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MTA chief says Amtrak keeps delaying work to build 'goddamn train' in the Bronx
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 6, 2025
Modified Oct 7, 2025
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Marc A. Hermann / MTA
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 6, 2025
Modified Oct 7, 2025
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MTA Chair Janno Lieber on Monday said Amtrak keeps delaying work on a new transit line in the Bronx because their crews won’t show up to work.
During a news conference, Lieber became visibly incensed when he was asked about the MTA’s ongoing Penn Access project, which aims to bring four new Metro-North stations to the Bronx. The new service would take riders over the Hell Gate Bridge and end at Penn Station, giving Metro-North riders access to Manhattan’s West Side for the first time.
Much of the route runs along existing tracks owned by Amtrak, including the stretch over the bridge. Lieber said the national railroad has sparked chronic construction delays because its crews won’t give MTA workers access to the tracks.
“Their people don't show up,” he said. “We can't get work done and the people in Co-Op City are waiting for a goddamn train and it's outrageous and it's been a problem from the start of that project.”
When work on the $3.1 billion project began in 2022, the MTA estimated the new line would open for service by 2027. The completion date has since been pushed back to at least 2028, but Lieber’s comments on Monday suggest it may be delayed again.
“The first year of the Penn Access project, Amtrak didn’t give us one outage that they promised,” Lieber said. “Not one.”
Amtrak in 2023 said it had struck a deal with the MTA to help reduce delays to the project.
Jason Abrams, a spokesperson for the national railroad, accused Lieber of spreading "misinformation."
"Amtrak is, and has been, a dedicated partner on the Penn Access project, mitigating early delays and more than doubling the planned, contracted-committed, labor support for the projects and significantly more outages than planned," Abrams wrote in a statement. "Amtrak remains committed to being a professional and collaborative partner and working with MTA to complete this work."
A map of the Penn Access project, which aims to bring four new Metro-North stations to the Bronx.
Courtesy MTA
It’s the latest chapter in a fight between the MTA and Amtrak over mass transit construction in New York City. In May, the U.S. Department of Transportation took control of the long-stalled reconstruction of Penn Station away from the MTA.
MTA officials have in recent years also demanded Amtrak change course on the rehabilitation of a pair of East River train tunnels that were damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy. Lieber called for the tunnels to be repaired on nights and weekends, but earlier this year, Amtrak moved forward with a plan to fully close one tunnel at a time to complete the repairs.
MTA officials have said the Penn Access project can’t open for service until Amtrak completes the East River tunnel repairs, which aren’t expected to wrap until at least 2027.
The project is slated to bring four new stations to the Bronx at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City. Officials said the stations will be located within a mile of 500,000 Bronx residents who currently live in public transit deserts.
Lieber said the MTA is asking Amtrak to “make good on their promises” and offer more access to the Hell Gate line to “make up some of the time.”
This story was updated with a statement from an Amtrak spokesperson.
Tagged
Politics
bronx
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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