Yesterday New York governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled the state’s plans to revamp Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station—and he gave a realistic timetable. For nearly 25 years, officials have been impeded in their efforts to fix the aging and overcrowded station—one of the busiest transit hubs in the Western Hemisphere. Which is why Cuomo reassured New Yorkers, “This is not a plan—this is what’s going to happen. People are going to walk through this station and recognize that this is New York.” For the $1.6 billion project–planned for completion in 2020— Skidmore Owings & Merrill will transform the James A. Farley Building, which currently stands across the street from Penn Station. The renowned firm will add a dramatic glass skylight arching over the main concourse, a scheme meant to reference McKim, Mead & White’s original Penn Station (1910–63). Measuring 250,000 square feet (larger than Grand Central Terminal), the newly renovated space will be known as the Moynihan Train Hall, and will hold Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road terminals, along with 700,000 square feet of retail and office space.
The massive project—whose funding will come from developers and retail within the hall, Amtrak, LIRR, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and the federal government—will also give the current Penn Station a tech-friendly upgrade, adding free Wi-Fi, phone and laptop charging stations, and real-time train updates throughout the concourse. The six subway lines that currently run through Penn Station (A/C/E and 1/2/3) will also receive a face-lift.
Tuesday’s announcement was a welcome one for the more than 600,000 commuters who travel through Penn Station each week. “New York’s tomorrow depends on what we do today, and the new Moynihan Train Hall will be a world-class 21st-century transportation hub,” said Cuomo.
