May 18, 2015
By Marc Bussanich
Bronx, New York—Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo said during Bronx Week that the construction of four new Metro-North rail stations would bring long overdue rail transportation options to Bronx residents in the eastern Bronx.
In April New York State legislators approved money for the four stations that would bring Metro-North service from Connecticut into Penn Station. The new stops would be at Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester and Hunts Point and would access to rail travel to about 93,000 residents, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.
In the accompanying video, we interviewed Assemblyman Crespo who took part in a labor breakfast organized by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to honor several labor leaders last week. We asked the assemblyman what has he been hearing from constituents about the long overdue rail transit options.
“It’s a game changer for us. It not only connects us rapidly into mid-town Manhattan, but also provides for new connections to Connecticut and new markets there such as Bridgeport and New Haven where there are new job opportunities. The Co-op City station [will now serve] residents in one of the largest developments in the entire country that doesn’t have easy access to public transportation,” said Crespo.
Mr. Crespo, who was elected chairman of the Bronx Democratic Party in March after Carl Heastie became the new Speaker of the New York State Assembly after long-time speaker Sheldon Silver resigned in January following federal corruption charges, said it was important to attend the breakfast because the middle-class is shrinking.
“We have to address the real issues that are impacting middle-class families. This shows how the Bronx plays a big role in the labor movement because so many of the speakers and presidents of the different locals live right here in the Bronx. Labor has been the force to create real opportunities and middle class jobs and protections,” Crespo said.
