On Penn Station’s 100th birthday, a “historic” groundbreaking

On the 100th anniversary of the opening of New York City's Penn Station, New York City's Penn Station, city, state, and federal officials gathered Oct. 18 for the groundbreaking for Phase I of the new Moynihan Station, which Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said "is poised to be one of the greatest transportation and infrastructure legacies of our generation."

Governor David A. Paterson and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, prior to the groundbreaking, signed a final agreement providing $83 million in Recovery Act funds to New York through the DOT’s Transportation Initiatives Generating Economic Recovery" (TIGER) program. Senator Schumer was instrumental in securing the funding to begin Phase I. He singled out for special raise  " the late, great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan for his vision, passion, and challenge that we are determined to meet."

In a statement, the Governor’s office said the new station "will improve passenger safety and security for the more than 550,000 people that pass through Penn Station on a daily basis and will be a catalyst for growth."

The first phase of the project, "Moynihan Moving Forward," will include the expansion and enhancement of the 33rd Street Connector between Penn Station and the West End Concourse, which lies under the grand staircase of the Farley Post Office Building. Also planned are extension and widening of the West End Concourse to serve nine of Pennsylvania Station’s 11 platforms, new vertical access points and passenger circulation space and entrances into the West End Concourse through the 31st and 33rd Street corners of the Farley building. The first phase of construction is expected to be complete by 2016. Phase 2 will include the construction of the intercity train hall.