Amtrak Study Lifts Penn Station Capacity 33% Without Midtown Demolition
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jul 16
Amtrak Study Lifts Penn Station Capacity 33% Without Midtown Demolition
3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Jul 16
Summary
32 trains an hour from New Jersey in the morning rush and 30 in the evening could run through Penn Station, up from 24, under a federal preliminary study released Wednesday.
Platform extensions, added stairs, escalators and entrances would cut train turnaround times that now can reach 25 minutes, easing the boarding bottlenecks that constrain the station's 21 tracks.
The study also sketches Penn's first federal through-running plan, starting with four New Jersey-Long Island trains, though it would require a super-wide platform and removal of two tracks.
The findings bolster Amtrak and Gov. Kathy Hochul's opposition to razing a block south of West 31st Street, even as Gateway tunnels and Penn Access are set to send more trains into the hub.
Trump ordered construction to start by end-2027, but federal officials still have not set the rebuild's cost or funding plan; a deeper capacity study is due in 2028.