Governor Cuomo today (Monday, January 6) revealed a proposal to transform Penn Station into a “21st Century Empire Station Complex in Manhattan.”
The new plan would expand on both Penn Station itself and the Moynihan Train Hall currently being developed (the new train hall is also scheduled to open later this year). Under Cuomo’s proposal, the block south of the station would be acquired to create a massive interconnected train and subway complex that’ll feature eight new train tracks and a brand new entrance on 7th Avenue.
According to Governor Cuomo’s plan, the project would connect Penn Station and the Moynihan Train Hall through the new West End Concourse (which opened in 2017) with a new expanded LIRR corridor attached. This plan for the new transit hub would create new and larger terminals in addition to increasing train capacity by 40 percent with the eight new tracks that would be added to the block south of Penn Station—making it possible for an additional 175,000 riders to commute through “The Empire Station Complex” each day!
The Governor states that “This will improve how more than half a million New Yorkers commute, travel and work every day, while transforming Penn into the world-class facility the Empire State deserves.”
Under this expansion, the State will also look into “acquiring the Madison Square Garden Theater, allowing for the possibility of opening Penn and creating a new block-long grand entrance at 8th Avenue.”
Amtrak will help finance this extravagant project.
featured image source: Rendering of new Moynihan Train Hall / Governor Cuomo’s Office Presentation