NEW YORK | Penn Station / MSG Renovation

[ChiND]

Hopefully, they’ll show more renderings soon.

[ChiND]

I don’t endorse the “Art of the Steal” hyperbole, but I’m very curious as to how this will be financed.

Art of the Steal: Congress Sets the Stage For Trump Land Grab To Fund Penn Station
It's the Great Train Station Robbery: Congress may let Amtrak to pay for its renovation of Penn Station by seizing New York City property tax revenues.
By Dave Colon
12:05 AM EDT on May 27, 2026

In New York City, the amendment would let Vornado — the major Midtown property owner recently selected by Amtrak as part of a consortium to redevelop Penn Station — build around the station, avoid paying city property taxes and instead send Amtrak “payments in lieu of taxes” to finance the reported $8 billion project to remodel the train station.

“Because it’s on the Halmar team, any agreement Amtrak makes with that team with Vornado as the partner, Vornado as developer would have unlimited ability to do whatever they want, completely counter to what city zoning laws are, if Amtrak says it’s okay,” said Reinvent Albany Senior Policy Advisor Rachael Fauss.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/05/27/a...nyc-land-grab-to-fund-penn-station-rehab

[ardecila]

This is really awful.

The previous design had a neat Italian Rationalism thing, this one just looks like a reject WPA design from 1940 and the gold accents are pure Trump schlock.

The only good thing is that the design puts more focus on the corners as major entrances, since most people will arrive there rather than mid-block...

[Crawford]

The bizarre Trump accents can be scrubbed. This won't be finished till long after he's gone.

[Solarian]

Originally Posted by ardecila

This is really awful.

The previous design had a neat Italian Rationalism thing, this one just looks like a reject WPA design from 1940 and the gold accents are pure Trump schlock.

The only good thing is that the design puts more focus on the corners as major entrances, since most people will arrive there rather than mid-block...

Classic Greeco-Trumpian architecture haha. At least the feds are giving more money now. I'm sure they could build Sunnyside yards with federal funds contingent on rebranding it to Trump yards or something like that

[ChiND]

Can anyone open this?

https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/05/22/t...ect-in-nyc-they-may-be-gunning-for-more/

[Crawford]

If the feds push the Penn District forward, I'm all for it. Steven Roth of Vornado is trying to leverage his longstanding relationship with you-know-who.

It would be nice to have one positive thing out of all this carnage.

[TREPYE]

Originally Posted by NYguy

The irony of something that aesthetically should not have been demolished is being replaced with something that should be demolished.

[NYguy]

Those renderings are pretty much a sneak peek at the design….


https://www.ourtownny.com/news/who-is-go...illion-rebuild-of-penn-station-EC5895251

…The Gothamist, a local news site, published renderings of the new Penn Station. Vishaan Chakrabarti, Penn Transformation’s chief architect, said the renderings where “preliminary” but provided a “sneak peek” into how the group has “completely reimagined Pennsylvania Station.”

In a post on Linkedin, he said the plan would create “a safe, functional, and dignified station imbued with natural light, soaring ceilings, spacious platforms, and a bronze and stone material palette reminiscent of the original Penn, Moynihan and Grand Central Stations.”

[ChiND]

This looks great, but how is train capacity ever going to be addressed? The federal government isn't building Penn South, and NYS and NYC have neither the will nor the money to do it. Once it became clear that Trump planned to build the Halmar plan, I had hoped that he 'd commit the extra $20 billion for Penn South.

[montydawg]

A problem I see is through-running is only possible on the northern most platforms between 32nd and 33rd street, because that is where the east river tunnels are. The Penn South block tracks would only be accessible from tracks coming from the new Hudson tunnels, and would not be able to connect to the east river tunnels. Perhaps they are planning a ‘limited’ plan where they make 2-3 platforms through-running, and redistribute the load of the MSG columns above those platforms to be able to move the tracks/platforms accordingly to provide through running space.

It looks like platform 10 between tracks 18 and 19 was expanded in the past, because it is a lot wider than the other platforms. If they had a limited through running program, they could achieve it on platform 10 without and alterations to the tracks/platforms

[Busy Bee]

The southern expansion of tracks (I refuse to call it Penn South like its a separate station or something) and the potential for throughrunning on those tracks starts to make a lot more sense when you talk about the barely acknowledged but real long term plan to build a new capacity increasing 31 Street tunnel from Penn to LIC as originally intended by Penn Station planners. Info about it online is scant and I'm not sure who would "own" the project, but I'm fairly positive it's an Amtrak initiative alone.

[ChiND]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

The southern expansion of tracks (I refuse to call it Penn South like its a separate station or something) and the potential for throughrunning on those tracks starts to make a lot more sense when you talk about the barely acknowledged but real long term plan to build a new capacity increasing 31 Street tunnel from Penn to LIC as originally intended by Penn Station planners. Info about it online is scant and I'm not sure who would "own" the project, but I'm fairly positive it's an Amtrak initiative alone.

Wouldn’t this require the demolition of the block just south of Penn that would cost $20b and which has been disavowed by NYC and the state?

[ChiND]

The lack of glass on the south facade (and presumably on the north) does not look good. It seems that the mid-block train hall is gone too.





These ceilings aren't even that high. This is not an $8b project.





https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/penn-station-renovation-renderings/


The ghetto remains.




Flickr


Dante would have had a field day with this.




Loopnet

[Busy Bee]

Not enough flags.

[ChiND]

I’m not so sure that this plan is going to come to fruition. The bottom line is that the City can still refuse to renew MSG's operating permit.

https://nadler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397516

Nadler And Holyman-Sigal: "Penn Station Belongs to New Yorkers"
https://www.ourtownny.com/news/manhattan...station-plan-byford-fires-back-JJ5920685

Manhattan Electeds Escalate Attack on Trump Penn Station Plan; Byford Fires Back
The eight elected officials from Manhattan—five of whom showed up at a press conference June 7—contend the process to designate a new Master Developer was done in secret with no public input. Local communities could be cut out of the decision making process entirely, they contend.

MICHAEL ORESKES | 08 JUN 2026 | 06:19

Amtrak’s man in charge of transforming Penn Station said he wanted to dismiss once and for all “myths” and “disinformation” from critics of the plans he is now rolling out.

The official, Andy Byford, spoke at a news conference June 8 a day after Manhattan elected officials escalated their assault on the Trump administration’s selection of a Master Developer to renovate Penn Station.

“This process has been conducted in secret, without public input, without transparency on costs, and without meaningful participation from the public agencies, elected officials, and communities that will be most affected by this decision,” the eight Manhattan officials, led by Representative Jerrold Nadler, wrote in a letter.

“It is unacceptable—and we will not let it stand,” Nadler said at a press conference on Eighth Avenue and 33rd St., across the street from Madison Square Garden on June 7.

Byford insisted he had shared everything the law allowed during the selection process, and that he would be sharing much more now that a developer and a plan had been selected.

He released multiple renderings of the new station and said his invite to the MTA to join the process remained open.

The eight Manhattan elected officials made their protest in a letter to the US Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, who last year seized control of the renovation project from the MTA, which he said had bungled the job.

The federal officials have since moved at what they call “the speed of Trump,” selecting a development consortium, Penn Transformation Partners, to rebuild the station. Manhattan elected officials escalated their assault on the Trump administration’s selection of a Master Developer to renovate Penn Station.

Manhattan Borough president Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who served as the coordinator of the June 7 press conference, called it a “land grab” by the Trump administration. He claims legislation now pending in Congress will usurp local city and state land use laws by giving Amtrak rights over surrounding real estate development.

“The Trump Administration negotiated the future of Penn Station behind closed doors with politically connected developers developers who have direct ties to Trump donors and who have lobbied the White House directly for this contract,” the Manhattan officials protested. “No RFP was released during the solicitation process, and the selection criteria on how the winner bidding was chosen is unknown. No full costs were disclosed. No public hearings were held. No explanation was provided for how the public interest would be protected.”

The elected officials noted in their letter that one of the partners in Penn Transformation Partners is Vornado Realty Trust, the largest property owner around Penn Station. Vornado’s founder Steven Roth, is a supporter and sometimes business partner of President Trump.

Penn Transformation’s lead partners are two global development firms, Halmar, the American subsidiary of the Italian company, ASTM, and Skanska, based in Stockholm.

Straus News reported last week that Penn Transformation’s plan envisions Vornado building a luxury office tower across Seventh Avenue from Penn Station and then making payments in lieu of taxes to help defray the costs of rebuilding the station. The elected officials noted in their letter that legislation to allow Amtrak to collect such payments was advancing in congress over Rep. Nadler’s objections.

The legislation, the officials noted, “would grant Amtrak sweeping new authority over the redevelopment of Penn Station and other federally connected rail stations—authority that directly undermines local control, local decision making, and the ability of New York City and State to protect their communities and their taxpayers.

“It would give Amtrak the ability to own, lease, ground-lease, or enter into private development agreements around intercity rail stations. It would exempt Amtrak linked projects from certain state and local taxes, assessments, building laws, and zoning requirements—stripping New York City and State of their rightful authority overland use and development in their own communities.”

[NYguy]

Interrupting the Finals to post the website and images...


https://www.penntransformation.com/vision

[NYguy]

Images can be downloaded from the website...



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[Nouvellecosse]

It's decent. I neither love it nor hate it. The gold and cream are a bit over done and I'd prefer a bit more contrast, but I've seen far worse.

[ChiND]

Since the mid-block hall was eliminated, they included this weak feature instead.

I don't see how this project costs $8 billion. I would not be surprised if Dolan is getting $1.5 to $2 billion in payments for the theatre, signage, etc. When the scope of payments to Dolan (and probably fees for Vornado) are disclosed, I suspect that the backlash will be substantial. I can see the City force MSG to move by not renewing the operating permit, and, thereby, rendering the arena a white elephant per se. Not to mention, the MSG site wouldn’t even be that valuable as a luxury office site because this area is still an utterly dystopian and disgusting dump that wouldn’t yield $300/sf rents.




More heinous than Airstrip One in Oceana….


Loopnet