Stop squabbling, get serious on Penn Station project
A rendering of the redevelopment of Penn Station as seen from Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Credit: Penn Transformation Partners
The daily frenzy that plays out at Penn Station, where hundreds of commuters rush through the terminal for jobs, shopping, sightseeing, sports and entertainment events, became even more chaotic early this week, with a random multivictim stabbing Sunday evening and the NBA Finals Monday night that included a presidential visit.
And still to come: Penn as the epicenter of travel during the upcoming World Cup matches.
It's all a reminder, once again, of just how critical the busy station is to the region.
The heavy security wall panels and barricades erected around Penn in advance of President Donald Trump's Monday visit briefly symbolized what could happen if the all-important hub ever became inaccessible.
It's an important moment. And that's why the ongoing battling between Amtrak, which owns the station, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the subway and Long Island Rail Road and leases space at Penn, is particularly troubling. This is a time when the two agencies — along with NJ Transit — must be working together.
In the latest chapter of a yearslong squabble, Amtrak officials are saying the MTA is refusing to partner with them on the massive effort to redevelop Penn — which risks leaving LIRR riders out of the process. The MTA says Amtrak's proposed memorandum of agreement for that partnership would weaken the state authority's existing lease, preventing the MTA from having a say.
It's time to get serious. The three agencies have enough difficulty managing the dark, dingy maze of tracks, concourses, lobbies and entrances and exits. The only way to move forward — especially with any remake — is for the three railroads to work together.
They've done it before, inking a three-way deal during a previous attempt at modernizing Penn. This time, NJ Transit signed its deal. Now, both Andy Byford, who leads the Penn redevelopment for Amtrak and previously led New York City Transit, and Janno Lieber, the MTA's chairman and chief executive, should hash this out.
The two entities also are arguing about a recently discussed notion that the MTA and NJ Transit might have to make "availability payments" — in essence paying for parts of the estimated $8 billion project. No matter what anyone says, that's a cost LIRR riders would inevitably bear. That "give us your money" line is a very different story than the one told when Trump and Amtrak first took on the Penn project.
Even recently, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, "We're going to give $8 billion to rebuild Penn Station." Federal and Amtrak officials have to get their stories straight — and start being honest with the MTA and with its riders.
This is not the time to let petty disagreements, long-standing feuds or a lack of communication block an incoming train.
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