Trump Administration Accelerates Penn Station Timeline

President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to kick the redevelopment of Penn Station into high gear, but missing puzzle pieces could thwart an accelerated plan.

Federal transportation secretary Sean Duffy and Amtrak executive Andy Byford — the Big Apple’s former subway chief who was dubbed by New Yorkers as “Train Daddy” — announced plans on Wednesday to start rebuilding the Manhattan transit hub in two years, the New York Times reported. Construction would begin by the end of 2027 under the enhanced timeline.

“Enough talking, we can’t wait any longer,” Byford said of the beleaguered property.

Amtrak, with the backing of the Department of Transportation, took control of the project in April when it touted plans to partner with a private developer. Last week, it called for companies to apply to be a master developer; a formal solicitation is due by October.

The department provided a $43 million grant towards preliminary engineering work. That could be a drop in the bucket for the project, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has estimated a $7 billion price tag for its iteration of the redevelopment.

Much remains to be seen beyond the development team that will spearhead the ambitious project. One outstanding issue: how much the project will cost and who will bear the financial burden of it. Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged $1 billion for the project, but withdrew the commitment when the federal government usurped control.

The latest announcement is another twist in the seemingly never-ending saga over Penn Station’s future. Byford has suggested none of the existing proposals would have an edge over the incoming master developer, telling the Times authorities were holding a “fair and open competition with no preconceived notions about the outcome.”

Critically, one proposal that doesn’t appear to have legs anymore is Amtrak’s plan to demolish a block south of the station to allow for an expansion of Penn Station. Hochul does not support that proposal.

The Trump administration is taking a clear interest in the nation’s transportation hubs, announcing this week it intends to take control of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

— Holden Walter-Warner