Penn Station transformation in the offing: Cuomo
“Major overhauls to the general layout of Penn Station to curb terrorist threats are on the horizon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced during his State of the State address last Wednesday, saying he may use eminent domain to make it happen.
Cuomo ordered state agencies to examine the option to redevelop the 40-year-old Penn Station and said he would consider using the power of eminent domain to expedite upgrades. In the meantime, the Moynihan Train Hall, where construction is underway, should serve to increase capacity as an annex to Penn as well as acting as a safer transfer point for New Yorkers, Cuomo said.
“On top of the volume, the architecture and configuration of Penn is substandard,” Cuomo said. “I call it the seven levels of catacombs. They don’t like when I say that, but it’s true.
“I have directed ESD, the MTA and the Port Authority to work on a redevelopment plan with the neighboring private building owners so that we can restructure and rebuild Penn Station. They are cooperative and understand our needs and support our goal. We are now constructing a new Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall, right across the street. As that becomes operational, that will give us a flexibility to move operations from the old Penn to the new Farley.””
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Hallum, Mark. Times Ledger 11 January 2018.