Cuomo to jump-start Penn Station revamp plans

Gov. expected to announce overhaul, including Moynihan Station project, soon as this week

Penn Station renovation
Rendering of a renovated Penn Station (credit: Municipal Art Society)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce plans for a major overhaul of Penn Station, which could involve a restart of the proposed Moynihan Station project, as soon as this week.

The nation’s busiest train station, widely considered an outdated and miserable experience for travelers, has become a focus for Cuomo – with the governor seeking to stake his legacy on upgrading the state’s infrastructure.

That would include jump-starting the Moynihan Station project, the origins of which stretch back to the gubernatorial administration of Cuomo’s father, Mario, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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The Moynihan plan would relocate Amtrak’s waiting area at Penn Station into a grand train hall inside the James A. Farley Post Office Builiding, located across the street on Eighth Avenue. The relocation would allow a redevelopment of Penn Station’s other concourses, used by NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road.

Though Cuomo hopes the plan will bring more air and natural light into the station’s maze-like basement vibe, it’s unclear Albany would pay for the overhaul.

The jump-started transformation could involve a new request for proposals – with the state reportedly looking to get out of a decade-old deal that designated commercial real estate giants Related Cos. and Vornado Realty Trust as the Moynihan project’s developer. [WSJ]Rey Mashayekhi