Artist representation of the lobby inside the Moynihan Train Hall.
Next year, in New York, as a symbol of life-changing change, hundreds of thousands of East Coast train travelers and travelers need not look further away that the opening of January 1, the Moynihan Train Room.
The $ 1.6 billion project expands Penn Station, the busiest rail terminal in the country, by 23,690 square meters (255,000 square feet) to serve passengers on Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak. The new facility is designed to provide more space for the 650,000 people who traveled through the station each day before the pandemic.
The lobby is named after the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who denied the destruction of the portion of the historic 1964 Penn Station that led to Madison Square Garden. After the destruction of the original Beaux-Arts, architectural historian Vincent Scully lamented: “One entered the city like a god. One now trains like a rat.
Here are answers to some of the most important questions about the project:
What can travelers expect?
Developers expanded Penn Station into the 108-year-old James A. Farley Post Office building, a landmark designed by McKim, Mead & White, directly across Penn Station’s Eighth Avenue. Passengers will enter a large central atrium crowned by a 92-foot-tall skylight. There is a dedicated lounge for nursing mothers and free high-speed public Wi-Fi throughout.
How will daily commutes change?
From January 1, all Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak trains will be served by the 17 tracks accessible from the train room. Finally, the facility will also serve Metro-North commuters. Each operator will offer customer service and waiting areas.
Amtrak expands its passenger services in the new hall. Its opening may coincide later this year with the arrival of new ones Acela high-speed trains that will serve the Boston-Washington corridor at speeds of up to 165 mph. Amenities will include a lounge with staff available for all first-class passengers or Acela sleeping cars, as well as members of Amtrak’s reward plans.
How will Moynihan passengers get to Penn and vice versa?
Amtrak’s main entrance to Moynihan’s train lobby is halfway down 31st Street. In inclement weather, guests can walk between Moynihan and Penn Station at the LIRR venue level via the Moynihan Lower Enclosure. Alternatively, guests can exit Penn Station on Eighth Avenue, cross this street, and enter the train room.
Is it accessible for disabled travelers?
Disabled passengers can use any ticket to access the train room. In addition, there will be level boarding on the platforms. It will offer Red Cap assistance, TTD communications for the deaf and wheelchair service.
Who pays?
The project is funded with $ 550 million from New York State; $ 420 million from Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the New York and New Jersey Port Authority and a federal grant; and $ 630 million from developers, Cos i. Related Vornado Realty Trust.
What about the existing station?
The former Penn Station will continue to serve New Jersey Transit passengers as well as Amtrak passengers between 1 a.m. and 5 p.m., when the Moynihan Train Hall will remain closed to the public. The installation has undergone an aesthetic and aesthetic renovation in recent years.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has it a plan to expand rail capacity a Penn Station by about 40%, buying land south of the existing station to add four train lobbies and eight track lengths.
What other work is done?
The revision also includes the creation of a 700,000-square-foot mixed-use development with commercial, commercial and dining spaces. It is part of a $ 2.5 billion project that includes renovations and upgrades to the existing Penn station and adjacent subway stations.