By: Sebastian Morris 7:00 am on September 26, 2022
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in partnership with NJ Transit and Amtrak, approved a contract for the redesign of Penn Station, a project that could cost the city $7 billion. The joint venture project team includes architect of record FXCollaborative, global engineering firm WSP, and British design studio John McAslan and Partners, which will serve as a design consultant.
The base contract is valued at $57.9 million and includes preliminary design of the new station, improvements to nearby subway stations, and engineering support as station reconstruction moves forward.
“By approving the contract for the redesign of Penn Station, we move another step closer to getting it done,” said governor Kathy Hochul. “The transformation of Penn cannot come soon enough, and we look forward to building a world-class station that puts New Yorkers first, delivers a rider-focused transit experience, and a great neighborhood they deserve.”
Rendering of the ticketing area and main concourse at Penn Station
Interior rendering of spaces within the new Penn Station
FX Collaborative and WSP worked together on the Penn Station Master Plan unveiled in 2021. The full scope of work includes replacement of the current station with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility with improved interior organization and more space for an estimated 650,000 daily commuters. The facility will include a train hall about the combined size of Moynihan Train Hall and Grand Central Terminal’s main concourses.
The new station will also include retail and dining options, improved ticketing and waiting areas, additional elevators and escalators, and more station entrances and exits. The facility will also have an underground connection to the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station.
The current renovation does not include any added train capacity.
Outside the station, plans call for the construction of a 30,000-square-foot public plaza, increased bike lanes and docking stations, and widened sidewalks.
Evening rendering of the main entrance and outdoor plaza at Penn Station
Evening rendering of the new outdoor plaza at Penn Station
Rendering of the new outdoor plaza at Penn Station
The masterplan also includes the construction of high-rise residential towers that could create 1,800 apartments including 540 permanently affordable homes.
“The time to fix Penn Station is now, and this is an important step in the right direction. New York City deserves a 21st-century transit hub as great as the city, and we are taking advantage of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconstruct Penn Station and revitalize the neighborhood,” said New York City mayor Eric Adams. “Our administration will continue working closely with our state partners to get stuff done.”
In line with the MTA’s mission to encourage the growth and development of certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), the MTA’s Department of Diversity and Civil Rights has assigned a 22.5 percent DBE goal to the contract.
Aerial view of the new Penn Station and proposed high-rise buildings surrounding the facility
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They should have just renovated the original Penn Station with all the incredible detail…
Unless one has an urgent need to get to 31st Street under a roof, I do not see the need for this. The space was originally intended to be a covered driveway for taxis, but 9-11 created security concerns and vehicles were banned. The same happened at a similar facility at Grand Central. Currently, the space is dark and gloomy and likely used by very few. I find it hard to imagine why someone would want to enter Penn Station by this route instead of directly from 7th or 8th avenues.
The current taxiway between 33rd and 31st is the only place they can daylight the station below without demolishing MSG or 2 Penn Plaza. The whole point of this is to remove the two levels currently serving Amtrak/LIRR respectively and open it up into one larger atrium with natural light. This is also why they needed to finish Moynihan and the LIRR concourse under 33rd street first. Train operations need to be maintained, and you couldn’t do that without other entrances and concourses.
I am interested to see how they will deal with the space under MSG and Penn 2 respectively. The renderings don’t show much in those areas, and conveniently crop out where Jersey Transit is. I suspect Hochul will leave Jersey Transit to rot without subsidies from the State of New Jersey.
There once was a station….Torn Down….but not forgotten.
7 billion you can build a new station not cosmetics upgrade.
But not in New York.
Of course the MTA approved it. They are not paying for it. The city and the state are.
PLEASE provide adequate restrooms for women in the new station. The long line at the restroom for women in the brand new Moynihan Train Hall shows that we still don’t get it! Women require more time in the restroom than men, hence the long lines. It is irresponsible to make women wait that long while men are in and out in minutes!! How can planners and architects be so blind to an obvious injustice!
Maybe I’m missing something, but wouldn’t this project render Moynihan Hall redundant?
It’s horrible! What’s happening with the post office? This is just as ugly as the last penn station! Build the original one! Stop destroying all the historical buildings for high rise buildings that are tacky and unaffordable.! Preserve the diversity in architecture ! So many other things that funds of this magnitude can be spent on!
Get rid of the Dolans & tear down the drum. Do it right.
Finally, after more than half a century, Sunlight finally reaches the bottom of the platform level like the old Penn Station. The new canopy is like the old skylight of the former train station
The agencies you mention are State agencies, not City agencies. Your headline is inaccurate.
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