An artist rendering of the planned renovation of New York’s Pennsylvania Station revealed June 8 shows a return of grand vaulted ceilings filled by natural light in an art deco style.
For years, New York planners and politicians have discussed a remake of the train hub after the original Pennsylvania Station was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden.
Housing the sports arena on top of the train tracks, forced riders into low-ceilinged and gloomy passageways as the entire station and waiting areas were forced underground.
The plan federal officials decided on includes a new expansive entrance on Eighth Avenue with grand columns and a rectangular facade facing the Farley Post Office Building, which houses the Moynihan Train Hall across the street. The plan won’t move Madison Square Garden sports arena, but it will remove the Infosys Theater within the complex to make way for the Eighth Avenue entrance.
The project got a boost of federal funding in April 2025 when the U.S. Department of Transportation stepped in at President Donald Trump’s request and took control of the project. Secretary Sean Duffy gave a $43 million federal grant to Amtrak to push the design, permitting, and bidding process forward.
Duffy credited Trump for the planned beautification. “He had a vision to transform this dirty, falling-apart station in the middle of his hometown into a state-of-the-art transit hub that millions can enjoy for generations to come,” Duffy said in a press release.
At a Senate hearing May 19, Duffy said the federal government would invest $8 billion to renovate Penn Station.
“We named this project Penn Station Transformation for the exact reason depicted in these renderings; a world-class, beautiful, and modern train station is coming to New York City,” said Andy Byford, who is serving as special adviser to Amtrak. The former commissioner for Transport in London, Byford took over running the NYC Subway system in 2018.
The plan aims to make the train station a civic landmark. The new exterior features a square structure extending from 31st Street to 33rd Street on Eighth Avenue around the cylinder of Madison Square Garden. Inside, the design features vaulted ceilings and a single-level concourse that brings all public activity onto one level above the underground train platforms. The redesign will make the station more spacious and incorporates more waiting areas.
In August 2025, Trump issued an executive order directing federal buildings be “constructed in a style that uplifts and beautifies public spaces, ennobles our Nation, and commands respect from the general public.”
During construction, the arena and all railroads will be open. A public comment period will be held this summer with construction expected to start at the end of 2027 and end by 2034.
Pennsylvania Station is the busiest train hub in the Western Hemisphere. The station houses NJ Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NYC Subway lines, serving over 1,000 trains and 500,000 passengers every weekday.
