Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped in Monday to answer the question most asked when a bright shiny proposal is made to remake Penn Station, what about that hot mess on track level?

His plan to build a subterranean eight-track addition to the world’s busiest train station was a welcome announcement, especially if you’re a commuter packed on an overcrowded train that is waiting for a track to open up.

But experts interviewed said the plan isn’t the win for NJ Transit that it appears to be.

So far, the plan is the same as the Penn Station South addition proposed as part of the larger Gateway Project, to build an eight-track annex between 7th and 8th Avenues and 31st Street, estimated to serve 175,000 people daily.

The larger Gateway Project would build two new Hudson Rail Tunnels, a new Portal Bridge in Kearny, additional tracks on the New Jersey side and a Penn Station South addition. Amtrak and NJ Transit officials broke Gateway into phases, starting with new tunnels.

NJ Transit and Amtrak trains would likely be moved to the new addition because it would be too difficult for Long Island Rail Road trains to access it, Gateway officials said. LIRR trains approach from the East River tunnels and depart to the east. The addition would only have access from the west and the Hudson River Tunnels.

Plans also call for bringing some Metro North trains from west of the Hudson River into Penn Station.

“My initial opinion is that this is a lousy solution, especially for NJT customers,” said Joseph Clift, a former Long Island Rail Road Planning Director. “For the governor’s plan to work, NJT trains must move off tracks 12 to 5 in the center of Penn making NJT passengers mega-losers on access, but winners on station appearance -- a very bad trade.”

That track swap gives the best track real estate to the LIRR and Metro North, he said.

Besides putting NJ Transit trains in a dead-end station, rail access to the addition from the existing Hudson River Tunnels will be extremely limited until the Gateway tunnels are built, Clift said.

A good first step but it needs to be refined to address train flow + narrow existing platforms. #NYC #PennStation https://t.co/Dpc7D2GgeI — Ed Cho (@Continental1K) January 8, 2020

Building a Penn Station annex without the new tunnels will make it difficult for two-way NJ Transit train traffic, and will require two new tracks, Clift said. Most of the tracks in Penn Station are through tracks that allow trains to pull in, unload and leave without backing up.

Now, many NJ Transit trains unload, go east and are parked in the Sunnyside yard in Queens until the evening rush. The addition plan “kills” access to Sunnyside yard if NJ Transit trains have no access to tracks that allow them to travel east, Clift said.

The positive aspect is the addition ultimately gives NJ Transit access for rail lines that lack a one-seat ride to and from New York. The Raritan Valley and Bergen County lines now lack direct assess to New York. Building two new Hudson River rail tunnels as part of Gateway and the addition could provide capacity for them.

Gov. Phil Murphy name-checked added capacity in his support for the concept.

“Governor Murphy is pleased with this announcement that the necessary investments to build a 21st century Penn Station will be made,” said Matt Saidel, a Murphy spokesman. “The thousands of New Jerseyans who commute in and out of Manhattan everyday stand to benefit enormously from the increased platform and track capacity that the station expansion will bring.”

Experts criticized the plan for limiting the addition’s effectiveness.

“It’s not needed at all,” said Jim Venturi, ReThink NYC principal, who favors reconfiguring Penn Station tracks for wider platforms and trains that “run through” between New York’s suburbs and New Jersey.

The ReThink NYC 2050 plan would eliminate some of Penn Station’s 21 tracks, replacing them with wider platforms and more escalators, stairs and elevators. It would increase capacity by having a unified bi-state commuter agency running trains through Penn instead of ending or starting trips there. That 2017 plan also criticized the Penn South plan for limiting usefulness of the dead-end tracks.

Citing increased development in New York’s outer boroughs, including Amazon’s interest in Long Island City, Venturi called the Penn Station addition “an out-of-date way of thinking that mid-town is the only core" of the New York metro region.

“It’s a different world,” he said.

Another concern is financing. Cuomo’s said the project will proceed with or without federal aid, which could come through grants or low-interest loans for Gateway.

“I’m at a loss. The whole thing doesn’t make sense to me,” said Martin Robbins, director emeritus of the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers. “It seems it might be premature to toss (the) Gateway (project) aside.”

He questioned New York’s need for a Penn Station addition when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is building the East Side Access project that will bring Long Island Rail Road trains to Grand Central Terminal and take some out of Penn Station.

“New Jersey has tremendous need for additional capacity at Penn Station, I don’t know if New York has the same needs,” said Robins, a former NJ Transit director.

The cost and construction timetable aren’t known. Another unknown factor is how much financial support New Jersey could be asked for. Cuomo said New York officials will negotiate with Amtrak, NJ Transit and other stakeholders.

“Governor Murphy looks forward to working in partnership with Governor Cuomo and other stakeholders as this vitally important project advances,” Saidel said about financing.

In his address, Cuomo said the plan won’t be perfect and will have naysayers, however, doing nothing won’t address the growing region’s demand for more mass transit.

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

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