Artistic rendering of the lobby inside the Moynihan Train Hall.
For a life-changing symbol in New York City next year, hundreds of thousands of East Coast train travelers and passengers need not look more than the January 1 opening of the Moynihan Train Hall.
The $ 1.6 billion project expands Penn Station, the nation’s busiest rail terminal, by 23,690 square meters to serve passengers on Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak. The new facility was designed to provide more space for the 650,000 people who traveled through the station every day before the pandemic.
The name of the hall is a tribute to American Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who condemned the 1964 demolition of the aerial part of historic Penn Station, which opened space for Madison Square Garden. After the Beaux-Arts original was destroyed, architecture historian Vincent Scully lamented: “Someone entered the city like a god. Someone enters now like a mouse. “
Here are the answers to some of the biggest questions about the project:
What can passengers expect?
The developers expanded Penn Station into the 108-year-old James A. Farley Post Office building, a landmark designed by McKim, Mead & White, across Penn Station’s Eighth Avenue. Passengers will enter a large central atrium covered by a 92-foot high skylight. There is a dedicated lounge for nursing mothers and free high-speed public Wi-Fi in all areas.
How will the daily commute change?
From January 1st, all Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak trains will be served by the 17 tracks accessible from the train corridor. Eventually, the facility will also serve Metro-North passengers. Each operator will offer customer service and waiting areas.
Amtrak is expanding its passenger services to the new salon. Its inauguration may coincide this year with the arrival of new Acela high-speed trains that will serve the Boston-Washington corridor at speeds up to 165 mph. Its amenities will include a staffed lounge available to all first class passengers from Acela or the sleeping car, as well as members of Amtrak’s reward plans.
How will passengers get from Moynihan to Penn and vice versa?
Amtrak’s main entrance to the Moynihan Train Hall is in the middle of the block on 31st Street. In bad weather, customers can walk between Moynihan and Penn Station at the level of the LIRR lobby through the lower lobby of Moynihan. Or customers can leave Penn Station for Eighth Avenue, cross the street and enter the train corridor.
Is it accessible for disabled travelers?
Disabled travelers can use any entrance to access the train lounge. In addition, there will be level boarding on the platforms. It will offer Red Cap assistance, TTD communications for the deaf and a wheelchair station service.
Who’s paying?
The project is financed with $ 550 million from the state of New York; $ 420 million from Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a federal grant; and $ 630 million from developers, Related costs and Vornado Realty Trust.
What’s going on with the existing station?
Former Penn Station will continue to serve New Jersey Transit passengers, as well as Amtrak travelers, between 1 am and 5 am, when Moynihan Train Hall will be closed to the public. The facility has undergone cosmetic and structural reforms in recent years.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a plan to expand railway capacity in Penn Station by about 40%, buying land south of the existing station to add four train lounges and eight track extensions.
What other work is being done?
The renovation also includes the creation of a 700,000 square foot mixed-use development with commercial, retail and restaurant space. It is part of a $ 2.5 billion project that includes renovations and improvements to the existing Penn Station and adjacent subway stations.