Renderings courtesy of the Grand Penn Community Alliance, unless noted otherwise
A new proposal for the long-stalled redesign of Penn Station would move Madison Square Garden across the street and replace it with a new train hall reminiscent of the station’s original grandeur. Spearheaded by architect and former chief urban designer for New York City Alexandros Washburn, the “Grand Penn” plan would create a public space the size of Bryant Park and a commuter train hall inspired by the original station, while relocating the famous arena across the street. The plan now joins two stalled proposals, including one from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and another from a private developer.
Nonprofit group Grand Penn Community Alliance became the first independent design team to formally submit a proposal to the state and federal government.
“The stars are finally aligning for Pennsylvania Station to transform into a beautiful, classical and easy-to-access train station that is built to accommodate the more than 600,000 passengers who use the station on a daily basis and New Yorkers who deserve robust public space,” Washburn said.
“We spent the last few years studying the current footprint, listening to the railroads and talking to Madison Square Garden and other key stakeholders. We believe our Grand Penn plan strikes the right balance of creating public space, delivering world class transit and facilitating a move one block east for Madison Square Garden. It’s a win for commuters, a win for New Yorkers, a win for taxpayers, a win for the Garden and a win for all.”
Without the arena overhead, the proposed train hall could double the station’s capacity to 48 trains per hour, while adding new safety and accessibility features and revamping the cramped, outdated spaces that many riders loathe.
As part of the proposal, the new commuter train hall would feature soaring glass ceilings and be larger than Grand Central Terminal. The hall would be connected to Moynihan Train Hall, located across Eighth Avenue, by underground tunnels.
A replica of the iconic clock from the original Penn Station would be on display in the commuter hall concourse, with restaurants and shops located above, offering views down onto the concourse level.
Beneath the concourse level, a new boarding area would feature 18-foot ceilings, replacing the current 8-foot ceilings that contribute to the cramped, uncomfortable feeling of the station.
The newfound space would also provide ample room for an expansive public green space, comparable to the size of Bryant Park, that would serve as a “giant backyard” for the new train hall, as reported by the New York Times. The park would be the only public space of its kind in Midtown South.
The project would begin by moving MSG across the street and cost $3.5 billion: $1.3 billion for the land and $2.2 billion for construction, marking $1 billion savings.
A yet-to-be-determined developer would purchase the land, mostly owned by Vornado Realty Trust, and includes the former Hotel Pennsylvania, demolished in 2023, along with several nearby properties. The entire project would take roughly 11 years to complete.
Washburn says that his group has met with Vornado about purchasing the site, and that they have shown interest, according to the Times.
“We’ve got the first big opportunity to undo the damage that was done when the original Penn Station was demolished six decades ago,” Robert Yaro, former president of the Regional Plan Association, said.
“Since then, rail traffic and the region’s economy have expanded dramatically, so we urgently need to create both new capacity and amenity in the next version of Penn Station. The Grand Penn Community Alliance plan does these things — and also gets us a new MSG— for the same cost as simply patching up the existing station and Garden.”
This move would also save five years of construction time for passengers, reduce the number of station areas closed due to construction by 50 percent, and most importantly, satisfy MSG-goers with a brand-new, modern arena.
However, it would require approval from James Dolan, the arena’s operator, who has rejected previous calls to move MSG. Washburn claims that the relocation would benefit the arena, ensuring easier truck access and modern amenities, according to the Times.
The move would also make it easier for Dolan to secure a permanent license for the arena, rather than relying on temporary ones. In August 2023, the City Council approved a special five-year permit for MSG, supported by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, the shortest operating permit granted to the Garden. Dolan had hoped to secure a permanent extension of that permit.
Penn Station’s makeover is also essential to complement the ongoing $30 billion Gateway Program, which includes repairing tunnels beneath the Hudson River that connect to the station, ultimately improving service for hundreds of thousands of riders.
In October, the MTA, Amtrak, and NJ Transit released a feasibility study exploring four concepts to double train capacity at Penn Station without expanding its size. Ultimately, none of the proposals were deemed feasible, with the study concluding that, to meet the region’s needs, the station must be expanded beyond its current footprint.
Washburn conducted a comprehensive engineering and financial analysis, incorporating documents from MSG’s 2023 permit renewal process and October’s feasibility study, to develop a proposal that meets all the demands.
Washburn’s plan joins two other serious proposals that have remained unrealized since their creation in 2023. One, a $6 billion proposal from private development firm ASTM North America, would keep MSG in its current location, wrapping it with a massive stone facade and creating a more unified train hall. ASTM claims that their plan is $1 billion cheaper than the MTA’s.
The other proposal, courtesy of the MTA, would see Penn Station replaced with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility centered around a spacious, light-filled train hall. This new hall would be as large as the combined main concourses of Moynihan Train Hall and Grand Central Terminal.
Janno Lieber, CEO and chair of the MTA, has called ASTM’s proposal “wasteful,” noting that it would require Dolan to spend roughly $1 billion to demolish the Hulu Theater, which 70 percent of all Penn Station commuters enter and exit through.
According to the Times, the MTA had stated that it would reach a “critical design goal” by last summer and begin soliciting proposals from developers, but that has not yet happened.
All of these plans must also gain approval from Amtrak, the station’s owner, as well as from the states of New York and New Jersey, which oversee the MTA and NJ Transit, two agencies that operate trains in and out of Penn Station.
The project also depends on billions of dollars in federal funding, of which only $150 million has been secured. The fate of the remaining funds remains uncertain, particularly in light of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to cancel NYC’s congestion pricing program, which remains in effect.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed overhauling Penn Station with the help of Vornado, who would be enlisted to redevelop 18 million square feet of the surrounding area, including 10 new high-rise office towers, with the tax revenue generated put towards funding the project.
In February 2023, Vornado paused its redevelopment plans due to high interest rates and the “current challenges” of building new, saying that it was “almost impossible,” as 6sqft previously reported.
In June 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the office towers had been dropped from the renovation proposal, stating that state and federal government funding made it possible to move forward without relying on revenue generated from the towers.
Last week, a group of Midtown politicians presented their own plan for Penn Station’s redesign, urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to eliminate the office towers in her proposal and replace them with a mixed-use complex featuring roughly one-third apartments and two-thirds office space, according to Crain’s New York.
Announced by Assemblyman Tony Simone, the plan gained support from Borough President Levine and Councilmember Erik Bottcher because, unlike the existing proposal, it would not use eminent domain to seize private property.
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