MTA says Penn Station Access interlocking to be commissioned in April; overnight foundation work to run across a residential Bronx stretch

Joe O’Donnell, the MTA’s director of government and community relations, updated Community Board 11 on the Metro‑North Penn Station Access project and said a critical legged interlocking in the southern core of the alignment is due to enter service in mid‑April, a milestone he called necessary to speed construction and reduce reliance on Amtrak.

The project will add four accessible Bronx stations — Parkchester/Van Ness, Hunts Point, Morris Park and Co‑op City — and deliver track, catenary, signal, substation and bridge upgrades across a corridor the MTA described as costing roughly “upwards of half a billion dollars” for the Amtrak / Metro‑North platform and right‑of‑way work. O’Donnell said the new Metro‑North service will provide a one‑seat ride into Penn Station and reverse‑commute options to points north.

Why it matters: the interlocking allows crews to move trains off tracks where workers are operating, increasing “wrench time” for daytime construction and reducing the need to repeatedly mobilize and demobilize crews. Until the interlocking is in service, the MTA said it must do some work at night to avoid disrupting existing Amtrak traffic.

Progress and near‑term schedule - Stations: MTA representatives showed renderings for Parkchester/Van Ness and Morris Park, and described dual entrances planned at Morris Park from both sides of Bassett Avenue. Parkchester/Van Ness will have an elevator and stair access on East Tremont Avenue and an additional stair entrance at Unionport Road. - Foundations and piles: presenters said pile and pile‑cap work is under way across…