$1.6B Penn Station Expansion To Open Friday, Cuomo Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — After years of construction, Penn Station's expansion into the neighboring Farley Post Office building will be completed by Thursday and open to commuters by New Year's Day on Friday, officials announced this week.

Construction began in 2017 on the main phase of the $1.6 billion project to liberate commuters from the cramped, underground confines of Penn Station by converting the grand, 108-year-old post office building into a waiting hall for Amtrak riders.

The initiative has been a pet project of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced Sunday that the 255,000-square-foot space, dubbed Moynihan Train Hall, would welcome its first trains on Jan. 1.

"This monumental accomplishment is a shot of hope as we come out of one of darkest periods in our history and sends a clear message to the world that while we suffered greatly as a result of this once-in-a-century health crisis, the pandemic did not stop us from dreaming big and building for the future," Cuomo said in a statement. "The new Moynihan Train Hall is the embodiment of New York Tough."

#Amtrak is quickly approaching its expansion into Moynihan Train Hall. Moynihan Train Hall will offer an improved customer experience for those traveling in/out of New York City. Here is what you can look forward to. pic.twitter.com/J2GWDfD2aF
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) December 23, 2020

In addition to Amtrak, the train hall will also hold ticketing and waiting areas for Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit passengers.

The project will open on time and on budget, even after Amtrak's inspector general predicted over the summer that the opening could be pushed to March 2021 due to construction mismanagement and the coronavirus pandemic. Cuomo's office attributed the lack of delays to "health safety protocols and innovative work schedules that kept workers safe."

First conceived in the 1990s by then-U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the project suffered from years of delays before construction finally broke ground in 2010 on the first phase, which added two modest entrances to Penn Station within the Farley Building on Eighth Avenue.

The section opening this week will expand Penn Station's concourse space by 50 percent, featuring high ceilings topped with skylights. Transportation advocates have criticized the plan, however, since it does not expand the station's train capacity despite longstanding complaints about cramped platforms and deteriorating infrastructure.

In January, Cuomo unveiled a plan to add six tracks to the Penn Station complex by acquiring and demolishing a full city block.