Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall: Explored Again
First Published on 11-11-2020
Revised on 6-3-2021
Post Updated 6-11-2021 4:10 PM EST
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Foreword
A New York Story, spoken in a New York Accent, written by New York hands. The demolition of the Grand Old Pennsylvania Station Head House in 1963 stripped New York City of it’s character, dignity, and faith. For many years, while other cities across the country and the world boasted grand intercity rail stations, New York’s intercity rail hub was just an embarrassment. How can we have put up with such an atrocity and a disgrace of travel hub? How much longer will it be before we can be able to find the opportunity to rebuild and restore old Penn Station to it’s former glory? The Penn Station we know that sits under Madison Square Garden is still a disgrace to New Yorkers, to Americans, and to all people the world over feeling, still feeling, the effects of this bad decision. However, the opening of Moynihan Train Hall has provided some relief, but will never do the original Penn Station any justice. Please join me as I bring you an updated version of my interest in Penn Station New York, as well as explore the brand new Moynihan Train Hall for the very first time.
Intro
Hello readers, this is Ryan Casey, and welcome to Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall: Explored Again. In this article, we will be exploring Penn Station and the recently opened Moynihan Train Hall, the most heavily traveled railroad hub in the United States. Once the brainchild of the late Pennsylvania Railroad president Alexander Cassatt, the original Penn Station was once an architectural masterpiece, and grand gateway to the United States. Tearing it down almost sixty years ago was a huge mistake, and in recent years, the current Penn Station has seen a considerable increase in use and ridership. This, combined with all the delays and crowding, made Penn Station an undesirable place to be, and not worth visiting. However, there have been plans to rebuild or improve Penn Station circulating for years. But only one has come to fruition thus far.
A Brief History of the Original Penn Station Building
New York. When most people hear that name, they think of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal or the Freedom Tower. But what many don’t realize in this day and age is that where Madison Square Garden stands in the present day, once stood a grand gateway to the rest of the United States. It’s name, Pennsylvania Station. Pennsylvania Station, designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, opened in 1910 after nine years of construction. Pennsylvania Station was completed in conjunction with the North River Tunnels, and was the first railroad crossing under the Hudson River. Prior to this, the Pennsylvania Railroad had to use ferry boats, which shuttled passengers and freight across the Hudson River. These constraints caused massive frustration, and drove the railroad company’s need for a new station.
With the opening of Pennsylvania Station and the North River tunnels, came a huge boom in urban development for New York City, Long Island, and the entire Northeastern Region of the United States. For many years, passengers from all across the United States, and commuters from Long Island came or went here. In the golden age of train travel, it was possible to ride all the way to Mexico City on a sleeper car! With its tall columns, a 150-foot high Grand Hall, and soaring glass ceiling, the original Penn Station was a marvel to behold. But unfortunately it would only last fifty-three years. As the airlines and highways were being built in the 1950s, railroads became a less relevant and outdated form of travel. So much so, that the cash-strapped Pennsylvania Railroad sold the air rights of the original Pennsylvania Station to save money. As a result, the original head house was torn down starting in 1963, with Madison Square Garden and a high rise building taking its place by 1968. But the tracks, platforms and remaining infrastructure below were spared. An act of civil and public vandalism, the demolition of Pennsylvania Station sparked international outrage, and prompted the historic preservation movement which did save Grand Central Terminal.
The Existing Penn Station 1968-present
The existing Penn Station, opened in 1968, is still very confusing, dingy, and an undesirable place to be. At the time it was opened, people weren’t taking trains, but over the past fifty-three years, the number of people passing through here each day had increased. Originally built to handle 200,000 passengers per day, that number had increased to over 600,000 passengers per day in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic years. That’s more passengers every year than Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia airport’s combined. By the late 2010s, the current Penn Station had become associated with the Seventh Dimension of Hell. In 2017 and 2018, Penn Station was plagued by delays due to three things. Firstly, Amtrak did extensive work on the tracks and had to cancel or re-route certain trains. Secondly, NJ Transit also experienced personnel problems as almost half of its locomotive engineers either retired or moved to work on other railroads. This meant regular cancellations and lots of angry and frustrated commuters system wide. Thirdly, is the fact that for the many trains that pass through Penn Station every day, there are only two tunnels. Any breakdowns and problems in the tunnels, and you’re talking four hour delays. Just infuriating. In addition to the train delays, the boarding process for all trains at Penn Station is tedious and nerve wracking. On all railroads serving New York Penn, they don’t announce the track number until ten minutes before the train leaves. When they do announce the track number, people rush to get on the trains, creating crowded, dangerous, and unbearable conditions during rush hour. Especially in the hot summer months. This is the result of the fallout of tearing down the Original Pennsylvania Station, and all of us are still dealing with it to this day.
History of Moynihan Station
A new hope in resurrecting Penn Station as a world class transit hub had emerged in the form of renovating the old James A. Farley Post Office building. Designed and opened in 1914 by McKim, Mead and White, what was then known as the General Post Office Building of New York, was designed to compliment the original Penn Station and handle all mail coming into New York City. In the wake of the demolition of Penn Station, the Farley Post Office Building was among the first historic buildings to be landmarked under New York City Landmark laws in 1965. In 1993, the late New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan proposed that part of the old post office building be turned into a new version of Penn Station. In 1999, this agreement reached Congress, but nothing more was done because of the possible cost overruns associated with the project. During the Bush and Obama years, the Moynihan Station idea remained intact. But there was a huge debacle over who would restore the building and uphold the idea. The Federal Government or the State of New York? Ultimately, the State of New York got the final say on the project, and the Farley Post Office Building was sold to New York State.
After years of talk, proposals, and disappointments, the Moynihan Station project finally got the green light. In 2010, then-New York City Mayor Michael R Bloomberg announced the construction of Phase One of Moynihan Station. Phase One expanded the West End Long Island Rail Road Concourse, and built new entrances from both sides of the Farley Post Office Building on 8th Avenue. When Phase 1 was completed in 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo then announced the construction of Phase 2 soon after, now called the Moynihan Train Hall. Originally, Amtrak was going to be the exclusive tenant of Moynihan Train Hall. However, when Governor Cuomo picked up the project in 2017, he decided to include the Long Island Rail Road. This new Moynihan Train Hall was completed amid the COVID-19 Pandemic at the end of 2020. Opened on New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2021, the train hall brought light into a seemingly dark time period in history. The new train hall features a 92-foot high glass canopy, reminiscent of the long-lost Pennsylvania Station train concourse, while modernizing travel experience and handling the increased volume of passengers. As a New Yorker, I’m proud of the progress, and the fact that New York City once again has a glorious intercity railroad terminal structure. But one thing that I still long for, is the complete rebuild of the original Pennsylvania Station Head House. Modernized, but keeping the charm of the days gone by.
Rebuilding Penn Station
I became interested in the old Pennsylvania Station in 2018. Under the Rebuild Penn Station Movement, now ReThink Penn Station, and architect Richard Cameron, this plan calls for rebuilding and restoring Penn Station its original state. A plan which is similar to several landmarks in Europe being completely rebuilt. However, there are some obstacles to this plan. One, the MTA and New York State Government are already implementing their own plan. Two, should Rebuild Penn Station have its way, Madison Square Garden would have to move and be torn down, along with the 2 Penn Plaza skyscraper. Three, it’s likely being that the MTA and Government’s plan may be the one to move forward. In light of this, and reading about the ReThink New York plans every so often, I am still interested in seeing the original Penn Station rebuilt to its former glory. This action in my opinion would be the best option for making New York City a world class transportation center once again. In addition, rebuilding the original Penn Station would create new options to improve urban development and growth for the entire Northeast Region of the United States. For those who are reading this right now, please keep an open mind and give support to Richard Cameron’s movement, as well as look at the ReThink New York plans.
The COVID-19 impact on Penn Station and Amtrak
In July 2019, I went on the Untapped Cities: Remnants of Old Penn Station Tour, hosted by Justin Rivers, my tour guide and famed playwright of The Eternal Space. I was able to see what was left of “old” Penn Station, just before it was going to be refurbished. Months passed. Construction was well underway, and there was even a hidden “whispering gallery” by the end of the IRT West Side Line uncovered during this process. But in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This pandemic crippled Amtrak due to restrictive travel measures. Until January 2021, when the vaccines began rolling out, people refrained from traveling into New York City due to risk of infection. Now that more people are getting vaccinated against COVID, there may be more travelers returning to New York City. Now that COVID is beginning to wane, there are new plans to redo the area in and around Penn Station. Part of the redevelopment includes bringing the Metro North New Haven Line to Penn Station, once East Side Access is complete. However, several historic buildings, including Hotel Pennsylvania and a 150-year old church on the block of 30th and 31st streets between 7th and 8th Avenues, are at risk of being torn down to make way for new skyscrapers. These actions are being met with opposition. So I decided to explore the area again to make sure everything was documented.
Moynihan Train Hall at Last!
On Memorial Day May 31st, 2021, my father and I traveled into New York City for the first time since the COVID-19 Pandemic began. Our mission was to examine the new Moynihan Train Hall, as well as the West Side Revitalization. Upon arrival, we passed through Penn Station’s NJ Transit entrance on the corner of 31st street and 7th Avenue. Walking up 7th Avenue, we then encountered the Hotel Pennsylvania, which is now slated to be torn down in order to build new skyscrapers. History is repeating itself, as it was 60 years ago. The condition of Hotel Pennsylvania deteriorated over the years. But on the other hand, Hotel Pennsylvania is the only railroad hotel left in New York City, and those who recognize its historical significance are opposing this movement. In fact, the entire area around Penn Station is slated to become part of the PILOT program. Meaning that taxes collected from the buildings built here will go to Albany, and not New York City.
Continuing up 7th Avenue, we then encountered the brand new Long Island Railroad entrance to Penn Station, directly from 7th Avenue. This entrance also opened in conjunction with Moynihan Train Hall, and was indeed a welcome relief to pedestrian traffic. As a result, less people were using the old 32nd Street entrance. This was the first time in over fifty years that natural light had shone in all of Penn Station. Descending the escalators, we found that the whole canopy was much bigger than we thought. When I was last here in 2019, construction on this entrance was just beginning, and the art piece, “Eclipse” by Maya Lin, was removed in order to make way for it. Still, this entrance is a neat new tourist spot.
Continuing on down the LIRR concourses, the entire corridor was boarded and beamed over in order for more improvements to be made. In some places, there were steel beams and infrastructure from the original Penn Station that were revealed, and could be seen. In the former schedule board, on the left past the old exit concourse, and at the ceiling by the IND subways, the ceiling was curved, and an old light bulb could be seen. Soon we reached the West End Concourse, which is only open between 5AM-11PM. From there, we walked through the corridor, and popped down to Track 13, where Amtrak Regional Train #171 to Roanoke, Virginia, pulled by ACS-64 #653, began its trip. Shortly after the train departed, we decided to enter the Moynihan Train Hall from the platform level. Why? To experience entering New York City “Like a God”!
At long last, we were able to experience an Amtrak Station worthy of the City of New York. I was immediately drawn to the sight of the hanging clock over Tracks 11 and 12. But we had to eat so we came back a half hour later. Upon re-entering the Train Hall, we then explored everything there was to see. The Giant projector screens showed pictures of old railroad personnel and veterans in honor of Memorial Day. As we re-entered the train hall, the sun did shine in intervals, and I was able to get some good pictures. From both the floor, and the balcony. In addition, there were considerably more people boarding Amtrak trains here than when the train hall first opened. In the winter months, and at night, the 1912 steel trusses and the outside of the building are lit up in all different colors. But the lighting detracts from the historical significance of the train hall, and was over kill. Continuing on, we then headed into the just as fabulous, Mid-Block Entrance. In here, there is a new grand staircase that will eventually lead to 9th Avenue. A food hall on this floor will also open in the Fall of 2021, so more sunlight will pour into this area. Hopefully, Pandemic conditions will be more relaxed by then.
Afterword
All in all, Moynihan Train Hall is modern, clean, and more of a tribute to the old Penn Station than an entire new facility. This part of Penn Station doesn’t serve every single track, because the platforms of Tracks 1-4 and 17-21 don’t reach into the building. So how well utilized the train hall we be in the near future is a matter of success or failure. When the whole idea was proposed by former Sen. Moynihan (D-NY) back in the 1990s, Amtrak was originally going to be the exclusive tenant of the train hall. Plus, there are fewer Long Island Rail Road trains using the Train Hall than Amtrak trains already. When the Pandemic is over, and normal commuter traffic returns, LIRR passengers will still use Penn as it is closer to where they need to go. Let’s hope that Moynihan Train Hall will serve its purpose of reducing congestion at Penn Station. More great news is coming for the region. First, President Biden came through with finally getting the green light for the Gateway Tunnel project to move forward. Secondly, Governor Cuomo announced that major Construction on East Side Access had concluded, and will open at the end of 2022. This action will move almost half of the Long Island Rail Road’s trains to Grand Central Terminal, creating opportunities to reconfigure Penn Station and create a through running, and unified regional rail system for the Tri-State area. An infrastructure undertaking that is desperately needed in these times.
Thanks for reading!
Coming Soon: Steamtown Memories, Southern California Trips – Volume 4 – June-July 2021.
To catch up on my previous post, click here:https://empireofrails.com/index.php/2021/05/28/southern-fried-railroading-2021/
To learn more about plans to rethink Penn Station, click here:https://www.rethinkpennstationnyc.org/
To learn more about ReThink NYC, click here:http://www.rethinknyc.org/
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