Amtrak Slammed Over $16.7 Billion Penn Expansion Plan – Another Call for an Independent Review
A Curbed article last Friday called Amtrak’s plans for a $16.7 billion underground station for New Jersey Transit “perhaps the most expensive evidence of the cold war among the transit entities at Penn.”
It’s no secret that the various railroads don’t get along. The article says the railroads are pushing the expansion, which would demolish homes, businesses, and landmark-quality buildings on the block south of Penn, instead of cooperating on improving the station. The article claims Amtrak has never taken alternate plans seriously and that Amtrak misled results about through-running at recent public presentations.
“Penn was designed for through-running,” transit and political reporter Nolan Hicks states, noting that Amtrak runs trains through Penn to other destinations dozens of times a day. “The really hard work is already done.” Through-running would allow the other railroads at Penn to continue through to other destinations.
“It’s clear that Amtrak is not even remotely interested in making the most out of the giant train station it already has,” Hicks writes. “This lunacy persists because people with power show little interest in intervening.” He cites New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Hicks calls for a “real, independent review” of whether Penn expansion is necessary. He adds yet another voice to this demand. The Conservancy, the Daily News Editorial Board, Re-Think NYC, several colleague groups, and more than 1,190 signatures on a Conservancy petition are asking for an independent look.
There are two different plans for through-running proposed by outside groups. Each one is millions of dollars less expensive than the Amtrak plan. One, by Re-Think Studio, says no destruction of the block below Penn is necessary. The other, by Tri-State Transportation Campaign, says at least a partial demolition of the block is likely.
We hope an independent review would show that the no-demolition plan is possible. The Conservancy has always fought State plans to use eminent domain to demolish the blocks around the station. In fact, we are supporting a new court challenge of the State plan.
Governor Hochul admitted that the first plan that called for giant corporate office towers is off the table. But she is keeping the threat of eminent domain in place. Improving Penn would generate natural improvement in the area and proposals would get public input through the City’s own review process.
It’s time to end the “lunacy” of rival railroads spending billions of taxpayer dollars to maintain separate fiefs, rather than improve Penn transit for the public.
ADD YOUR VOICE: If you haven’t already, please sign our petition asking for a real, independent, assessment of the way forward at Penn.