Plans call for reopening the corridor called Gimbal’s passage that provides an underground connection from Herald Square and the 33rd Street PATH station, he said.
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Correct, a great majority of the renovated station will be on 1 level now and that is the level of the LIRR concourse (The exception are the at-grade areas at the new grand entrance hall on 8th avenue.
The floors of the Amtrak Waiting Areas, the floors and ‘The pit’ of the NJTransit waiting areas, will be completely removed. The narrow hallways of today’s ‘Exit Concourses’ will be expanded and opened up to achieve the consistent double height space across the station.
Each of the major Penn Station proposals agreed in this basic strategy for simplifying the layout of the station plan, achieving higher ceilings, and adding more exit stairs to the platforms.
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You are not
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The amount of flags reminds me of Spider-Man 2
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The presence of trees on top of the Penn roof suggests that there may be some kind of rooftop garden. If publicly accessible, it would make for some cool spots to take photos from.
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I would trade out the second and third poles for state and city flags. 8 American flags is… a lot.
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They’re there for Dump to grope.
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This is an extremely welcomed part of the proposal, the current NJT entrance looks so out of place. And the single big screen instead of the giant tripod screen structure they have right now is so much better too. I do wonder how, spatially, it will interact with 2 Penn’s structure.
I still think it would’ve been really cool if the Gateway entrance had been mirrored as the NJT entrance and 31st St partially blocked off as it was with 33rd.
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Something not clearly defined yet is what is happening with the upper stories of the new podium. It could be new space for Amtrak operations, but–
I would be willing to bet, given the close relationship between Halmar and the MSG corporation, that some of that new space and terrace goes to MSG: expanded concourses or BOH space, and maybe a terrace accessible to the garden.
Additionally in the Ground Level plan below, there’s a good deal of space allocated to new MSG VIP entrances (Highlighted in blue), and other MSG BOH space going down 31st & 33rd streets.
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I wouldn’t have thought those 2 blue entrance were VIP exclusive, I thought they were just the relocated entrance that are currently already more or less located in those areas for general ticket holders (the lettered Chase Entrances). If theyre VIP exclusive, then everyone else would be funneled through the 2 entrances underneath the 2 Penn cantilever on 7th Ave.
Not “much” new space is actually generated by the new proposal. Any new “free” space will probably be taken up by MEP systems, that’s why theres no windows on the north and south sides of the box above ground level activities and leasable space.
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That was a pity and informative interview with Andy and the Architect. Actually, that would be a nice tag line for the story of the Penn Station Expansion and Improvement project: Andy & the Architect. 
The three most important questions remain to be answered: will this project be delivered ON TIME, ON BUDGET, and also deliver all the promised benefits regarding beautification and functionality.
I would hope so; and for me, having Andy Byford on this project inspires confidence - he was a very effective MTA chief.
That was a great post; and this will be a great thread/project to follow I am sure. 
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The loss of the mid-block atrium is the biggest disappointment of this design. That concept did a lot more to restore something lost from the original: a grand interior space with lots of natural light. Don’t get me wrong, the improvements on the western side of the station are pretty nice, but neglecting the core of the station like this is a squandered opportunity.
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That would likely be the final result. These renderings were made to get one person to buy in.
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Meanwhile, as elegant as those renders are, let’s be real about how this is going to look in actuality.
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An update from Amtrak today:
Amtrak and Penn Transformation Partners (PTP) today announced they have finalized a Pre-Development Agreement (PDA) for the historic overhaul of New York Penn Station. During the PDA phase, Amtrak, led by Special Advisor Andy Byford, and PTP, a joint venture led by Halmar and Skanska, will finalize the project’s design and gather stakeholder input, which will then inform and establish a firm, fixed price to deliver the work. The PDA marks a major milestone in transforming the busiest transit hub in the Western Hemisphere into a new world-class station. The project is moving ahead on schedule and will break ground by the end of 2027.
There will be a public comment period. If you’re upset about the loss of the atrium, make your voice heard when they announce dates for comment. Since what we’ve seen so far isn’t the final design, the atrium could be brought back.
I also found out that L’Observatoire will be involved in the Penn project, as they were added to the Penn Transformation Partners team that is working on this project.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZp49lTkQxS/?img_index=1
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File this under fat chance -
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Train Daddy vs. the Lieber man
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