The Case for a Cross Bronx Rail Line: Reconnecting Communities Left Behind

The Cross Bronx Rail Line: A Long-Overdue Solution for Urban Connectivity

==========================================================================

The Cross Bronx Rail Line isn’t just a fantasy — it’s a long-overdue correction to decades of urban neglect. For generations, Bronx residents have been disconnected from one another by poor east–west transit options and the scars of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

As a pediatrician commuting through this borough daily, I know what this lack of connection costs. The buses are crowded, the delays are endless, and the air is toxic.

The crowded BX12-SBS bus, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, highlights the urgent need for a better transit solution like the Cross Bronx Rail Line.

A Cross Bronx Rail Line could change that — linking underserved neighborhoods, reducing traffic and emissions, and finally delivering on a promise of mobility for all.

Understanding Systemic Racism in Urban Planning

If you want to understand how systemic racism plays out in urban planning, just open the New York City subway map and look at The Bronx.

Despite being home to over 1.4 million residents, The Bronx has no true east–west train line. Commuters moving from neighborhoods like University Heights to say Zerega Avenue or Pelham Bay are forced onto a patchwork of slow MTA bus routes, overcrowded transfer points, and congested roads — especially the infamous Cross Bronx Expressway.

The Impact on Daily Lives

As a pediatrician working across the South Bronx, I see the consequences of this every day. I live the consequences. My commute from one Bronx neighborhood to another can take an hour on a good day — three hours when it rains. That’s time I’m not spending with patients or with my family.

When transit doesn’t work for us, it pushes communities further into the margins — economically, geographically, and socially.

The History of Transit in The Bronx

We Had Crosstown Transit Once — Until They Took It Away

In the early 1900s, streetcars served the Bronx well. East–West travel was handled by lines like:

• Fordham Road Trolley

• Tremont Avenue Streetcar

• 149th Street Line

  
  

These cross-Bronx routes moved working people across the borough efficiently — until they were dismantled. When subways expanded, they focused on radial lines into Manhattan, not the crosstown network. The East–West connection died with the streetcars, and nothing replaced it.

The Cross Bronx Expressway: A Barrier

The Cross Bronx Expressway Made It Worse

Then came Robert Moses. In the 1950s, his team blasted a trench through our borough, building the Cross Bronx Expressway — a literal scar through Black and Puerto Rican communities.

https://josh.works/robert-moses

It displaced over 60,000 people, razed homes and schools, and made East–West subway development even harder. Instead of building transit, the city bet everything on cars and highways. It slices through the borough that divided neighborhoods and left behind some of the highest asthma rates in the country.

Crude prevalence of asthma in the Bronx, 2020. Census tracts toward the western end of the Expressway tend to have higher rates of asthma. Source: CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network

The Feasibility of a Cross Bronx Rail Line

But Technically? A Cross Bronx Rail Line Is Totally Doable.

Let’s be clear: engineering is not the issue. We’ve built:

• Subways under the East River

• Tunnels through solid bedrock on the Second Avenue Subway

• Underground systems beneath developed cities like London, Paris, and Tokyo

  
  

So… digging under Fordham Road or 149th Street? ✅ Very doable.

In fact, the MTA already owns rights-of-way along parts of Pelham Parkway and Mosholu Parkway. These corridors could support light rail or subway expansion — if anyone had the political will.

Innovative Solutions for Transit

What About a Train in the Cross Bronx Expressway?

Here’s the bold idea: Build a subway or light rail line in the median of the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) — from the Hudson River to the Hutchinson Parkway. Think Chicago’s Red or Blue Lines, which run in highway medians.

Chicago's Red Line along the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Would it be complex? Yes. Would it stir up painful community memories? Absolutely. But we can’t undo the damage by ignoring it. We have to dig into the scar and rebuild something that serves the people who were hurt the most.

This schematic represents a proposed new rail line beginning at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station and continuing approximately 0.95 miles to the Morris Heights Metro-North station. From there, the line would travel about 0.66 miles to the Mt. Eden Avenue station on the 4 train, then another 0.40 miles to the Tremont Metro-North station. It would continue 1.54 miles to connect with the 2 and 5 trains at West Farms–East Tremont Avenue, and finally reach Parkchester station on the 6 train after an additional 1.10 miles.

A Call to Action for Change

Call to Action: Rebuild What Was Taken

The Bronx once had the infrastructure to move its people across its neighborhoods. But it was stripped away. Torn up. Covered in concrete. Now, people suffer — in time lost, wages missed, care delayed, air polluted.

We need:

• A Cross Bronx rail line that runs east to west

• Stops that connect to existing subway lines (A/1, 4, 2/5, 6)

• Environmental justice projects like capping the expressway

• Federal funding via USDOT Reconnecting Communities

• Bold leadership from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ritchie Torres, DOT Secretary Buttigieg, and Governor Hochul

  
  

The Future of Transportation in The Bronx

The Bronx Doesn’t Need a Miracle. It Needs a Train.

Transportation shapes lives. It shapes health, opportunity, and dignity. The fact that we still don’t have basic East–West transit in The Bronx is not an oversight — it’s the legacy of generations of disinvestment and disregard.

Geographic representation of the proposed rail.

But we can change that.

Let this train line be more than metal and concrete. Let it be healing.

Let it be ours.

Conclusion

The Cross Bronx Rail Line represents hope and healing for a community that has long been overlooked. By investing in this vital infrastructure, we can reconnect neighborhoods, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life for all Bronx residents. It’s time to prioritize transit equity and ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities they deserve.