The one point that commuters, architects, planners, activists, and oligarchs of real estate, entertainment, and sports agree on is that the station, the region’s infrastructural pain point, must change. The city’s Planning Commission is considering a renewal of the Garden’s permit to operate atop the station.Penn Station and civic contention have been inseparable for six decades. Hochul said.īut there will continue to be opposition from residents of the neighborhood and other critics, some of whom argue that Madison Square Garden should be relocated so that a much grander Penn Station could be built on the site.Īnd there remains the possibility that the owners of the Garden would sue to block the state’s plans if it might hinder their ability to continue to stage hockey and basketball games and concerts. “I want to be open-minded about all of the possible scenarios,” Ms. The transportation authority will invite architects, engineers and design firms to submit ideas for improving the station. What’s Next: Planners expect a flood of suggestions and criticism. “We need to prove to the world that we can build big things and we can do it efficiently and we can do it well,” Mr. ![]() New Jersey Transit, a state-run commuter railroad, is one of the main users of Penn Station.Īmtrak’s chairman, Tony Coscia, said that it was important for the two states and the federal government to work together to modernize the station. Amtrak and New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, have also pledged support. Hochul said the state would press lawmakers in Washington for a significant contribution. New York has already appropriated $1.3 billion toward the renovation, and Ms. She has been adamant about her desire for an overhaul of the station, but estimates of how much it might cost range from $7 billion to as much as $10 billion. ![]() ![]() In the meantime, Vornado’s chairman, Steve Roth, made it clear that the company would not be building office towers in Midtown anytime soon. The state’s plan for using payments from Vornado to cover part of the cost of the station improvements had drawn rising opposition as residents of the area mounted an effective lobbying campaign. Why It Matters: Most of the money has not been secured. ASTM planned to reveal details of its proposal, including a cost estimate, this week. That plan has gained support from some elected officials who want the station transformed from an eyesore to an asset for the neighborhood - though not from Janno Lieber, the chief executive of the M.T.A. Hochul said would “entertain all concepts” for how to improve the station.Īn option proposed by a subsidiary of the Italian firm ASTM Group would involve constructing an aluminum-and-steel rectangle around Madison Square Garden, which sits above the station. The official reason for Monday’s news conference was the kickoff of the design process, which Ms. Hochul has called it a “hell hole.”Īmtrak owns the station, but its officials agreed to let the Metropolitan Transportation Authority take the lead on managing its redesign. Drab and overcrowded, it has been widely reviled as an unwelcoming portal to the nation’s biggest city. ![]() Penn Station is the busiest transit hub in the country, serving as many as 600,000 daily commuters and travelers before the pandemic. Hochul said she did not know if her announcement counted as a concession to the opponents, but “they’re going to understand that we have heard them.” Background: Rebuilding the dreary station is a complicated task. Hochul and the other speakers risked being drowned out by shouts from a group of protesters gathered just a few yards away, chanting things like “Don’t destroy our neighborhood!” and “No more luxury development!” Ms. Hochul said that she was “decoupling” that development from the more pressing goal of renovating the subterranean station on Eighth Avenue. Acknowledging that the pandemic had erased demand for more office space in Midtown Manhattan, Ms. Cuomo, had worked out with Vornado Realty Trust, a large office builder. Hochul severed ties with the development plan that her predecessor, Andrew M. In an appearance with other elected leaders and transportation officials on the Long Island Rail Road concourse, Ms. The proposed $7 billion overhaul of Pennsylvania Station in New York City will go forward with or without the development of several office towers that were supposed to help pay for the project, Gov.
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