All articles tagged with #penn station
The NYPD is investigating after three people were filmed crawling out of a manhole near Penn Station; detectives say many sewer scavengers in the area are migrants, with prior incidents in Brooklyn, Queens, and Gravesend; no arrests have been made in this latest case, and officials stress that entering the sewer is illegal and extremely dangerous.
The NYPD is investigating a video showing three people in overalls with headlamps emerging from a manhole near Penn Station around 4 a.m. The Department of Environmental Protection inspected the sewer and found no structural damage. Similar underground sightings in Brooklyn and Queens earlier this year are being reviewed, but authorities say it’s not yet clear whether the incidents are connected.
A TikTok video shows three men wearing headlamps and overalls emerging from a manhole at 32nd Street and Seventh Avenue near Penn Station in Manhattan. The NYPD is investigating and no arrests have been made; authorities caution that entering manholes is illegal and dangerous due to toxic gases, unstable surfaces and flood risks. The incident follows earlier sightings of people emerging from manholes in Williamsburg and Gravesend, which investigators say involve scavenging in the city’s sewer system for items of value.
Amtrak’s Line 2 tube of the East River Tunnel between Manhattan and Queens reopened after more than a year of interior rehabilitation spurred by Superstorm Sandy damage. The three-mile tunnel was rebuilt with a new fixed-track system, upgraded drainage, improved signal, power and fire/safety systems, and redesigned emergency walkways. Line 1 will close later this year for the same work, with the entire East River Tunnel rehab targeted to finish by the end of 2027.
Democrats worry about cost and who will pay for a high-profile Penn Station overhaul led by Amtrak, as Trump pushes a six-year plan and hints at a station name, with Hochul insisting the federal government cover the bill; the project’s cost, funding split, and naming controversy remain unresolved even as officials tout a modernization that could redefine the city’s busiest hub beneath Madison Square Garden.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged Congress to authorize renaming New York’s Penn Station after Donald Trump as Amtrak advances an roughly $8 billion rebuild, outlining funding requests (including $1 billion to start, a property-tax financing option, and a higher loan cap) and stirring opposition from lawmakers who say taxpayers shouldn’t fund a vanity project.
Amtrak’s Penn Station reconstruction includes long wood benches and broad public seating to improve pedestrian flow for the roughly 600,000 daily riders, with some seating reserved for ticketed passengers; the design nods to the station’s Beaux-Arts roots, but funding and governance—especially Amtrak/MTA partnership—remain unsettled.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber rejected Amtrak’s offer to become a full partner in Penn Station’s reconstruction, calling the federal oversight “bizarre” and outlining concerns about how the master developer was chosen and the impact on Long Island Rail Road operations under the MTA lease. Amtrak says it remains open to collaboration, but Lieber emphasizes protecting two-thirds of Penn Station riders and the state’s taxpayers, leaving the project’s cost and funding unresolved as construction aims to start by 2027.
Amtrak and Penn Transformation Partners signed a pre-development agreement to push Penn Station’s overhaul toward a final design and a detailed budget estimated at $7–8 billion, with a 2027 completion window for the pre-development phase and ongoing community engagement. Led by Amtrak’s Andy Byford and Penn Transformation Partners (Halmar/Skanska) under Vishaan Chakrabarti’s design, the plan would relocate the main entrance to Eighth Avenue, wrap Madison Square Garden into a circular form atop the terminal, and replace the current maze of ticketing and corridors with a single, daylight-flooded concourse with shops and services. Madison Square Garden would stay atop the station, and federal DOT funding supports the project as momentum toward construction builds.
World Cup-related security measures at MetLife Stadium forced NJ Transit to reserve Penn Station for World Cup-bound riders, shutting regular Penn Station services for several hours and sending locals to PATH via Newark. Many commuters missed the memo, facing long waits and frustration, while tourists paid steep fares and navigated a confusing station layout. Officials say the restrictions are to accommodate FIFA-mandated security checks and crowd management during the tournament.
New Jersey is stocking two 600‑passenger ferries and more than 500 buses as a backup plan for World Cup crowds if Amtrak service wobbles at Penn Station, moving fans from New York City to Weehawken and then to MetLife Stadium. The strategy comes amid recent fires and electrical problems at Penn Station and broader concerns about regional rail reliability, with Amtrak pledging mitigation efforts and about $30 million in upgrades, even as a long‑term Penn Station overhaul remains a multi‑year, multi‑billion project.
New York’s Penn Station is slated for an $8 billion remodel that would modernize the hub while keeping it at its current site; officials say there will be no fare hikes to cover costs and no plan to condemn surrounding properties, with detailed cost breakdowns and environmental review to come as public input is sought amid transit-advocate concerns about secrecy and disruption during construction.
The Trump administration is pursuing a $7-8 billion Penn Station overhaul, aiming to fund the majority with federal money via Amtrak, federal grants, and Build America Bureau loans, while seeking contributions from New York and New Jersey; Gov. Hochul has pulled state funding, a pre-development agreement will launch the federal environmental review, and the plan—led by Vishaan Chakrabarti—includes a single-level concourse, a new Eighth Avenue entrance, a reopened Gimbels passage, a new internal truck dock, and a presidential seal bearing Trump’s name; officials say work could start by 2027 as they push to minimize the local funding gap.
New renderings reveal an estimated $8 billion transformation of New York's Penn Station, including a new Eighth Avenue entrance and expanded, naturally-lit concourses that would grow public circulation from 65,000 to 170,000 square feet. The plan requires removing the Madison Square Garden theater (with undisclosed compensation to MSG's owners) to free space; construction could begin in 2027 and take about six years. Officials say there will be disruptions but no fare hikes, and Gov. Hochul has secured funding from President Trump to support the project. The design team includes Amtrak's Andy Byford and Vishaan Chakrabarti, aiming to make Penn Station America's world-class hub.
A coalition of New York officials rallied near Penn Station to demand transparency about the private-led redevelopment, criticizing the Trump administration for sidelining local voices; Amtrak has named Penn Transformation Partners (including Vornado, Halmar and Skanska) as master developer, with plans for a new eighth-avenue entrance and improved operations, but total costs and neighborhood impact remain unclear as federal funding is discussed and state/MTA contributions are unsettled.