At a meeting tonight at Fordham University, politicians, community activists and urban planners met to brainstorm ways to get Metro-North Railroad riders from Westchester and Connecticut to stop in The Bronx.

Officials say they want the riders to shop and explore the borough instead of merely passing through on their way into Manhattan.

Those in attendance also looked for ways to create more jobs in the borough.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has provided a $3.5 million grant to better integrate sustainable transit and provide economic opportunity, particularly near Metro-North stations.