Transit • Bronx
📅 Updated: Oct 29, 2025 ⏱️ 3–4 min

Penn Access Pushed to 2030 at the Earliest; MTA Cites Amtrak Outage & Staffing Shortfalls

Four new Metro‑North stations for the East & South Bronx were planned for 2027. The MTA now lists 2030 as the earliest date for full service, with a 2027 partial‑service proposal if Amtrak agrees. A concise map, timeline, and service pattern appear below.

Work zone along Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line in the Bronx for Metro‑North Penn Access construction
Feature image positioned near the title to retain focus. Credit: THE CITY. Also see the Bronx Borough President’s post for a public update.

What This Widget Covers

Scope, dates, and station plan are presented in a compact, mobile‑first layout. Sources referenced in the attached material are kept via backlinks, including the public post on X and related Karmactive explainers. The intent is to keep the information human‑readable while avoiding long text blocks.

$2.9B
Project Budget
4
New Bronx Stations
7 / 48
Outages Provided / Promised (first two years)
2030
Earliest Full Service

Project Context in Brief

The work runs along Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line with corridor expansion from two to four tracks and station builds at Co‑op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, and Hunts Point. The corridor rehab spans roughly 19 miles. Related improvements and modernization across the network are covered in our Acela upgrade explainer and MTA fare update brief.

Planned Stations & Route (Penn Access)

Planned Station Partial Service Target (2027, if approved)

Timeline: What Happened, When

Dec 2022
Penn Access broke ground, with a public target of 2027 for service to Penn Station via Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line.
Early 2023
The schedule was pushed for preliminary work; the MTA cited limited track access on Amtrak territory.
2022–2023
Of 48 track outages committed on paper, only 7 were delivered in the first two years. Required foreman coverage was also cited as missing on multiple outage days.
Jun 2025
The Leggett Interlocking was completed after slipping beyond the original January 2024 target.
Oct 2025
MTA leadership publicly pressed Amtrak regarding outages and floated a partial 2027 service plan for three stations (Co‑op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest).
By Nov 12, 2025
The MTA requested a response from Amtrak regarding mitigation and the partial‑service proposal.
2030 (earliest)
MTA now lists 2030 as the earliest date for full Penn Access service.

Proposed 2027 Partial‑Service Pattern (if approved)

Weekday pattern from the attached material:
  • Morning peak: 5 Manhattan‑bound trains
  • Afternoon peak: 5 Bronx‑bound trains
  • Reverse peak: 2 morning trains
  • Base service: Hourly in each direction, ~6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  • Stations: Co‑op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest (Hunts Point to follow)

What’s cited for delay in the attached material?

Limited outages on Amtrak‑owned right‑of‑way and required supervisory staffing not being present during outages, which affected scheduled work windows.

Project scope in brief

Corridor expansion from two to four tracks; four stations (Co‑op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, Hunts Point); and infrastructure rehabilitation along approximately 19 miles of the Hell Gate Line.

Public context

See the Bronx Borough President’s post for a public note on expectations and community interest.

Milestone Slip Visual (Illustrative)

This simple inline SVG shows relative schedule slip across listed milestones from the attached material. It avoids external libraries for maximum reliability.

Dec 2022 Early 2023 2022–2023 Jan 2024 Jun 2025 Oct 2025 2030 0 1.0 1.5 2.0
The material above covered dates, budget, station list, outage counts, the Leggett Interlocking milestone, and the 2027 partial‑service proposal. Backlinks to the public post and related Karmactive pages were included for reference.
Karmactive Whatsapp group - https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb2BWGn77qVMKpqBxg3D

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