2020 may have been a bust, but the year ended on a high note with the opening of a new Penn Station.
Through a public-private partnership that included the Port Authority as well as the MTA, Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak, and other public and private entities.
The new facility will expand Penn Station in Midtown to 255,000-square-feett, $1.6 billion project transformed the more than 100-year-old James A. Farley Building and increased the existing Penn Station rail complex’s concourse space by 50%.
“With the magnificent architectural conversion of the historic Farley Post Office into a 21st century train station, Moynihan Train Hall will become a New York icon and a destination in itself,” said Executive Director Rick Cotton in a statement.
Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing global pandemic, construction on Moynihan Train Hall continued and the station opened on time, reshaping the busiest passenger transportation facility in the western hemisphere. The train hall blends classical and contemporary design and features a one-acre sky-lit atrium, a signature clock, full accessibility, and museum-caliber public art. It also provides immediate benefits at this critical time while profoundly enhancing the convenience, health, and daily experience of hundreds of thousands of passengers, neighbors, and visitors.
All LIRR and Amtrak trains are now served by the 17 tracks accessible from the train hall, while providing a direct connection to 9th Avenue and the 8th Avenue Subway. For LIRR, the train hall enhances and expands passenger options by offering world-class facilities and the convenience of full customer services and direct platform access points from 7th Avenue all the way to 9th Avenue. For Amtrak, the train hall becomes its new home in New York City—relocating and replacing all primary passenger operations from the existing station.
Moynihan Train Hall reshapes the travel experience of the busiest passenger transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, used by more than 700,000 passengers per day. The main hall that once served as the Post Office’s mail sorting room showcases a 92-foot-high skylight that holds an acre of glass and is supported by three of the building’s original steel trusses with lattice framework.
Moynihan Train Hall reshapes the travel experience of the busiest passenger transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, used by more than 700,000 passengers per day. The main hall that once served as the Post Office’s mail sorting room showcases a 92-foot-high skylight that holds an acre of glass and is supported by three of the building’s original steel trusses with lattice framework.
In an article appearing in Adweek’s blog on January 2nd, the idea was advanced that Moynihan Train Hall could help Amtrack position itself as a premium travel option.
