BLOOMBERG (NEW YORK) -- Former New York City Transit President Andy Byford, nicknamed “Train Daddy,” has been appointed to lead the $7 billion revamp of New York’s Pennsylvania Station.
US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that Byford will be the special advisor to Amtrak’s board of directors for the redevelopment of Penn Station.
The move comes a month after the Trump administration said that Amtrak, the current owner of Penn Station, will take over management of the project from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which was originally leading it. Duffy is slashing the federal grant for the development, which Duffy’s department said will save taxpayers roughly $120 million.
“Andy shares our dedication to keeping costs down and completing this project on time,” Duffy said in a statement.
Byford previously led urban transit systems in Toronto and London but has more recently taken on big projects in the US. He was dubbed “Train Daddy” by New York City straphangers for his work leading the city’s subway system out of crisis as head of the New York City Transit Authority from 2018 to 2020. In 2023, he joined Amtrak to lead the corporation’s high-speed rail development.
Byford will be tasked with helping renovate and modernize the station and increase concourse capacity, among other goals, according to the statement.