A Federal Railroad Administration study released July 15 identifies the replacement of about 115 columns, three-platform extensions and rebuilt track connections as possible upgrades to increase peak rail capacity between the Hudson and New York City’s Penn Station.
The Phase I report adds engineering specificity to plans for the estimated $7 million to $8 million Penn Station transformation project. It identifies improvements to be included or delivered alongside the rebuild being developed by Amtrak and lead developer Penn Transformation Partners, while noting that the design does not preclude future capacity upgrades.
The recommendations focus on improving passenger flow and reducing conflicting train movements rather than expanding the station’s footprint.
The proposed work includes the demolition of approximately 60% of the existing mail platform, a former rail mail handling facility, the addition of up to 23 new stairs and escalators, and the reworking of track connections serving the new Hudson River Tunnel. Equipment, signaling and service cabinets would also be relocated to improve passenger flow and shorten train dwell times.
Cost and construction details deferred
The study does not estimate project costs, establish an implementation schedule or explain how the proposed track and structural work would be carried out. FRA also acknowledged that construction sequencing remains unresolved, as removing even one runway or platform from service could limit station capacity and disrupt users.
Phase II of the federal study, scheduled for completion in 2028, will advance preliminary engineering, implementation planning and updated cost estimates.
Coordination with the Metropolitan Transport Authority also remains an important consideration as project planning progresses.
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Speaking at a June 24 MTA board meeting, MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber said the agency is “happy and excited to partner with the federal government on the redesign and reimagining of Penn Station.” He said the MTA intends to review “the drawings and the engineering” to ensure the work does not disrupt Long Island Rail Road operations during construction or after the station is completed.
The engineering challenge is compounded by Penn Station’s existing configuration. Its 21 tracks and 11 mostly narrow platforms sit beneath Madison Square Garden and surrounding structures, supported by more than 1,000 columns, according to an FRA structural grid that complicates substantial track and platform modifications.
And while the study identifies the removal and replacement of some 115 columns as part of its preferred concept, it does not specify the structural approach or construction sequence of this work.
The reconfiguration of the track generates capacity gains
Penn Station would be reorganized into three operating zones under the FRA’s preferred concept. The new Hudson River Tunnel would feed NJ Transit terminating and originating trains on the station’s South tracks, while the existing North River Tunnels would connect through the station’s middle tracks to the East River Tunnels. The northern tracks would primarily serve LIRR trains there from West Side Yard.
This FRA study diagram shows the proposed operational concept for Penn Station, including reconfigured track connections, platform assignments, and the future Hudson River Tunnel approach intended to reduce conflicting train movements and increase peak rail capacity. Click to enlarge.
Federal Railway Administration
The plan calls for disconnecting platform 1 through 5 tracks from the existing “U” and “M” platforms, building a new double-level connection at the Hudson River Tunnel approach, and extending platforms 1, 2, and 3 approximately 200 feet to 350 feet west to accommodate NJ Transit 10-car trains.
FRA modeling found that the reconfigured track design could reduce conflicting train movements at A Interlocking during the morning peak from 113 to 51, a 55% reduction. Fewer crossing movements would reduce signal delays, improve reliability and limit the spread of disruptions between rail operators.
Additional stairs and escalators, platform cleaning and revised boarding practices could reduce average passenger service time by about 2.4 minutes, or 28%.
Combined rail and pedestrian flow simulations suggest the improvements could increase Hudson Crossing capacity from 24 to up to 32 trains per hour during the morning peak and 30 trains per hour in the evening.
The operating concept would maintain current LIRR service levels while allowing for increased Amtrak and NJ Transit service. It would also allow up to four commuter trains per hour in each direction to continue through Penn Station instead of terminating there.
The 32-train scenario proved feasible under the Phase I assumptions of the study, although it produced slightly higher modeled delays than the baseline. A 30-train version slightly improved delay performance.
The report cautions that results depend on reduced dwell times, operational changes and assumptions about the variability of trains entering the station. Accommodating more than 32 trains per hour in each direction would require broader regional improvements in reliability and schedule compliance.
Design moves forward, future options remain
Amtrak and Penn Transformation Partners signed a pre-development agreement on June 22 to advance final design, financing and stakeholder coordination while setting a firm construction price. FRA’s findings are expected to inform ongoing runway-level design as environmental review, permitting and engineering progress ahead of a targeted groundbreaking in late 2027.
The FRA study concludes that improved passenger flow, along with track and platform modifications, is critical to increasing Penn Station’s peak operating capacity.
Amtrak/Penn Transformation Partners
FRA Administrator David Fink said in a news release accompanying the report that Penn Transformation will “improve track-level operations and infrastructure to provide more capacity” as the station redevelopment moves forward.
The study also evaluated a long-term concept that would combine platforms 5 and 6 into one roughly 64-foot-wide platform by eliminating tracks 10 and 11 and filling the space between the existing platforms.
The concept could support up to eight commuter trains per hour in each direction, in addition to planned Amtrak service, but did not perform reliably in dynamic simulations under current train delay assumptions and congestion at the LIRR’s West Side Yard.
Instead of recommending immediate construction, FRA said Penn Transformation should preserve the option by leaving room for future stairs and escalators and avoiding new structural columns within the potential platform expansion area.
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Phase II, scheduled for completion in 2028, will expand the analysis beyond Penn Station to evaluate regional service plans, rail interoperability, electrical and signaling systems, fleet requirements, governance and funding strategies. It will also assess the additional Gateway Program investments needed to support higher levels of service across the station.
Neither the Federal Railroad Administration, the US Department of Transportation, nor Penn Transformation Partners immediately responded to ENR’s requests for comment.
