“The DOT will begin soliciting proposals from developers in October, select a master developer for the site next May. Design work and environmental review will follow, with construction beginning by the end of 2027.”
What will be happening at Pennsylvania Station?
No details were provided, just a fluffy non-binding timeline that will probably be ignored.
Smoke and mirrors, my friends.
Plenty of gold leaf coming.
is the grand Penn design the one that they will be moving forward with? they showed those renderings in the press but I dont know if that was for concept or the actual proposal
It’s currently unknown what the selected design will even be. The media keeps throwing around that lousy “Grand Penn” one for some reason when there are better concept designs that deserve the media attention. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grand Penn team was paying out the media for extensive coverage.
they probably are in cahoots with everyone bc it has gotten the most coverage by far. honestly I like the park idea and moving msg across the street, but the entrance under Penn 2 looks so tacky especially because vornado just upgraded it.
Father Railroad or whatever that guy’s nickname is suggested during one of the “press conferences” (not technically a press conference since they didn’t take questions) that there would be through-running.
Of course there is no way to get NJ Transit and LIRR (and, beginning in the 22nd century, Metro North after it starts serving Pennsylvania Station) to agree on consistent signage not to mention anything as complex as interlining, so I don’t know how this idea even moves forward unless the various railroads are federalized by way of executive order, Truth Social post, court ruling or otherwise.
Let’s not forget rolling stock. At least the LIRR and MNRR use similar signage, navigational elements for their systems and trainsets and (M3, M7, etc.) and the new Dual-Mode chargers will further make through-running easier (it’s also rumored they’ll be getting catenary powered versions for MNRR’s PSA) on the MTA end, but NJ Transit is the biggest problem with getting through-running to work with their stubbornness and desire to use nothing but Multilevel cars (and, also in the 22nd century, new EMU versions) that are incompatible with just about anything else.
truth social post 
I hate it here
The most basic way for the railroads to implement through running would be for the LIRR, and Metro North Penn Access, to serve Secaucus as their last stop and layup their trains in New Jersey instead of the West Side of Manhattan.
And in Queens build a station in Sunnyside yards for LIRR, Metro North Penn Access and NJ Transit, who already lays up a number of trains there.
That would create the best connections between the railroads, in terms of people switching between the systems.
NJ Transit could run their trains through to Port Washington on the LIRR and Stamford/New Haven on Metro North.
LIRR could run through their dual modes to the Bergen and Main line, and Metro North could run through to the M&E, Montclair or North Jersey Coast line.
This will further become more of a realistic possibility as there are plans for an additional rail yard as part of the Gateway Program. LIRR and MNRR can store their trains there.
NJ TRANSIT Storage Yard – This project involves building a rail yard and operational support facilities for NJ TRANSIT equipment to enable increased rail service.
it’s been months since Byford went MAGA, but we’ve heard nothing from him since then
We’ll have to wait until May 2026 to see what the final design will be. I guess we’ll see what the choices are, but nothing’s going to happen construction-wise until 2027.
Using Secaucus as the transfer point to Metro North and LIRR trains eliminates the major problem with through running, the platforms at NY Penn are too narrow with support beams to support crowds of people boarding and deboarding at the same time.
NY Penn would need to do a total reconfiguration to have platforms on both sides of the trains and doors opening on both sides, one side to deboard and the other side for people waiting to board. The PATH does this with some tracks at WTC, but that was totally rebuilt from scratch during the rebuilding of the entire site. There’s no way that type of project could happen at NY Penn.
The same should be done in Queens, a Secaucus Jct. like station should be built in Sunnyside yards/LIC. Riders connecting from the NYC Subway system could connect to NJ Transit there, removing that portion of the crowds from NY Penn and putting them in Queens where they can jump on the NYC subway to Citifield, Kennedy airport or wherever they want to go.
One major feature of the region’s transit and bus systems is the lack of connectivity between Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and New Jersey. Putting a NJ Transit station in LIC/Sunnyside yard would go a long way to bridging that divide.
The other would be to route more MTA busses from Staten Island through New Jersey to Manhattan, with stops in Bayonne, Jersey City and Newark Airport.
It is still possible that limited Metro North service to Pennsylvania Station will be introduced in 2027.
source: https://www.mta.info/document/190226 (page 6)
Construction of Parkchester / Van Nest Metro North station in the Bronx, with future service to Pennsylvania Station via the Hell Gate Bridge.
Parkchester Stair Installation by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Parkchester Stair Installation by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr
Parkchester Stair Installation by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on Flickr