The goal of the Penn Station Access project was to deliver modern, new transportation options to an underserved area of the Bronx, linking communities across the region with improved access to jobs and services. The project relied on smartly reconfiguring and upgrading elements of existing transportation infrastructure to minimize the amount of new buildout, streamlining investment and limiting impacts on surrounding communities.

This included creating four new, modern, ADA-accessible Metro-North Railroad stations in the Bronx. The result would be a one-seat train ride to and from Penn Station in Manhattan and the East Bronx for the first time, and access to Westchester and Connecticut via Metro-North’s New Haven line. When completed, the new service would generate an economic boost and provide enhanced access to major medical and educational facilities located near a new Morris Park station, as well as to financial and job centers in Westchester and Connecticut.

Hirani provided aerial photography along 11 miles of Amtrak corridor. A field edit was performed along 5 miles of the corridor. Acquisition maps were provided at 2 proposed railroad stations, i.e., Parkchester Station and Morris Park Station. Right-of-Way corridor boundary was also established within 1000 feet of the proposed station.