Overview
- MTA officials now list 2030 as the earliest full-completion date for the $2.9 billion Penn Access program linking Metro-North’s New Haven Line to Penn Station.
- The MTA proposes beginning limited Metro-North service in 2027 to Co-op City, Morris Park, and Parkchester/Van Nest using existing tracks, excluding Hunts Point for the interim.
- The scaled plan envisions 31 daily trains with peak-direction service, contingent on Amtrak approval of track outages, staffing and temporary station arrangements.
- Agency leaders cite an independent review and say Amtrak delivered only 7 of 48 promised outages in 2022–23 and missed required foremen on 98 workdays, driving early setbacks.
- Amtrak says it remains committed, reports more than $140 million invested, and describes mitigation steps including longer outages, added personnel, taking on work scopes, and possible temporary train suspensions.