On August 27, Sean Duffy, the federal transportation secretary, and Andy Byford, an Amtrak executive, revealed a $7 billion redevelopment project for the Pennsylvania Station in New York City. The Department of Transportation (DOT) confirmed that the renovation is anticipated to begin in 2027.
Penn Station, also known as New York Penn Station, is a main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the US. Consequently, Penn Station services as many as 600,000 passengers per day and lies beneath Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan.
For decades, Penn station has served numerous New Yorkers in their daily commutes. Despite its high traffic, commuters describe that the current Penn Station is “dark” and difficult to navigate, as reported in Bloomberg. Since its opening in 1910, the station has undergone renovation from 1963 to 1968. That being the case, the 2027 project is anticipated to be the station’s second major renovation.
Additionally, Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company of the US, has taken control of the project. Initially, the MTA was the lead developer in the project, but Duffy revealed his frustration with the corporation. By shifting to Amtrak as the lead partner, New York would save $120 million. In other words, the federal government has taken control of the project with this shift. Therefore, the state itself would keep the $1.3 billion it would have spent if partnered with MTA.
Amtrak also plans to partner with a private developer on an expedited schedule. Amtrak anticipates finding a company by the end of May 2026 that would work on Penn Station’s transformation as its master developer. According to CBS News, Amtrak will be provided with nearly $43 million in funding for the accelerated schedule set to begin by the end of 2027.
The redevelopment plan not only factors in the underground parts of Penn Station, but also its surroundings. Prospects for the project include a “new commuter train hall, a new open concourse with improved accessibility and new green space for the neighborhood,” as reported on CBS News. Moreover, the location of Madison Square Garden is under consideration, mainly because some proposals argue for its move, while others oppose.
Local leaders have come up with different visions for what surrounds the station. West Side Assembly member Tony Simone proposes a plan with “up to 5,000 units of housing and a park the size of Bryant Park on the site of the demolished Pennsylvania Hotel. [This plan] includes new residential and commercial buildings between 6th and 8th Avenues while sparing a residential block to the south that contains apartment buildings and the historic St. John the Baptist Catholic Church,” according to W42ST New York City.
On the other hand, preservationists like Richard Cameron argue for reconstructing the lost grandeur of the station instead of rebuilding everything to a modern taste. Advocates stress a Beaux-Arts revival of the station, with “classical colonnades and soaring light-filled halls that would reconnect the station to Moynihan Train Hall across the street,” W42ST New York City added, contrasting the two visions.
In addition, earlier on the day of the Penn Station announcement, Duffy announced that the DOT plans on reclaiming management of the Union Station. The DOT has run the station since the 1980s, but a local nonprofit, the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, took over in its daily operations and commercial dealings. The Union Station is the second busiest station on Amtrak’s network, and changes from the shift in management are expected to be formalized in September.
Despite DOT’s plans for Penn Station, some critics note that most commuters travel through Penn Station rather than stopping in Manhattan, rendering the renovation efforts inefficient, The New York Times specifies. Regardless of conflicting ideas, the DOT continuously pushes for renovation efforts, hastening the completion of Penn Station’s transformation.
