Cuomo To Trump: 'Deplorable' Penn Station Is An Emergency

NEW YORK, NY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling on the federal government to help solve "deplorable" conditions at Penn Station.

Cuomo sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Sunday calling the current situation and Penn Station "intolerable" and questioning whether the transportation hub should eventually be taken over by a public entity such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The station is currently owned and operated by Amtrak.

"Thousands of commuters have been stranded for hours, in packed corridors, and the conditions have been described as 'near riot,'" Cuomo said in the letter. "The circumstances are so bad that the State legislature convened emergency hearings with Amtrak officials."

Over the past two months Penn Station commuters have seen their commutes extended by hours due to crumbling track conditions, mechanical failures and two major train derailments. In addition to infrastructure problems, disorganized management at Penn Station has led to overcrowding, and in one instance, a stampede after a false shooting scare.

But despite the problems, Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman has said he's "very impressed" with how the company has maintained Penn Station.

"As someone new to the company and with plenty of railroad experience, I have been very impressed that Amtrak has been able to hold together this incredibly complex, busy and fragile infrastructure as well as it has, in spite of many impediments," Moorman testified in front of the New York State Assembly.

Amtrak recently revealed a massive infrastructure restoration plan at Penn Station, which would include obstructive weekday construction work. But Cuomo doesn't think that, in its current state, Penn Station can handle any more service disruptions.

"Amtrak has now announced that they will do emergency repairs on the tracks this summer. It just isn't feasible for the system to sustain this trauma," Cuomo wrote.

Cuomo warned that the "domino effect" created by a possible 20 percent reduction to peak hour service at Penn Station could increase delays at other regional transport systems, such as the NYC subway, as commuters search for alternatives. Cuomo said that Amtrak's construction plan would bring a "summer of agony," for all regional commuters as passengers flood the subways, bridges and tunnels to avoid Penn Station.

The New York governor added that he believes Amtrak's long-term operation of Penn Station is "not sustainable or wise," and floated the idea of having the Port Authority take the station over and connect it with its other transportation hubs. He ended the letter by making a personal plea to Donald Trump.

"While this is not a hurricane or flood it will affect as many people and businesses with dire consequences. Like a natural disaster, we didn’t create it but our public offices require we address it. As in most emergencies, this is not a political issue and bipartisan officials will agree that we need immediate help. This situation affects the entire northeast region," Cuomo wrote.

“As a New Yorker, I think you know the severity of the situation and you know that if the state has the financial and operating support, we will get the job done."