Proposal to introduce Metro-North service along the Amtrak line could affect both the Bronx and western Queens

Image source: MTA (click here for a larger image/pdf)

Currently the MTA is in the midst of a proposal to introduce Metro-North train service to the east Bronx, using Amtrak’s Hell Gate line (cool photos here). Four new stations are also being considered for this transit-light area, including the vicinities of Morris Park, Co-op City, Hunts Point, and Parkchester. These stations would provide connections to Penn Station, Westchester, and Connecticut. The cost to build it all would be around $350 million.

This Amtrak line just happens to run right through residential areas of Astoria, Sunnyside, and Long Island City, too. Would the increased Metro-North train service impact the quality of life in these neighborhoods? For those living near the Amtrak line, it is quite loud at times when a train passes (as often as three times an hour), especially along the part of the line that is constructed in all steel (the parts of the line that run over the giant concrete viaducts can be quieter).

That said, a number of people have voiced a desire for a Metro-North station in Astoria. The Ditmars/31st Street area comes to mind first, which could theoretically allow for an easy transfer between the Metro-North commuter rail and the Ditmars N/Q subway stop (the Amtrak viaduct lies directly over the Ditmars subway station (GMAP). This would no doubt require some serious construction in this part of Astoria (Astorians were irked the last time there was major work done on the Amtrak viaduct near this station, because of the seemingly permanent scaffolding).

A new commuter rail station in Sunnyside is already in the works as part of the East Side Access project, which will connect the LIRR’s Main and Port Washington lines to Grand Central, where a new LIRR terminal will be built. The new Sunnyside LIRR station will be located at Queens Blvd and Skillman Ave (GMAP), which is relatively close to both the 33rd Street 7 station (also close to LaGuardia Community College) and the E/M/R station at Queens Plaza.

For those that are interested and/or concerned, the MTA is hosting community information sessions regarding this proposal. This is being done in cooperation with the Bronx Borough President’s Office. Three of the four sessions are scheduled for September and October as follows:

• September 24: Co-op City, Dreiser Community Center, 177 Dreiser Loop, 2nd Floor Auditorium B (GMAP).
• October 2: Hunts Point, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, 928 Simpson Street (GMAP).
• October 22: Parkchester, St. Raymond’s High School for Boys, 2151 St. Raymond Avenue (corner of East Tremont Avenue and Purdy Street). At this meeting the NYC Department of City Planning will provide updates on its Sustainable Communities study related to this proposed station area (GMAP).

Each session will start with an open house at 6:30pm followed by a presentation at 7pm that will include concepts for the four proposed stations, and an update on the Penn Station Access environmental assessment.

MTA eying Metro-North access to Penn Station [2nd Avenue Sagas]
East Side Access [MTA]