At present Amtrak does not need these stops as the loads in and out of NYP are close to full or in many cases full.
Right now, space and capacity is lacking, they are still building the necessary tracks to service a potential without disrupting the entire area. The new western bypass track from the Hell Gate line to Harold is starting to take shape, which will remove some of the conflicting routes from LIRR territory to Amtrak's New Haven line.
"Nearly 20 years have passed since Long Island City was promised a new station in Sunnyside Yards and it is way past time for the state to deliver," U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represents Long Island City, said on Monday. "We need a transportation system that recognizes and accommodates the growing number of riders on our railways and one that recognizes our city's changing commuting patterns."
The proposed Sunnyside Rail Yards station at Queens Boulevard would be a transportation hub connecting the LIRR to Amtrak and NJ Transit, which also use the yard.
So, what's the hold up? Central to the construction work on East Side Access is a rail junction in Sunnyside called Harold Interlocking — the busiest in the country, according to the MTA. Building the Sunnyside station now, a spokesperson said, would interfere with that work on East Side Access.
And with trains traveling to Penn Station every two to three minutes, adding a stop at Sunnyside could congest the entire railroad; once the LIRR can travel to Grand Central, schedules could become more flexible.
Once that is complete, they may still go forward with the Sunnyside station, particularly if they still plan on building over Sunnyside Yard. That plan has been move into the limelight again, as plans are starting to take shape:
https://sunnysidepost.com/new-yorks-edc ... ay-meeting
Sept. 17, 2019. By Shane O’Brien
The New York City EDC released a number of design concepts for the Sunnyside Yard at a public meeting in Long Island City last night as the planning process for the gigantic site continues.
The three-hour meeting held at Aviation High School was attended by more than 200 people and was the subject of a planned protest by dozens of activists who are wary of its development. The meeting, for much of the evening, was an orderly affair.
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The EDC also provided details for a road grid at Monday’s meeting. The city plans to develop identically sized blocks and a number of different types of thoroughfares at Sunnyside Yard.
There are plans for shared streets for cars, cyclists and pedestrians as well as plans for the centralized greenway. The shared streets would have a maximum speed limit of 5-10 mph.
There is also a plan to install a corridor on either side of the yard. The corridors would run the length of the yard and connect existing regions in Long Island City and Sunnyside. They would also be used for bus routes.
The EDC plans to develop a train station, which would potentially be serviced by Amtrak, LIRR and Metro North.
So, there have been plans for a stop in LIC for years. That is really the only place in in NYC that is suitable since Amtrak's actually footprint in NYC isn't that big. You have the Empire Connection, The Hell Gate Line and the NYT district.
As mentioned above, you have plenty to the west of NYC and NRO is not too far East. You have to look at accessibility and parking, which takes real estate. That is another factor. It would be quite expensive to build a station on your own in NYC and you're bound to run into opposition. As a provider of intercity service, you'd have to plan carefully. That alone would limit the Empire Connection since a significant portion of it is underground and a fair portion of the rest of it is on a viaduct. At that point, you're almost in YNY, which is served by Amtrak.
Unless you're going to have the passengers rappel down the Hell Gate Bridge, Long Island City is really the only place that is accessible and would have suitable land for a station in Queens.
Hunterspoint Market is PAST the tunnels that lead into Penn station, so if you used the station, you'd have to put up catenary, make the stop, back up and then proceed to NYP.
That would be time-consuming and unnecessary.