NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday unveiled her own “transformative” proposal to reconstruct Penn Station, largely borrowing from the plan from her predecessor — with some changes.
Hochul promises her version of a redesigned Penn will focus more on improving the commuter experience by expanding rail capacity and public space. The plan nearly doubles the number of entrances into the nation’s busiest transit hub and will build a new underground passageway connecting to Herald Square.
“New Yorkers deserve a world-class transportation system and it should have a world-class facility with Penn Station,” said Hochul, who described the nation’s busiest train hall as “hellacious,” “crowded” and “disgusting.”
“Your daily commute should not be a daily grind,” Hochul said.
Hochul’s concept largely borrows from the vision of disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The key differences are that Hochul plans to lower the height for the 10 planned skyscrapers in the area and place a greater focus on improving 8 acres of public space around Penn. She pitched two options for a single- or two-level station reconstruction.
“What was missing from the last plan was the entire vision for Penn Station itself,” Hochul said. “That’s what I’m trying to rectify...this will be transformative for the people that go inside this building.”
The plan would also greatly raise the ceiling of the existing Penn Station with a 450-foot long skylight to create a much more open and airy environment.
Hochul estimates the project would take between four to five years to complete at the cost of between $6-7 billion, with much being generated from real estate development.
The governor expressed confidence that commuters will return to the rails and offices as the coronavirus pandemic subsides and that the development was needed to greet them.
"We’re in a temporarily suppressed era. I do believe — when I see people at gatherings — people are very anxious to get back together again," she said.
Advocates at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign praised Hochul’s adjustments to the plan, but say, like Cuomo’s proposal, it fails to address some of the core operational issues with the station: narrow platforms and poor train operations that lead to overcrowding and delays.
“We commend Governor Hochul for advancing her vision of a user-friendly and welcoming Penn Station with better accessibility and improved circulation,” said Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, in a statement. “Governor Hochul has shown she is open to the engagement and input of stakeholders and the public.”
Hochul didn’t stop with the design — she also said she’d want a new name for the facility, preferably to honor a New Yorker or the state itself.
“Has anyone asked the question why we have the largest transit hub in the western hemisphere named after a neighboring state?" Hochul joked.
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