Cuomo Considers Eminent Domain To Condemn Penn Station

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Just days before Amtrak is set to begin a second round of infrastructure repairs at Penn Station, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo publicly floated the possibility of a state takeover of the nation's busiest transit hub.

Cuomo dedicated a portion of his state of the state speech on Wednesday to discuss the much-maligned train station. During this portion of his address, Cuomo seemed to suggest that the state's power of eminent domain could be used to condemn the station.

"There is no time for politics, bureaucracy or delay. The State has the power of eminent domain for just such a purpose," Cuomo said Wednesday. "We must make Penn better. We must make it safer. We must coordinate with all our partners, but we must do it now. There is no time for politics."

Cuomo did admit that private property owners near Penn Station have been cooperative and supportive of a "comprehensive redevelopment project." The transit company Amtrak currently owns and operates Penn Station and leases tracks to the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit.

The governor alluded to that cooperation by discussing the renovation of the James A. Farley Post Office located across the street from Penn Station. The building is being repurposed into Moynihan Train Hall, which when operational will help ease the load of Penn Station and allow for expedited renovation projects.

The threat of a state takeover of Penn Station isn't a new one for Cuomo. During a speech given ahead of last year's "Summer of Hell," (a term Cuomo coined) the governor suggested the "dysfunctional" concourse be taken over by the state, by the Port Authority or by an independent contractor and completely rebuilt.

Cuomo took aim at the station's existing operator Amtrak, calling the situation at the transit hub "extreme discomfort meets catastrophic dysfunction," in last May's speech.

Photo by Philip Kamrass- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo