ICYMI: Amtrak To Launch 'Aggressive' Penn Station Improvement Plan

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — In the wake of trail derailments, seemingly endless delays and a full-on stampede at Penn Station, Amtrak announced Thursday that it will pursue an "aggressive" improvement initiative for the station.

The landlords of the oft-maligned transport hub — who operate Penn Station with the MTA, New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road — plan on completing work that was expected to take years in a matter of months this summer, President and CEO of Amtrak Wick Moorman said on a conference call Thursday.

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For the nearly 600,000 daily commuters that rely on Penn Station, the accelerated improvement schedule means weekday track work which could take platforms out of use during peak travel times.

"We have made the decision that it is the prudent thing to do is to get this done more quickly, but it will have a larger impact on the station," Moorman said Thursday.

The weekday work will take place this summer, Moorman said Thursday. Construction work at the station will continue past this summer but will switch to a weekend-based schedule, Mooreman said.

Moorman did not answer specific questions about how often riders will be obstructed by construction work on weekdays this summer or about which specific platforms will be worked on during the week. Moorman told reporters that Amtrak is still working with its Penn Station partners to develop a final plan.

Amtrak's Penn Station improvement plan includes four major projects:

1. Infrastructure renewal projects;
2. An independent review of Penn Station operations by former MTA CEO Tom Prendergast;
3. The construction of a joint station concourse operations center;
4. Safety and security upgrades.

This story will be updated.

by Andrew Burton/Getty Images News/Getty Images