A Glimpse Of The Future Of Penn Station Is Revealed

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — By the time Hudson Valley commuters are able to take Metro-North trains directly to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, the aging train station could look much different.

This week, Gov. Kathy Hochul put her own stamp on plans for a reimagined Penn Station. In her announcement, she rolled back some of the more ambitious plans of her predecessor.

"New Yorkers do not deserve what they have been subjected to for decades at Penn Station," Governor Hochul said on Wednesday. "The era of neglecting our Penn Station commuters and the neighboring community is over."

The $6-to-7-billion renovation will double concourse space by converting Penn Station into a single-level train hall and removing the existing upper level to create a high-ceilinged, glass enclosed concourse.

Plans closely resemble one of two possible renovations first proposed by the MTA in April.

The plan also includes a new focus on outdoor space. Sidewalks on blocks surrounding the station would be widened and two fully pedestrian-only blocks of West 33rd Street would be set aside. The new outdoor pedestrian space called for totals nearly eight acres.

Other proposed work would improve access to the rail hub, including new underground concourses and new buildings with enclosed entrances leading to Penn Station.

Construction would take four to five years, Hochul said.

The station will also will bear a new name — that of a New Yorker and not Pennsylvania — once complete, Hochul added.

The unveiling of a new vision for Penn Station comes as the MTA's plan to introduce New Haven Line passenger service into and out of Penn Station earned key environmental approvals to move forward.

The $1.583 billion project represents the largest expansion of Metro-North Railroad since it was created 37 years ago. Founded in 1983 when the MTA assumed control of Conrail commuter operations in New York and Connecticut, Metro-North has 384 route miles and 775 miles of track going to 124 stations in seven counties in New York State — Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Bronx, New York, Rockland, and Orange — and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut.

About 30,000 passengers per day are expected to use the new service. Daily, 13,000 riders will get on or off at the four new stations in the East Bronx. Metro-North expects to operate 102 trains on the Hell Gate Line, while 60 Amtrak trains are expected to use it.

Patch's Nick Garber and Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this article.