Five years after former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo predicted a "summer of hell" amid extensive and lengthy work on the Penn Station tracks, the woman who replaced him, Governor Kathy Hochul, was in attendance Tuesday. to open a new Long Island Rail Road passenger concourse that the MTA says will be brighter, larger and less cramped.
It certainly is wider and taller, for sure. The LIRR concourse at the nation's busiest transit hub has nearly doubled in width, from 30 feet to 57, while ceilings have been raised to 18 feet. The lobby stretches from Seventh Avenue near the 1/2/3 subway lines to Eighth Avenue near the A/C/E subway and now features 9,500 square feet of programmable, color-changing LED ceiling lights.
Gov. Kathy Hochul described Tuesday's reopening of the concourse as a timely and on-budget step toward rebuilding Penn Station on a large scale into a modern, spacious, world-class single-level terminal. It is open to natural light and features a skylight, a reminder that "yes, heaven is still out there, despite the feeling that you may be living in hell," he said in June.
Each day, more than half of Penn Station's 600,000 riders pass through the LIRR concourse, and more than a third of them don't even use the Long Island Railroad for their daily commute. The lobby project is expected to be completed in early 2023 and, when ready, will include improved accessibility including a new elevator entrance, mechanical systems to improve air circulation and expand the volume of fresh air, intuitive wayfinding and more shopping and dining options, according to the governor's office
Reconstruction of the LIRR Penn Station space is one of three major projects that will transform the LIRR passenger experience in the coming months, along with the opening of service to Grand Central Madison and the opening of a new third track of the Principal line. It's all part of a multi-million dollar plan to renovate midtown Manhattan to relieve overcrowding and revitalize the surrounding area.
"Penn Station is not only the busiest transit hub in North America, it is also the beating heart of New York City, and for too long it has failed to deliver an experience worthy of New Yorkers," Hochul said in a statement. "Today, we're raising the roof of Penn Station, literally and figuratively, and paving the way for a better future as we unveil a wider, brighter Long Island Rail Road concourse. We're one step closer to making Penn a hub first-class transit and make New York an even more livable and lovable city.
The featured LIRR Concourse project features $380 million in state funding, with 30% of contracts awarded to minority and women-owned businesses. The total cost of the corridor amounts to $559 million. Construction began in June 2019 on the East End Gateway, which opened to the public in December 2020. Last March, seven 10-ton hanger beams known informally as "Head Knockers," which historically limited heights in walkways at Penn Station was removed.
The structures above Penn Station are now supported by an innovative structural frame system, installed by Skanska/AECOM.
"This larger, brighter LIRR concourse is just a glimpse of things to come, not just for LIRR riders but for all New Yorkers," MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement. "This project shows that the MTA is ready to finish transforming the seedy terminal New Yorkers have been suffering from for more than 50 years into a world-class facility."
Hochul's Redevelopment Master Plan calls for turning Penn into a modern, light-filled, walkable facility while revitalizing the surrounding neighborhood to prioritize the public realm, invest in affordable housing, increase access to public transportation and create a pedestrian-friendly urban landscape. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has also supported the transformation.
Empire State Development Corporation members voted unanimously in July to approve the $7 billion plan that requires New York, New Jersey and the federal government to cover renovation costs. New York City will also play a role, as to seal the deal, they will allow developers to tear down existing buildings near the transit hub and build 10 state-of-the-art skyscrapers.
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