New York City's Pennsylvania Station has long been a source of irritation for travelers, railroaders, and railfans. From the present station's construction in the mid-1960s until the opening of the Moynihan Train Hall in 2021, the facility had a feeling of not only being cramped (which it frequently was), but it also felt rather unremarkable. The latter feeling was amplified by the 1980s- and 1990s-era "updates" that left it as a mashup of mediocrity, rather than the entrance to America's largest city.
Penn Transformation Partners has been selected to lead a rebuild of the station, which will continue to sit under Madison Square Garden, but have tones which reflect the original Beaux-Arts-styled station that the Pennsylvania Railroad demolished, while maintaining commuter and long-distance service.
While rail enthusiasts will undoubtedly debate this new design for some time to come, it's important to remember the current station is one of the last acts of the legendary Pennsylvania Railroad. While the PRR itself exists as an auto insurance subsidiary within the Great American Insurance group, and much can be seen of it, such as the Northeast Corridor route between New York City and Washington, DC, Horseshoe Curve on the famed Middle Division (now Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line), and countless pieces of equipment including the Levin Family's EMD E8s, New York's Penn Station is quite unique and should not be dismissed. It is an example of a business in decline, fighting against government mandates and technological shifts, yet persevering to serve a public that oscillated between wanting the passenger train and wanting to run as far away from it as possible.
- For more on the new Penn Station, see the full article at Gothamist: Exclusive renderings of Penn Station overhaul show Trump's name with presidential seal - Gothamist
- For more on the Pennsylvania Railroad, watch the following All Aboard Podcast episodes:
- Was Penn Central...A Success?!? (Episode 064)
- Reflections on the Pennsy (Episode 038)
