Hochul directs MTA to construct new Metro North station in Astoria, Queens and Perhaps More

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Hochul directs MTA to construct new Metro North station in Astoria, Queens

Sources tell The Chronicle that Governor Kathy Hochul is directing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to construct a new Metro North transit station in the Astoria section of Queens, which will give the borough newfound commuter access to Connecticut and the eastern shore of Westchester County.  An official announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

The new station will sit on the railroad corridor known as the Hell Gate Line, currently being improved as part of the long-planned West Side Access Project, which will enable commuter rail riders from Connecticut to directly access Penn Station by crossing Hell Gate Bridge into Queens before entering Manhattan via the East River Tunnel.

It will accommodate both Metro North service on it’s New Haven Line.  It’s also hoped that Governor Hochul’s newly proposed Interborough Express service between Brooklyn and Queens will also serve the Astoria station.  Some transit advocates would also like Amtrak’s trains to service at the station, since they will pass through the corridor anyway, though that would require additional approvals by federal regulators.

The new project will be included in Phase Two of the West Side Access Project.

The new station will sit on top of the MTA’s Astoria-Ditmars station, which is served by the N and W trains, where the Hell Gate Line crosses 31st Street. 

The West Side Access project will add new tracks along the Hell Gate Line right-of-way, relocate, reconfigure, and add new interlockings, realign and install new catenaries, replace and repair under-grade bridges, upgrade existing AC substations, and construct new AC substations.

An agreement for the first phase was reached in early 2019, and New Haven Line trains are tentatively expected to run into Penn Station in 2027, after the complimentary East Side Access Project opens. The expanded services will operate at Moynihan Train Hall, Amtrak‘s service wing of Penn Station.

Although the West Side Access Project includes the construction of four new Metro North stations in The Bronx, it includes no new stations in Queens.  Officials are unsure why former Governor Andrew Cuomo excluded Astoria from having access to the expanded Metro North service. 

“This is all part of Governor Hochul’s vision for a more multi-polar, decentralized New York — a region that is far less Manhattan-centric, where mass transit infrastructure enables residents to commute to work in every which direction,” an advisor to MTA Chairman Janno Lieber explains. “Hochul understands that Manhattan is less populated than Brooklyn, or Queens, or the Bronx — and she genuinely wants to improve folks’ lives.”

Hochul is making a series of modifications to Phase Two of the West Side Access Project — including the construction of new stations along Amtrak’s Empire Line, which runs under the West Side of Manhattan’s Riverside Park. 

The second phase of the project will bring Hudson Line trains into Penn Station using Amtrak’s Empire Connection, which runs on Manhattan’s West Side. The Empire Connection branches off from the Hudson Line near Spuyten Duyvil station, and is currently used by Amtrak’s Empire Corridor trains traveling from Upstate New York and Canada.

Hochul is planning new Metro North stations in Hell’s Kitchen, behind Lincoln Center, and at the foot of 125th Street.  Those stations will accommodate Metro North’s Hudson River Line service to Poughkeepsie.

The majority of the Empire Connection is not yet electrified, so electric railcars in use on the Hudson Line would be unable to travel to Penn Station until the line is fully electrified.  The former NYC lines, including the Hudson Line, use under-running third rail. Tracks in Penn Station and on the LIRR use over-running third rail. Any Metro-North cars travelling from the Hudson Line to Penn Station would have to be specially equipped to operate with both current collection systems.

Officials with the MTA hope that the Astoria-Ditmers station will emerge into a high-density, transit-oriented commercial hub with a heavy presence of Class A office space.

The West Side Access project was initiated on September 2, 1999 when the Federal Transportation Administration issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.  Penn Station access originally considered included Hudson and New Haven service, via the Empire Connection and Hell Gate Line, respectively — but also access to the Harlem Line access via rights of way at Mott Haven and Spuyten Duyvil.  At the time, Harlem Line access was judged to be too complicated to pursue.  Hochul does not plan to revisit that determination.

Source: https://buffalochronicle.com/2022/01/21/hochul-directs-mta-to-construct-new-metro-north-station-in-astoria-queens/?fbclid=IwAR1wE8nBiuu6pifUSQs9f0f9Eydr0qLIrpYE5GGnrsMBplfeJi70ln1NZDU

 

[GojiMet86]

I hope this is really true. I'm just trying to figure how such a station would be built. It might mean a good number of buildings get razed or get repurposed (maybe USPS Woolsey into an entrance).

If not, then maybe they should aim for Northern Boulevard and 51st Street.

EDIT: Hmmm, I'm looking at the site now. Some things aren't starting to make sense. Like I'm looking at this article about Hochul and Schumer landing two new expansion MLB teams for Rochester and Brooklyn. That shit don't make sense. I follow baseball religiously. Not a whiff about this on baseball sites.

Edited January 23, 2022 by GojiMet86

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

I like this Governor. I wish she could've been here a few years ago, before Cuomo made them build that dumb-ass Elmont station instead of using the existing Belmont station and creating permanent crossovers like the Babylon branch has over the main line.

 

I am excited for both of these phases. Its just unfortunate that there's no transfer points for Harlem Line customers. I wonder if that West Side project is justification to have phase 3 of the run west to the Hudson Line at 125th...

[trainfan22]

Putting an station on the Hell Gate Bridge viaduct seems like an engineering nightmare, no idea how they would pull this off.

 

 

I'm NOT an expert, just speculating, but looking at the structure... HOW are they going to build this station exactly. It would have to be near where the Amtrak line merges with the LIRR I'd imagine.

Edited January 23, 2022 by trainfan22

[GojiMet86]

25 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I like this Governor. I wish she could've been here a few years ago, before Cuomo made them build that dumb-ass Elmont station instead of using the existing Belmont station and creating permanent crossovers like the Babylon branch has over the main line.

I am excited for both of these phases. Its just unfortunate that there's no transfer points for Harlem Line customers. I wonder if that West Side project is justification to have phase 3 of the run west to the Hudson Line at 125th...

 

6 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

Putting an station on the Hell Gate Bridge viaduct seems like an engineering nightmare, no idea how they would pull this off.

I'm NOT an expert, just speculating, but looking at the structure... HOW are they going to build this station exactly. It would have to be near where the Amtrak line merges with the LIRR I'd imagine.

 

Spending like 20 minutes on this site, and there are a ton of clearly bullshit articles. This is BS.

I edited this in my original comment, but there are some weird ass articles on the website. There's one about her and Schumer agreeing with MLB to bring two new Major League teams to Brooklyn or Rochester (What? That's news to hundreds of baseball insiders. Clearly fake as hell).

Another one says she wants to repurpose Green-Wood Cemetery into an "The Enchanted Forest of Brooklyn" public park. That screams like something out of the Onion.

Yet another one where she wants to move the United Nations to Governors Island.

My favorite yet, the one where she's working with a Staten Island official to make Staten Island an independent municipality, aka an actual City completely independent of NYC, with its own mayor and city council.

And these articles don't even have authors on them. It's just "sources around" the person who is the focus of the article.

In fact, if you try to look up the writers section, you're directed to a Page not found (404). The Contact section is also a 404 not found. The subscribe and login pages lead you to [leaky_paywall_login] and [leaky_paywall_register_form] (no actual places to type in the info, just like html code).

But of course, the Advertise has contact info and the Support Independent Journalism (aka the Donate) page has a PayPal. It's like a one-man operation.

Edited January 23, 2022 by GojiMet86

[jaf0519]

This is definitely fake. The Buffalo Chronicle is fake news that has been fooling people for years now.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

14 hours ago, jaf0519 said:

This is definitely fake. The Buffalo Chronicle is fake news that has been fooling people for years now.

I guess we will see. I'm not familiar with this Buffalo Chronicle. However, I will say that this West Side project has been talked about for a while. My Assemblyman was at the Spuyten Duyvil station years ago with some train buff discussing how they could get Metro-North along the Hudson Line for the West Side to Penn Station. One stop up for discussion was 125th way back when and supposedly something on the Upper West Side. Never heard anything about a stop at Hell's Kitchen.

The ideas themselves aren't exactly far fetched, as they've been around for a while. What I want to know is if any of these ideas will come to fruition, and if they do, what's the reason behind them.

If they're not legit though, the mods can lock this and delete it. I didn't hear about them until yesterday, as someone posted the article in a neighborhood group.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[CenSin]

Not sure about Buffalo Chronicle, but these days, the Onion and real news seem to have switched places. Every day, I wonder if I’ve drifted off into the Twilight Zone.

[bobtehpanda]

16 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Putting an station on the Hell Gate Bridge viaduct seems like an engineering nightmare, no idea how they would pull this off.

 

 

I'm NOT an expert, just speculating, but looking at the structure... HOW are they going to build this station exactly. It would have to be near where the Amtrak line merges with the LIRR I'd imagine.

They actually put in an engineering analysis in the Penn Station Access study. It was considered doable, located right above Astoria-Ditmars, but at a 4-car length. Notice the length of that station box.

How long are trains on Metro-North usually? That could be a potentially expensive bottleneck.

[Lex]

5 minutes ago, bobtehpanda said:

They actually put in an engineering analysis in the Penn Station Access study. It was considered doable, located right above Astoria-Ditmars, but at a 4-car length. Notice the length of that station box.

How long are trains on Metro-North usually? That could be a potentially expensive bottleneck.

Typically, they're 6-8 cars long (7-car trains are fairly common on trains to/from Connecticut).

[Mtatransit]

Queens to Bronx train. Sounds great to me,if they can get the station built that is. Although I would prefer Northern/51th as well. 

Now if Metro North doesn't classify that Queens station as a zone 1 station, it would be even better, since it could potentially open up significant reverse peak potential up to Bronx/Westchester/CT (more so than Queens-Penn Station)

19 hours ago, GojiMet86 said:

I hope this is really true. I'm just trying to figure how such a station would be built. It might mean a good number of buildings get razed or get repurposed (maybe USPS Woolsey into an entrance).

If not, then maybe they should aim for Northern Boulevard and 51st Street.

EDIT: Hmmm, I'm looking at the site now. Some things aren't starting to make sense. Like I'm looking at this article about Hochul and Schumer landing two new expansion MLB teams for Rochester and Brooklyn. That shit don't make sense. I follow baseball religiously. Not a whiff about this on baseball sites.

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Mtatransit

[GojiMet86]

2 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

They actually put in an engineering analysis in the Penn Station Access study. It was considered doable, located right above Astoria-Ditmars, but at a 4-car length. Notice the length of that station box.

How long are trains on Metro-North usually? That could be a potentially expensive bottleneck.

22 minutes ago, Mtatransit said:

Queens to Bronx train. Sounds great to me,if they can get the station built that is. Although I would prefer Northern/51th as well. 

Now if Metro North doesn't classify that Queens station as a zone 1 station, it would be even better, since it could potentially open up significant reverse peak potential up to Bronx/Westchester/CT (more so than Queens-Penn Station)

If it can't be Astoria, the next best thing would be that Northern Boulevard stop. It can be like a three-track, one island platform stop, with the "southbound" track skipping the station, the current northbound track serve the west part of the platform, and a new third track serving the east side of the platform. I do wonder if the curve might pose a problem, though.

[bobtehpanda]

On 1/23/2022 at 12:56 PM, Lex said:

Typically, they're 6-8 cars long (7-car trains are fairly common on trains to/from Connecticut).

Okay, so 4 cars is maybe not the end of the world.

I was just thinking of LIRR's 12-car trains, where the 4-car platforms are a hassle.

[Bigkingddbx]

I like it, makes sense actually to add a station in Astoria. I just hope the Governor reconsiders the RBX project over the Interborough project and extend service not only in Queens and Brooklyn, but into The Bronx. As a native Bronxite who graduated from St. John's University in Jamaica Queens, getting to school was a nightmare sometimes. I lived off the #2 Train at 233rd Street Station, so I had to go through Manhattan of course to catch either the E or F Trains to Queens. I'm much older, so the Metro Card wasn't around then. Back then there was never a free transfer between Subway and Bus. It took me literally an Hour and a Half to get to Campus in time for my 1st Class. If this RBX was around back then, this would have cut my travel time significantly without even having to go through Manhattan at all. I sure hope Governor Hochul will reconsider?

[Lex]

12 hours ago, Bigkingddbx said:

I like it, makes sense actually to add a station in Astoria. I just hope the Governor reconsiders the RBX project over the Interborough project and extend service not only in Queens and Brooklyn, but into The Bronx. As a native Bronxite who graduated from St. John's University in Jamaica Queens, getting to school was a nightmare sometimes. I lived off the #2 Train at 233rd Street Station, so I had to go through Manhattan of course to catch either the E or F Trains to Queens. I'm much older, so the Metro Card wasn't around then. Back then there was never a free transfer between Subway and Bus. It took me literally an Hour and a Half to get to Campus in time for my 1st Class. If this RBX was around back then, this would have cut my travel time significantly without even having to go through Manhattan at all. I sure hope Governor Hochul will reconsider?

Earlier posts have noted that the source is untrustworthy.

[checkmatechamp13]

13 hours ago, Bigkingddbx said:

I like it, makes sense actually to add a station in Astoria. I just hope the Governor reconsiders the RBX project over the Interborough project and extend service not only in Queens and Brooklyn, but into The Bronx. As a native Bronxite who graduated from St. John's University in Jamaica Queens, getting to school was a nightmare sometimes. I lived off the #2 Train at 233rd Street Station, so I had to go through Manhattan of course to catch either the E or F Trains to Queens. I'm much older, so the Metro Card wasn't around then. Back then there was never a free transfer between Subway and Bus. It took me literally an Hour and a Half to get to Campus in time for my 1st Class. If this RBX was around back then, this would have cut my travel time significantly without even having to go through Manhattan at all. I sure hope Governor Hochul will reconsider?

As was mentioned, the source is unreliable. But just out of curiosity, how would a stop in Astoria benefit a Wakefield - St. John's commute? Wakefield isn't near the Penn Station line, and St. John's isn't near Astoria or any bus route that connects to it.

[R10 2952]

Yeah, this is fake news.  Someone else posted an article from this rag a few months ago and it was the same situation.  No point in taking any stock in it.

Edited January 26, 2022 by R10 2952