Years under construction, the expansion of Penn Station into the old post office building James A. Farley is on track to be completed on New Year’s Eve, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday.
Railway operations at the new Moynihan Train Hall are scheduled to begin on January 1, according to the governor’s office. The $ 1.6 billion project turns Farley’s century-old post office building into a transit hub, increasing the size of Penn Station by 50%.
“New Yorkers have known for decades that Penn Station needs to be reinvented – and after years of work, the Moynihan Train Hall will open on time and under budget in late 2020,” said Cuomo in a statement.
Construction began in 2017 on the train corridor, named in honor of New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who defended the project for years. The expansion plan was talked about for decades, and when it finally moved forward, it was criticized as a “taxpayer-financed shopping mall” that did little to deal with train service. In January, Cuomo unveiled a project to add eight new tracks and increase Penn Station’s capacity by 40% by purchasing an entire block south of the Midtown transit center for a new terminal.
Moynihan Train Hall is connected to Penn Station via underground passages and features a 92-foot tall glass skylight, expanded waiting areas for travelers, free WiFi, a seating area for nursing mothers and other resources.
Amtrak released this video showing what passengers can expect:
#Amtrak is rapidly approaching its expansion into the Moynihan Train Hall. The Moynihan Train Hall will offer an enhanced customer experience for those traveling in / out of New York City. Here’s what you can expect. pic.twitter.com/J2GWDfD2aF
– Amtrak (@Amtrak) December 23, 2020
The governor’s office said the team was able to avoid delays at COVID-19 due to “implementation of significant health safety protocols and innovative work schedules” to protect workers. The project was a partnership between Empire State Development, Vornado Realty Trust, Related Companies, Skanska, MTA and LIRR, Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“This monumental achievement is a shot of hope when we leave one of the darkest periods in our history and sends a clear message to the world that, although we have suffered a lot as a result of this health crisis that occurs once in a century, the pandemic has not prevented us from dreaming big and building for the future, “said Cuomo.
Despite the good news for the region’s transit system, the Gateway project – which would build a new tunnel connecting NJ to NY and repair the tunnel damaged by Hurricane Sandy – remains paralyzed without federal support to finance the multi-billion dollar project.
Politico reported earlier this month that the launch of a controversial report showing that the Gateway project may not require the construction of a second tunnel has raised fears that the project would only be paralyzed and would make it more difficult to obtain federal funding, while the existing tunnels continue to deteriorate. Cuomo did not express support for one option or another in that project.
“There is a question of rehabilitating these tunnels so that they are safe,” Cuomo said the Sunday before Thanksgiving at a news conference in Manhattan. “We have a report that says they can be rehabilitated … There is also a desire by Amtrak and many people to build new tunnels, to have additional access to New York, which I think is a good idea. But it is not the enemy of the other. “