Lost In Penn Station: There's An App For That

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Midtown Manhattan's Penn Station must be among the worst places to get lost. The station is dark, its bathrooms are hazardous and it's hard to get one's bearings in the underground maze of winding train tunnels.

Amtrak — the company that operates the nation's busiest transit hub in Midtown — has a solution. The transit company has created the phone app "FindYourWay" to help guide people through the busy station.

The app uses technology to provide real-time updates on train schedules and gate locations. It allows users to track their own location within the station and easily find directions to the nearest exit, ATM or train platform.

The app — available on both iPhone and Android devices — figures to be helpful for daily commuters as well as first-time visitors.

"Everyone can benefit from downloading FindYourWay and experiencing the new, digital-friendly New York Penn Station," Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

"FindYourWay is more than just an interactive platform; it can also help prevent overcrowding in the station, delivering a measure of customer safety that other communication products and forms of travel cannot provide."

The app is currently limited to Penn Station, but Amtrak envisions rolling it out for other locations in the future, according to a press release.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images News/Getty Images