MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Amtrak and NJ Tranist began work on a project to renovate waiting areas in Penn Station, the transit companies announced this week.

Renovated waiting areas will feature new seating and communal tables, outlets for charging mobile devices, upgraded lighting fixtures and a nursing pod for new mother's. Amtrak and NJ Transit ticketholders will also be able to access the waiting area — which previously had only one entrance — from Penn Station's Seventh Avenue side. "The journey is the most important part of the adventure at Amtrak, and we are refreshing the Ticketed Waiting Area because that journey begins at the station," Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia said in a statement. "We thank our customers, as well as our partners at NJ TRANSIT, for their patience and cooperation as we continue to update New York Penn Station with an improved and more modern experience."

The project will be conducted in two phases, with temporary waiting areas established during each phase, transit officials said. Ticket holders can wait in a temporary area near tracks nine and 10 until phase one is completed in March. The waiting area for phase two will be located near tracks 13 and 14 as the project is completed between March and June. Renovating the waiting area will cost an estimated $7.2 million, transit officials said. Both Amtrak and NJ Transit are allocating funds to the project. The waiting area upgrade is the latest in a series of projects to upgrade the Penn Station experience launched by Amtrak in 2017. The transit company previously completed a project to refresh the notoriously filthy men's bathrooms in 2018.