Federal transportation officials, Amtrak and Penn Transformation Partners on June 8 released the first detailed renderings of the reconstruction of New York’s Penn Station since the Halmar-Skanska team was chosen as lead developer last month.
The renderings provide the clearest view yet of how the project will rebuild the busy rail core while keeping Madison Square Garden above it. The images show a reconfigured station with a new train hall along Eighth Avenue, a consolidated single-level concourse, expanded passenger circulation areas and a redesigned street-level presence.
The launch marks the latest milestone in the approximately $8 billion redevelopment effort, which entered a pre-development phase in May following a federal procurement process that selected Penn Transformation Partners to oversee delivery.
Penn Station serves more than 600,000 commuters daily and supports the operations of Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and NJ Transit. The effort is among the largest active transportation infrastructure projects in the country, with design development, environmental review and permitting expected to continue through 2027 before a groundbreaking goal later this year.
New Sala del Tren, Single-level hall
Renderings show a new grand entrance along Eighth Avenue, replacing the existing theater component attached to Madison Square Garden. Exterior views show a stone-clad structure stretching across the block between West 31st and West 33rd streets, creating a new public facade for the station while preserving the arena.
Interior views show a single-level concourse above the platforms, with extended waiting areas, retail spaces, restaurants and passenger services arranged on a single level. The project team said the deal aims to replace the station’s fragmented circulation system and improve passenger movement through the facility.
Additional diagrams indicate that platform-level changes would include the removal of columns where possible and a 32% increase in vertical circulation capacity through new stairs, escalators and elevators. The plans also call for wider sidewalks, additional entry points and improved access and passenger pickup around the station.
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The design continues a central premise of the winning proposal: to rebuild Penn Station without moving Madison Square Garden. Previous concepts often focused on moving the arena to make way for a new terminal.
Under the current plan, the arena remains in place while the station below is reconfigured and expanded.
A planning diagram by Penn Transformation Partners illustrates the proposed single-level, full-block concourse at Penn Station, showing new passenger circulation routes, retail areas, waiting spaces and connections to Moynihan Train Hall as part of the station’s redevelopment.
Image: Penn Transformation Partners/Amtrak
“We named this project the Penn Station Transformation for the exact reason described in these renderings; a world-class, beautiful and modern train station is coming to New York City,” Andy Byford, special adviser to the Amtrak board overseeing the project, said in a statement.
“With the continued support of the President and USDOT, and the expertise of Halmar, Skanska and the rest of our partners, we continue to build momentum and meet more milestones to get shovels in the ground next year and make these representations a reality,” he added.
The architectural design was developed by New York-based Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, led by architect Vishaan Chakrabarti.
“After more than 30 years of thinking and working on the seemingly intractable problem of Penn Station, it is beyond exciting to unveil this ambitious vision for a reimagined civic icon,” said Chakrabarti. “Not only does our design create more capacity and improve operations for the busiest transit hub in the Western Hemisphere, it will once again create a gateway to New York that fits our great city.”
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The project is progressing to the development phase
Penn Transformation Partners was named lead developer following the federal takeover of the project in 2025, when the US Department of Transportation removed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from the primary role and transferred oversight to Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.
USDOT said the project will be funded through a combination of federal grants to Amtrak, federal loans, private financing and developer equity. Federal officials have committed approximately $243 million to development activities, including a recently announced investment of $200 million for design and permitting work.
Design development, environmental review and community engagement activities will continue until 2027 before construction begins.
