station Access over the next couple of years, let’s hope they meet deadlines and not make the same mistakes as East Side Access!