Review of New York’s Penn Penn Station seen with the presence of Biden infrastructure

Passengers entering and leaving New York’s Pennsylvania station could have more stairs and escalators, wide aisles, raised ceilings and bright natural light as they rush to catch trains and subway.

This is the vision to transform Penn Station into a 21st century transportation hub that officials detailed Wednesday during a Metropolitan Transportation Authority meeting. The rebuilt station, called the Empire Station Complex, will serve 830,000 daily users by 2038, up from 600,000 before the pandemic, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration.

The transportation center will serve the Gateway Project, which U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said he prioritizes because of its significance for the national economy. It will double rail capacity between New Jersey and midtown Manhattan by building a new tunnel under the Hudson River and rehabilitating an existing pipe.

The plan to transform Penn Station comes when President Joe Biden urges Congress to consider a $ 2 trillion infrastructure package that includes money for transportation needs across the U.S.

“Penn Station speaks so powerfully about climate goals and equity goals that the Biden administration has set out so strongly,” MTA chief Janno Lieber said Wednesday during the monthly board meeting. the agency.

Penn Station currently serves Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the MTA subway system and its Long Island Railroad. MTA plans to expand the Metro-North rail service, which connects the city with its northern suburban communities, to Penn Station.

Representations show a new unrecognizable Penn Station for the current installation, with double aisles of the current width, raised ceilings, much more natural light and expanded entrances. Increasing the number of stairs, escalators and elevators will greatly improve the way passengers move around the station, Lieber said.

“The Empire Station complex is a transformative project that will support and realize the vision of the delayed walkway along the entire east coast and enhance the passenger experience at North America’s busiest transportation hub,” Cuomo said. in a statement.

Officials will now consider two different alternatives for the station, a single-level design or a two-level construction.

Cuomo and officials from the MTA, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak and representatives from the New York Congress plan to work to secure funding for the Gateway program and the reconstruction and expansion of Penn Station.