The Vernado Realty Trust developers plans to spend $65 million for improving and expanding street level space outside of Penn Station. But New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $7 billion Penn Station Vision project just like previous investments, including the $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall Station, $300 million West End Concourse and $600 million 7th Avenue 33rd Street Entrance and enlarged Main Concourse, do nothing at the track level for Long Island Rail Road commuters.
They all fail to eliminate periodic cancellation and consolidation of LIRR, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains utilizing either the East River or Hudson River Tunnels due to signal, power, broken rails or other malfunctions.
These investments provide no improvement for reliability of service or additional platform and track capacity. Periodic overcrowding at the platform levels will continue This results in overcrowded trains with insufficient seating capacity.
Some riders end up standing in the vestibules and aisles. The rush to board late arriving, shorter or combined scheduled trains for the trip home will continue.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.