The $ 1.6 billion project to replace Manhattan’s cramped and dark Penn Station with a light-filled train concourse is due to be completed this week, with the first trains departing on New Year’s Day.
The new 255,000-square-foot station is named after US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat who defended the project and died in 2003. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, announced on Sunday that the Moynihan Train Hall will be completed at at time and on budget, despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
Work began in 2017 to transform the signature Farley Post Office into a new station across the street from the old Penn Station. It will be used by Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak passengers.
“This monumental achievement is a shot of hope as we emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history and send a clear message to the world that while we have suffered greatly as a result of this one-time health crisis, the pandemic has not stopped us. to dream big and build for the future, ”Cuomo said in a statement.