Governor Kathy Hochul said on May 20 that New Yorkers have waited over six decades for improvements to Penn Station, calling the transit hub a key gateway for both daily commuters and visitors. Hochul said, “New Yorkers have deserved a better Penn Station for over 60 years. The busiest transit hub in the greatest city in the world should provide a fitting welcome for daily commuters and visitors from around the globe with a space that is functional, beautiful, and worthy of New York.”
Hochul explained that improving Penn Station has been one of her priorities since taking office. She noted that although Penn Station is federally owned, efforts by New York to advance reconstruction had encountered many bureaucratic obstacles at the federal level.
“From the day I took office, I made reimagining Penn Station a priority. While Penn is a federal asset, New York spent years trying to move this project forward, only to face significant federal bureaucratic hurdles at nearly every step,” Hochul said. She added that last year she appealed directly to the White House in order to bypass red tape and secure full federal funding for the project. According to Hochul, this action saved state taxpayers more than $1 billion and helped accelerate progress on updating the station.
With today’s announcement regarding the selection of a master developer for Penn Station’s reconstruction process, Hochul stated she would carefully review the proposal in coming weeks. She emphasized two main goals: enhancing rider experience across all lines serving Penn Station while ensuring continued strong performance by Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) services—and making sure costs are not shifted onto local commuters or taxpayers.
“To be successful,” she said, “this project must accomplish two things: dramatically improve the experience for every rider who passes through Penn Station, from the A train to the Acela, while protecting the record performance of the LIRR and ensuring the costs are not borne by New York commuters or taxpayers. I will accept nothing less.”
