As reporters checked in at the Metropolitan Lounge at the Moynihan Train Hall adjacent to Penn Station New York Aug. 27 for the inaugural ride on the NextGen Acela, they were asked whether they were only taking the train ride or attending the press conference. The two events happened almost simultaneously. While it was possible to do both, as I chose, they were only tangentially related, if at all.
The press conference featured U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Andy Byford, New York’s beloved “Train Daddy,” who has returned to the City as a special advisor to Amtrak’s Board of Directors for the redevelopment of Penn Station.
Byford endorsed some ideas that had been championed by rider-advocates in the region, even though they were not part of previous plans for the Gateway Program, a series of projects ranging from Penn Station westward into New Jersey, almost to Penn Station Newark. Byford said that he plans to use money for station improvements efficiently, rather than rushing into station expansion. He called for through-running to be considered, and he placed plans for Penn South, a twelve-track expansion of Penn Station, “on hold.”
Those suggestions have gained support of those who believe that through-running between New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road, eventually including Metro-North, will make more-efficient use of Penn Station capacity than the current use of the facility as a stub-end terminal for local trains on NJT and the LIRR. Metro-North is slated to start using the station relatively soon, for access to a line to the Bronx now under construction. There has also been opposition to Penn South, a component project of the Gateway Program that would build new tracks south of the existing Penn Station, south of 31st Street and heading toward 30th Street. Advocates have objected to Penn South, saying that it would be inconvenient for riders, and that if the existing station tracks can be used more efficiently, there would be no need for Penn South, and money could be saved.
Byford announced a competition for designs for Penn Station development, which will take place next year. A “master developer” will be selected late this year, with preliminary design and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) activities coming next year, according to USDOT’s New York Penn Station Transformation Schedule. Construction is supposed to begin by the end of 2027. Amtrak is now the lead agency on the project, since the Administration took the $7 billion project away from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in April and pulled grant funding.
More specifically, Byford said, “The transformation of Penn Station must be much more than bricks and mortar. It must be about making the station operationally sound, safe, clean and easy to navigate.” He also assured attendees that he could handle a project of this magnitude, mentioning the London Bridge Station project in the U.K., which he managed. “Customers need to feel like they know where to go” he said. Regarding the station as it exists today, he acknowledged: “Everybody recognizes that this is not good enough.”
Local advocates generally agree, including Samuel Turvey, President of ReThinkNYC. Before he took that position, Turvey had advocated for replicating as closely as possible the original 1910-vintage Penn Station designed by McKim, Meade & White for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Byford also said that whether sports and concert venue Madison Square Garden (MSG) stays at its current location above Penn Station or moves will be determined after the competing entries have been reviewed. A proposal by the Grand Penn Alliance would move MSG across Seventh Avenue.
Danny Pearlstein, Policy and Communications Director for the Riders’ Alliance, was quoted as saying: “New public investment in Penn Station must deliver better service for riders, not a monument to greed or arrogance. The real test of success will be in time savings and better access to basic needs and new opportunities across the region, not in gold-plating or mall development.”
FRA quoted Duffy as saying: “Crumbling infrastructure, bleak and dirty architecture, unnavigable hallways, and no inviting spaces for families with kids: The current state of Penn Station is unacceptable … We will transform Penn Station into a world-class transit hub that is beautiful, safe, and clean. The aggressive schedule we’ve outlined will ensure we are back on track to deliver a gleaming monument worthy of New York City.” He also called for increased safety on the city’s transit: “You deserve better.”
While some New Yorkers would say that Penn Station is nowhere near as horrible as Duffy describes it—a visit to Moynihan Train Hall will support that—many would agree that the older station under Madison Square Garden can use improvement. Toward that goal, FRA said, “To jumpstart this aggressive schedule, the Department of Transportation will provide Amtrak with nearly $43 million in federal grant funding … [to] support project development and solicitation of a master developer, as well as permitting and preliminary engineering work.”
Duffy also addressed one of his political pet peeves: the Congestion Pricing program that is still in operation in the southern portion of Manhattan—despite his nonsensical objections. While he acknowledged that litigation is ongoing, he said, “To drive a car, you shouldn’t have to be elite. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy. We don’t think that elites are the only ones who can afford to drive in the city. I think the streets should be open to everybody. Not just those who can afford to pay the congestion pricing. Roads should be free.” He did not call for transit to be free, nor did he mention that motorists could take transit for one-third of the cost of the congestion toll, which is currently $9.00 during the day and early evening and $2.25 at night. The base fare for New York City Transit is now $2.90 and is slated to rise a whopping ten cents to $3.00.
Meanwhile, the Congestion Pricing toll is producing the desired effects of reducing vehicular traffic south of 60th Street in Manhattan, speeding traffic flow for all vehicles including buses, improving the local environment, and helping pay for the capital program that finances needed improvements in NYCT infrastructure (80%), with some of the proceeds going to the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North (10% each).
Duffy concluded his remarks by saying, “We care about New York City. The President cares.”* Few New Yorkers would believe that assertion, but few would dispute that Penn Station can use some improvement, which has been a long time coming. Construction should start slightly more than two years from now. As for completion, one date mentioned, whether realistic or not, is Jan. 19, 2029.
*Andy Byford cares. Duffy and POTUS 47 couldn’t care less. – William C. Vantuono
