MTA says Metro-North access to Penn Station could be delayed because of Amtrak
NEW YORK -- The more than $2 billion project to bring Metro-North customers into Penn Station could be delayed by as much as nine months.
CBS2's Elijah Westbrook looked into what's causing the delay, and why this isn't the first time it's created an issue with other major projects.
It has been more than a month since ground broke on the MTA's Penn Station Access project.
It promises to cut commute times for Bronx, Westchester County and Connecticut residents by as much as 75 minutes by sending select Metro-North trains through Amtrak's Hell Gate Line. It would make four stops in the East Bronx before terminating at Penn Station.
"At present, the project is potentially behind schedule. This is due to challenges working with the other railroads," said Jamie Torres-Springer, MTA President of Construction and Development.
Officials announced Monday at the MTA's first board meeting of the year the project risks being delayed by six-to-nine months because of Amtrak. According to the MTA, Amtrak agreed to provide a fixed number of outages and resources, including track crews, but it says Amtrak has been unable to fulfill that promise.
"It's a risk right now," said Janno Lieber, Chair and CEO of MTA. "Because they haven't been able to give these overnight and weekend outages."
CBS2 has learned similar issues with Amtrak came up during construction of the LIRR's East Side Access Project.
"The board is aware this has been a long-standing problem, and you've heard about it a lot particularly in Harold Interlocking in Sunnyside Yard," said Torres-Springer. "Which has cost us hundreds of millions of dollars over the budget due to difficulties getting support from Amtrak."
CBS2 reached out to Amtrak about the MTA's claims, and it said in a statement, "Amtrak and MTA are working closely on this project and pursuing options to improve the construction schedule."
As of now, construction is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2027, pending no further delays.
