2. Next Stop: Co-op City
Via When Co-op City was planned during the 1960s, it was expected that a future subway extension would link it to the rest of New York City. In fact, the Pelham Bay Park terminal of the 6 subway line is less than a mile away, though separated by highways and train tracks. The subway extension was one of many casualties of the city’s 1970s fiscal crisis and remains a dream unfilled today, with buses providing the only transit service.
However, the current MTA capital program includes a new branch of the Metro-North New Haven Line using the Amtrak rails that run along the southeastern edge of Co-op City. Four new stations, including one at Co-op City, would provide access to New York Penn Station via the Hell Gate Bridge.
Co-op City residents will have to wait a while longer, as this will not be implemented until after the East Side Access project connecting the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal is completed, currently forecast for 2022.