The pain of waiting for trains in the crowded “pit” in Penn Station New York during rush hour is a step closer to some relief.

Work started Tuesday by Amtrak and NJ Transit to “refresh” Amtrak’s Ticketed Waiting Area on the upper level concourse near the 8th Avenue side of Penn Station.

The work is part of a $7.2 million project announced last February to rebuild the waiting areas currently occupied by Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road riders (they are moving from the subterranean station to the more spacious Moynihan Station across Eighth Avenue in December). Officials said it would provide some relief from the congested 7th Avenue concourse.

NJ Transit commuters now wait in the “pit,” a sunken waiting area in the Seventh Avenue concourse where they congregate to see what tracks their trains will depart from. There are about 88,990 NJ Transit commuters using Penn Station every day and train delays can result in crowding that can reach claustrophobic conditions.

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Work will be completed over two phases; the first starts Jan. 7, and the second is scheduled to start in March, after the first phase is complete, Amtrak and NJ Transit officials said. The second phase is expected to be completed in June 2020. Two temporary waiting areas will be created during each construction phase, near Tracks 9 and 10 during phase 1 and near Tracks 13 and 14 for phase 2.

The work includes new furniture and fixtures, including “communal tables” and seats with electrical and USB outlets to charge devices, an upgraded ceiling with new LED lighting, a family area with a pod for nursing mothers, a new information desk and a second entrance for easier access to the 7th Avenue side of the station, officials said. A barrier in the middle of the waiting area will be the removed.

“These improvements will help reduce overcrowding in the NJ Transit waiting area, improve pedestrian flow through the station, and generally provide for a more comfortable environment for NJ Transit customers using New York Penn Station as an origin or destination,” said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO and President in a statement.

Initial construction was started by Amtrak last year when an exterior information booth was removed to improve pedestrian flow and a Starbucks coffee shop opened.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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