NEW YORK — An $8 billion plan to overhaul New York’s Penn Station, unveiled this month by federal transportation officials and private developers, has drawn sharp criticism from local leaders who question whether the project will serve commuters or function primarily as a monument to President Donald Trump’s legacy.
The proposal, announced June 8 by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and Penn Transformation Partners, is the most significant effort in decades to renovate the western hemisphere’s busiest transit hub, which serves more than 600,000 daily riders. The plan would leave Madison Square Garden in place while adding a grand entrance on Eighth Avenue, replacing narrow walkways with wider concourses, and expanding train capacity by 165 percent, according to design documents from the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism.
“Too much emphasis has been given to more of the cosmetic issues of the station,” said Rachael Fauss, senior policy adviser for Reinvent Albany, a government accountability group. “For us, the priority should be improving service and safety.”
The original Penn Station, a beaux-arts landmark that opened in 1910, was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden. Rail operations have since been confined to a cramped underground concourse that commuters describe as dark, confusing, and overcrowded.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said the planning process lacked competitive bidding and excluded the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which controls the city’s subways and buses and uses the station. He expressed support for the involvement of Andy Byford, special adviser to the Amtrak board.
“We also know that ultimately Donald Trump is calling the shots,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “We question as a community not only the design choices, because we have seen what he has done in Washington, whether it be the triumphal arch or a ballroom … but also, fundamentally, we are going to get stuck with the bill.”
Trump previously told Senator Chuck Schumer that he would unfreeze funding for infrastructure projects in New York and New Jersey if Democrats supported renaming Washington Dulles International Airport and Penn Station for him, according to the Guardian. Renderings obtained by the Gothamist news website showed an emblem bearing Trump’s name on a wall near an entrance. The official announcement did not propose a renaming.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in the announcement: “The golden age of transportation is coming thanks to President Trump.”
Tom Wright, president and CEO of the Regional Plan Association, an urban planning think tank, offered qualified support. “It really hits the right level of significant improvements to customers and their experience [and] significant benefits in terms of public safety,” Wright said. He added that the question of who pays for the project remains unanswered.
The Transportation Department said funding would come primarily from federal grants to Amtrak, federal loans, private financing, and equity raised by Penn Transformation Partners. Fauss warned that repaying those loans could ultimately draw on New York City tax revenue.
“That is money that is not going to schools,” Fauss said. “The city budget is in rough shape, and if the feds are proceeding with this plan to make a grand station to harken back to an old era, the cost is going to be large to New York City.”
Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2027. The project will require tearing down a theater to make way for an art deco facade and the new entrance.
Gregg Spiegel, a retired accountant who spent 40 years commuting through Penn Station, described the current conditions as a “mob scene” during rush hour, with frequent train cancellations and delays. Spiegel said he would support a redesign if it made the station more efficient. Asked about Trump’s name on the building, Spiegel said he would not support that, but added, “If somebody makes it more efficient and they want to put their name on it, knock themselves out.”