The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has just committed $100 million to build two new 1-mile-long tracks on the Port Jervis Line, according to local elected leaders at an Aug. 23 press conference.
The new tracks, technically referred to as passing sidings, will allow for two-way train traffic on the metro line and boost train services to residents living in Orange and Rockland counties.
The tracks are planned to be constructed in the Middletown and Tuxedo areas over the next few years.
New York state Sen. James Skoufis announced the news in front of Harriman Train Station, along with state Assemblymen Kenneth Zebrowski and Chris Eachus.
Mr. Skoufis said the MTA investment follows years of advocacy and marks a shift in the agency’s commitment to communities that are west of the Hudson River, which had long supported the authority’s operation through sizable fees and taxes but only got minimal services in return.
“In the last couple of years in particular, the MTA has really taken a new posture and renewed a partnership with a number of us in the state legislature,” Mr. Skoufis said.
In addition to having new passing sidings, the Orange and Rockland communities were recently exempted from an MTA fare hike and a payroll tax raise.
Aside from ticket revenues, the MTA taps 0.375 percent of sales tax receipts in Orange County and charges payroll mobility taxes on certain businesses within its service district.
Mr. Eachus said that a more active Port Jervis Line would drive the development of the entire region, including the Stewart International Airport.
Village of Woodbury Mayor Andrew Giacomazza and Town of Woodbury Supervisor Thomas Burke also commended the positive MTA progress at the press conference.
The new track investment also came as the MTA received historic state help in fixing its financial holes, which were projected to loom as large as $600 million by the end of 2023 if left alone.
Top rescue measures include $300 million in one-time state aid, an earmark of up to $413 million in casino tax revenues, and higher payroll mobility taxes for large New York City businesses.
1-Seat Ride
At the press conference, local leaders also gave updates on the decade-long effort to build infrastructure to allow for a one-train ride on the Port Jervis Line to New York City.Currently, riders on the line must change trains in New Jersey to get to Penn Station in Manhattan.
Mr. Zebrowski, who represents part of Rockland County, said that three things need to happen to make the one-train ride a reality: a new tunnel under the Hudson River, a new rail loop that allows the train line to get down into the tunnel, and new receiving platforms at Penn Station.
He said that the best way forward was to make those things part of the proposed regional infrastructure project called Gateway and that though slow, progress was underway.
Mr. Skoufis added: “We are many years away from the Gateway Project being completed, but that is the end goal—a one-seat ride that will transform the quality of life and economic development in northern New Jersey, Rockland, and Orange County.”
