NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved a design-build contract for the Penn Station Access project, which will bring Metro-North service to Penn Station via the existing Amtrak Northeast Corridor route over Hell Gate Bridge.
A joint venture of Halmar International and RailWorks has received the contract for the project, estimated to take 63 months and cost $2.87 billion.
The project will add four new Metro-North stations and is estimated to reduce commute times by up to 75 minutes for some passengers [see “Plan to bring Metro-North service to Penn Station …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 29, 2021]. The contract was awarded just days after Amtrak agreed to contribute $500 million to the project [see “Amtrak, MTA reach deal …,” News Wire, Dec. 14, 2021].
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a press release announcing the contract, said the project “is a big step forward for environmental justice, environmentally sustainable transportation, the Bronx economy and regional interconnectivity.” Acting MTA chairman and CEO Janno Liber said, “With four new ADA-accessible stations in Co-Op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest and Hunts Point, Penn Station Access will deliver access to jobs, education and opportunity for those underserved neighborhoods, cutting commutes to the Manhattan central business district, but also introducing reverse commuting opportunities.”
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