Two weeks ago, Amtrak announced that NJ Transit had signed on as a “key partner” in the transformation effort. That means the Garden State agency will have a seat at the table as the Trump administration picks a “master developer” to rebuild Penn. A decision is expected in May.
Amtrak, the federally run national railroad, owns the station, but the MTA for years led a charge to redevelop the facility. The New York agency runs the Long Island Rail Road and six subway lines through Penn — and plans to add Metro-North service to the station once it completes its ongoing Penn Access project.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber had commissioned plans in 2022 to redesign the station by combining its several levels into one contiguous room. He also planned to build a new entrance on Eighth Avenue and reconstruct the taxiway next to Madison Square Garden in order to bring natural light into the dingy train hall. Lieber convinced NJ Transit and Amtrak to sign an agreement to participate in the redesign.
But Lieber’s plans stalled, and last year Trump swooped in and took control of the project.
Now, Lieber has picked up his ball and gone home.
Speaking at the Citizens Budget Commission breakfast in January, Andy Byford — a special adviser to Amtrak now leading the redesign effort — said he offered both the MTA and NJ Transit “full voting rights” in the design competition. Only the latter accepted.
“We invited the MTA to have a seat at that same table,” Byford said.
Amtrak and the federal transportation department said that the MTA remains involved in the project and regularly meets with Byford’s team, but did not say whether it would officially join as a partner.
There’s no love lost between Byford and Lieber. Byford resigned as NYC Transit president in 2020 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stripped his oversight of construction projects and gave them to Lieber, who was head of the MTA’s construction department at the time.
MTA and New York state officials said they’ve already improved the northern half of Penn Station used by the LIRR. Lieber spent more than $500 million over the last decade to add a new entrance on Seventh Avenue and reconstruct the corridor along 33rd Street that runs next to the LIRR tracks. Cuomo also opened Moynihan Train Hall in 2021, which serves LIRR and Amtrak riders — but does not connect to NJ Transit’s platforms.
According to an information packet Amtrak sent to prospective bidders to redesign Penn Station in October, the feds have no plans to redo Lieber and Cuomo’s work. Both the 33rd Street corridor and Moynihan Train Hall were specifically highlighted in the packet as sections of the station “not contemplated for inclusion” in the overall redesign.
“LIRR riders overwhelmingly like our new 33rd Street corridor, and our lease gives us the legal standing to protect the entire customer experience there,” MTA spokesperson Mitch Schwartz wrote in a statement. “No matter what the federal government’s process yields, we'll be at the table to fight for their rights.”
Tom Wright, president of the Regional Plan Association, said the MTA still has leverage in the project because the agency has a lease in the station.
He noted NJ Transit has more to gain from the reconstruction. New Jersey riders rely on Penn Station’s most cramped and outdated parts, including the notorious “pit” where riders crowd while waiting to find out which track their train is departing from before scurrying down to the platforms.
“[NJ Transit] signed up for being a partner with Amtrak and the review of the teams and helping fund part of that, whereas the MTA has a lease that they would like to use as the basis of their negotiations and participation in it,” Wright said. “They think that that protects their rights, but they’re going to have to come to the table as part of this process.”
Mitchell Moss, an urban planning professor at NYU who used to run its Rudin Center for Transportation, speculated that by not signing on as a partner to Trump’s plan, Lieber was buying time until a new president was in the White House.
“This is a 20-year project,” said Moss. “By the time they figure out the legal arrangement for this, Trump will be out of office.”
Curious Commuter
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“My pretax transit benefit card isn't compatible with Apple Pay for the OMNY tap system so I have to actually use an OMNY card, which means taking something out of my wallet to tap to get into the subway. I vastly prefer the “Get Smart”-esque experience of tapping my Apple Watch.”
- Jennifer from Brooklyn
The MTA does have a relationship with Apple, which allows users to tap their iPhones or Apple Watches at turnstiles. However, the transit benefit card you get in the mail can only be used if it has a chip in it. You can still add that card to your Apple Wallet, and then you can use your phone to tap. There have been other OMNY bugs since the rollout, but generally, if there’s money on your card, you should be all set.
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