MTA says 'head-knocker' beams coming down as part of Penn Station renovation

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials on Tuesday previewed one of several forthcoming improvements at the Long Island Rail Road’s cramped Manhattan home: removal of seven low-hanging steel beams that were known to leave lumps on the heads of taller LIRR riders.

MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the "head-knocker" beams long have been "the main culprit in making Penn feel so dungeonlike."

"Everyone who uses the Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn knows them and hates them, because they prevent us from having any human-sized head height," Lieber said. "Removing the head-knockers is key to our plan to create a new Penn Station that can truly be a grand entrance to New York."

Seven of the 10-ton steel beams, which have hung less than 7 feet above the heads of commuters at Penn for more than 100 years, are set to be removed by this weekend as part of a $600 million project to raise the ceilings and widen the walkway along the LIRR’s concourse below 33rd Street. That effort is scheduled for completion by early 2023, officials said.

The first beam was removed last week. Before removing the beams, which helped support the weight of the street, construction crews had to build a new support structure above them. Once completed, the ceilings along the entire length of the LIRR concourse at Penn Station will be 18 feet tall. In addition, retail storefronts along the concourse are being pushed back to nearly double the width of the walkway, from 30 feet to 57 feet.

Waiting for his train at Penn Station on Tuesday afternoon, LIRR commuter George Kougianos — who stands 6 feet, 3 inches — said he instinctively lowers his head while walking through some parts of Penn Station.

"I don’t stand up … It’s just instinct," said Kougianos, 38, of Hicksville, a construction worker who looks forward to having taller ceilings at the station. "It won’t look congested, like you’re in a tight spot. Right now, it just looks like a hole."

With the backing of Gov. Kathy Hochul, the MTA has plans for a more ambitious overhaul of Penn, which could cost more than $7 billion. The upgrades would entail knocking down much of Amtrak’s upper level at Penn to allow for ceilings as tall as 148 feet that would allow natural light onto the LIRR customer concourse.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.