Critical components of the Empire Station Complex Plan include acquiring the property south of Penn Station to allow for the addition of at least eight new underground tracks that will boost Penn Station's capacity by approximately 40 percent; exploring converting the MSG Theater on 8th Avenue into a world-class entrance into Penn Station; and catalyzing opportunities for development around Penn Station to create a new economic engine for the city and state and a funding stream to help finance improvements to Penn. Amtrak, which owns the existing Penn Station, will participate in planning and financing this historic project. Additionally, the Governor announced New York State, Amtrak and other stakeholders will partner with a consultant design team - led by FXCollaborative - to develop and help carry out our plan to transform the existing Penn Station.

New York's Penn Station is the busiest transit facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more passengers than John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Airports combined. Every day, more than 650,000 passengers are forced to navigate the station's narrow underground labyrinth, which is notoriously devoid of natural light, consistent wayfinding, or sufficient waiting areas. Penn Station's corridors and waiting areas are overcrowded, its platforms and tracks are over capacity, and it is only getting worse — with delays, mounting maintenance problems, serious safety and security issues and inadequate accessibility becoming regular occurrences.

This new complex, capable of handling more passengers than ever before, will support the State's efforts to reduce congestion -- which include the nation-leading Central Business District Tolling program -- so we can get more people out of theirs cars and into a 21st century mass transit network.

Immediate improvements are already underway, including the new Moynihan Train Hall and an expanded LIRR corridor, which will ease congestion in the short term and enhance the passenger experience. At the same time, regionally significant projects like East Side Access, the LIRR Third Track and the Metro-North Penn Access Project will increase LIRR and Metro North capacity, drawing more commuters into Penn Station. Taken together, these initiatives present both a critical need and a major opportunity to re-envision Penn Station on a grand scale.