The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it reached three key milestones in the construction of the New York Penn Station “Transformation” Project.
According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the USDOT’s moves will help keep the project on track to break ground by the end of 2027.
“We’re rebuilding Penn Station on ‘Trump Time,’ and we are tapping our partners in the private sector to make it happen on time and on budget,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. “Under President (Donald) Trump, USDOT is cutting through the red tape to meet our ambitious timeline, and I’m confident we’ll bring together the greatest minds to create an unmatched symbol of American architecture and infrastructure for visitors and daily commuters to enjoy for decades to come.”
Duffy said that the USDOT, in partnership with Amtrak, had released the solicitation for the project’s master developer and invited interested parties to submit Letters of Interest; had selected the Public-Private Partnership advisors to help structure the P3 project approach and agreements; and had initiated the Project’s Service Optimization Study to research how to accommodate passenger service growth at the state and in the surrounding region.
“This will be one of the biggest and most significant construction projects in U.S. history, and we want the most skilled and knowledgeable partners to help make it a success,” Special Advisor to the Amtrak Board Andy Byford said. “By working with the private sector, we will be working with advisors who focus on the project’s goals while minimizing costs for taxpayers.”
In Fiscal Year 2024, Penn Station saw more than 12 million guests, nearly 18 percent of Amtrak’s total ridership and nearly 45 percent of the Northeast Corridor’s ridership. Officials said it supports more than 1,000 daily trains across 21 tracks.
In April, Duffy announced the USDOT and Amtrak were taking control of the overhaul from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and withdrawing $72 million in grant funding. Since then, USDOT and Amtrak have announced the project’s schedule and a $43 million federal grant to begin the work and to support project development.