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Going to Penn Station to catch a train has caused much dread among New Yorkers who don't want to descend into the smelly, dark labyrinth to find their trains. In a few years' time, however, catching a train at Penn Station will be a much better experience.
On Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo, the MTA, Amtrak and NJ Transit unveiled a massive reconstruction plan that would bring the station into the 21st century with vaulted, glass ceilings, new tracks and platforms, better accessibility and a connected network of systems under one roof called the Empire Station Complex.
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The renderings should provide a sense of relief to rail-riders because the proposed changes are so drastic that it doesn't even look like the same station. It's closer to a sleek mall, and, much like the newly opened Moynihan Train Hall in the century-old Farley Post Office building, it has its own light-filled atrium with a 92-foot-high glass skylight and soaring ceilings.
While Moynihan Train Hall is a welcome addition to the whole train complex, what is truly needed is an overhaul of Penn Station. Before the pandemic, the station served about 600,000 passengers every day and it certainly felt that way. The workday rushes were always an intense stampede of suits and luggage. Now, with the new Empire Penn Station, there will be more concourse space to cut down on congestion, more stairs, escalators and elevators to spread riders out with 30 new ways to reach platforms and a unified ticketing system with new waiting areas and cleaning services for all systems.
"The Empire Station Complex is a transformative project that will support and deliver on the long-delayed Gateway vision for the entire East Coast and enhance the passenger experience in North America's busiest transportation hub. Together with our partners in New Jersey and at Amtrak, New York State is moving quickly to advance this comprehensive plan," Governor Cuomo said. "These reconstruction alternatives provide a framework for a new and improved Penn Station that serves as an appropriate doorway to a world-class city. Every single day, we get closer to the end of COVID-19 and the beginning of a new post-pandemic economy, and this project will be a cornerstone of the revitalized New York City that we must build together."
There are actually two different visions the state could go with that would both improve the station, but they do it in different ways.
The first option would remove sections of Penn Station's upper level (where Amtrak is now) to make an atrium with a balcony area on the second floor. This option would create a "grand" new entrance on Eighth Avenue and the light-filled West Train Hall by purchasing Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden.
The second would remove about 40% of Penn's upper Amtrak level to bring up the ceilings and put all the passenger areas on one level. Entrances would be at 33rd and 31st streets near Seventh Avenue and the atrium would be built in the former taxiway between MSG and 2 Penn Plaza. It could also have a grand entrance on Eighth Avenue where Hulu Theater is.
New Yorkers can comment on these proposals here.
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