Whether he realizes it or not, President Donald Trump has opened the door to the largest expansion of New York City’s commuter railroad networks in a century.
Imagine boarding a NJ Transit train in Newark and riding all the way to the Bronx — or New Haven, Connecticut — without a transfer. And in the middle of it all, picture a massive new train hub in Sunnyside, Queens, that becomes one of the nation’s busiest rail stations, serving as a nexus for the entire region.
That vision, which New York transportation officials have sought for decades, is still a long shot. But Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Oval Office pitch to Trump for $21 billion in federal funding for housing atop Sunnyside Yard brought hope it could become a reality. Tack on the president’s pending rebuild of Penn Station and the whole package represents an opportunity for truly transformative transit projects. There hasn’t been a moment like this since the 1960s, when the MTA was established and the agency released a sweeping transit expansion plan that was never realized.
Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images
Here’s a rundown of the potential benefits for riders, which would surely come with a historic price tag.
Andy Byford, the former NYC Transit chief now in charge of Penn Station’s reconstruction for Amtrak, has backed a plan for “through-running.” That’s transit jargon for making Penn Station a place where commuter trains can travel through, instead of stopping and turning around. If implemented, through-running could be transformative for NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road riders. Instead of transferring at Penn, riders on those lines could just keep on going. Metro-North Railroad riders would also benefit, once that line is connected to Penn.
Now factor in Mamdani’s plan to deck over Amtrak’s Sunnyside train yard in Queens and build a massive development featuring 12,000 new homes. That many new residents would likely require new public transit. Well, the MTA has for nearly 60 years considered plans to build a new station at Sunnyside Yard that would be used by the LIRR.
The agency’s ongoing Penn Access project centers on four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx that will add a new route that connects the New Haven Line over the Hell Gate Bridge, across Sunnyside, through the East River Tunnels and into Penn Station. More than 20 years ago, the MTA proposed allowing Metro-North trains to also stop at Sunnyside.
Taken together, the Penn Station and Sunnyside plans could be the largest transformation to New York City’s mass transit networks since the subway system’s construction in the early 20th century.
But New Yorkers should temper their expectations. Amtrak, NJ Transit and the MTA have long histories of bungling major construction projects.
Cost is also a major barrier. Trump’s Penn Station overhaul doesn’t have a price tag, but estimates for previous plans to renovate the station exceeded $7 billion. It’s not clear if Mamdani’s $21 billion pitch for the Sunnyside Yard housing development even included the cost of a new train station.
A recent project involving the MTA and Amtrak could also stand in the way of bringing a Metro-North stop to Sunnyside, which would create the MTA’s first direct transit connection between Queens and the Bronx.
Last year, the MTA and Amtrak completed a long-delayed project to build a bypass at the Harold Interlocking, located right next to Sunnyside Yard. The interlocking is North America’s busiest railroad interchange. MTA officials said the bypass — which is essentially a new set of tracks that prevents Metro-North and LIRR trains from getting in each other’s way — was designed on a slope at Sunnyside Yard. The MTA wrote in a report that the new interlocking complicates the construction of a Metro-North connection.
Realizing even some elements of these projects would still be transformative. But it’s hard to imagine Trump will be eager to make this dream a reality when the White House is slashing mass transit grants across the region.
Curious Commuter
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“If I don't have a credit card (or have maxed out my accounts!) but I do have $3 in cash, can I take the train? How does that work now that the MetroCard is gone?”
- Patrick from Brooklyn
If $3 is all you have, you may not be able to ride. You’ll still need a way to tap into the system, and a reusable plastic OMNY card costs $1 to purchase. The MTA says the card lasts five years, so if you can hold on to it, you won’t need to buy another one. And you might want to — the cost will go up to $2 later this year.
The city and MTA also offer half-priced discount trips through the Fair Fares program for low-income New Yorkers. That provides single rides for $1.50, but you need to register before receiving an OMNY card.
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