Port Authority to break ground at Penn Station

It’s a proposal nearly every regular Long Island Rail Road rider has heard about at one time or another — expand Pennsylvania Station and return some of the beauty of the old neoclassical station before it was torn down in 1963. The plan to add a new terminal has stopped and started multiple times, but the Port Authority announced on May 9 that it would finally break ground on the project at the historic Farley Post Office Building.

The new terminal will be named for the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat from New York who long fought for the expansion. Renovation work is set to begin this summer.

“The redevelopment of Moynihan Station has struggled for more than two decades to achieve the momentum necessary for such an important infrastructure project,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “Today we are moving faster and making more progress than ever to constructing the word-class transit center that New Yorkers deserve.”

The first phase of the project will expand the concourse and add entryways on the west end of the station. The initial phase is set to be completed by 2016 and will cost $270 million. Tracks already run under the post office, which is directly across Eighth Avenue from the current station. The project will double the width of the west end concourse, which will serve as the concourse in the Moynihan terminal. With the expansion, eight additional tracks will be available for use by the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. The expansion is meant to alleviate congestion for commuters. Penn Station is the busiest train station in the United States.

“Enhancing the customer experience is critical to improving the public's mobility, and Moynihan Station will give New York the welcoming experience it deserves,” MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph Lhota said.

Two new entrances will be constructed at the post office to give passengers access to the new concourse. Riders will have access to the terminal at 31st and 33rd streets, in addition to the current Eight Avenue entrance. In addition to expanding the concourse, elevators, escalators and stairs will be incorporated in the terminal to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Funding for the first phase of the project comes primarily from federal grants. Some $83 million is from a TIGER, or Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of President Obama’s economic recovery plan, with additional monies provided by the MTA and the Port Authority. Once the first phase is complete, construction of a six-story passenger terminal in the post office will begin, as well as a new Amtrak terminal. The second phase is currently unfunded.