(The following story by Judy Rife appeared on the Times Herald-Record website on February 8.)
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad and the Port Authority will partner this spring to study routes for a rail spur that would connect the Port Jervis line to Stewart International Airport.
Elliot “Lee” Sander, the executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, announced the partnership yesterday in a wide-ranging speech to 360 community, business and civic leaders from throughout the Hudson Valley at Pattern for Progress’ annual breakfast.
“It’s part of a board vision for growing the MTA over the next 30 to 40 years to keep pace with the growth in metropolitan region,” said Sander as he ran down a list of similar projects.
Peter Cannito, Metro-North’s president, said afterward that the two agencies have agreed to share the $5.4 million cost of the alternatives analysis, the standard precursor of an environmental study. A consultant has been selected to perform the analysis and a contract could be awarded at the MTA’s February or March meeting.
Regional transit approach
Sander said he wants to create “regional interoperability” not only among Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit but also between the railroads and other modes of transit to maximize the transportation network.
For example, he said, Metro-North trains will run into Pennsylvania Station when some LIRR platforms become available there upon completion of East Side Access, the project to bring the LIRR into Grand Central Terminal. And from Penn Station, Metro-North and LIRR trains will run into New Jersey next year, using NJ Transit’s new spur to the sports stadiums in the Meadowlands.
“We — and I include Governor Spitzer — are highly supportive of ARC, which will give Orange and Rockland counties a one-seat ride to 34th Street, too,” said Sander, adding he has told Metro-North to work through the technical issues of participating in the project with NJ Transit.
The comment brought some frowns to faces in the audience and several people were heard to say, “What is ARC?” — a testament to the differences between Metro-North’s west- and east-of-Hudson’s operations as well as among Pattern’s nine counties. Only five of them are members of the MTA — Orange, Rockland, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess.
ARC is Access to the Region’s Core, the joint venture of the Port Authority and NJ Transit to double commuter rail capacity into Midtown. The $7 billion project will create a second rail tunnel to the city, to supplement Amtrak’s 100-year-old one, as well another train station, to supplement Amtrak’s dismal Penn. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin next year.
Sander also expressed satisfaction that the Tappan Zee corridor study is moving forward again and that “inter-agency posturing” is history.
Infighting between Metro-North and the New York State Thruway Authority stalled the study for years — and allowed ARC to seize the spotlight. In the Pataki administration, ARC was viewed as competition for Metro-North’s plan to build commuter rail across the Tappan Zee Bridge.
“I think commuter rail is essential in the long term but we are open to other modes, we are open to bus rapid transit,” said Sander. “We are open.”
Stewart rail link
Metro-North, which first considered a rail link to Stewart in 1971 and then again in 1990, dusted off its 2003 feasibility study in September when the Port Authority was poised to assume control of the airport and advertised for consultants to pursue it.
No contract was awarded immediately, however, because Metro-North didn’t have the money in its budget. Now the Port Authority is contributing $2 million toward the cost.
“We’re committed to expanding access to Stewart,” said Candace McAdams, a Port Authority spokeswoman. “It’s critical to adding capacity to the airport and to building better transportation to the Hudson Valley.”
The Port Authority, Metro-North and the state Department of Transportation already have expanded shuttle bus service between the airport and the railroad’s station in Beacon to accommodate the New York City-oriented customers of a new airline at Stewart.
A rail link to Stewart would spur off of the Salisbury Mills-Cornwall station in Cornwall.