Federal Transportation Dept. set to kick in $72M toward Penn Station renovations: Sen. Schumer

The federal government will fund two-thirds of the design and engineering phase of Penn Station’s renovation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Daily News on Tuesday.
The $72 million in federal Transportation Department grant money secured by the Democratic leader will fund accessibility, new entrances and public spaces at the transit hub.
“Renovating the overcrowded, cramped and confusing Penn Station will help usher New York, the LIRR and the region into an even brighter transit future,” Schumer said. “We need to ensure more accessibility, including making it easier to navigate — a redesign that delivers for commuters from Long Island, the five boroughs and beyond.
“This $72 million federal investment in Penn Station renovation will kick-start some major renovations that are long, long overdue,” he added. “I applaud Gov. Hochul and the MTA and Amtrak and will work with all stakeholders to secure progress that will continue into the coming years.”
The money is expected to pay for 18 new escalators and 11 elevators to train platforms at the station, and will increase the number of street entrances at the station to 20 from 12.
It will also fund a 30,000-square-foot public plaza, and include a new underground connection to the B, D, F, M, N, R, Q and W trains at 34th St.-Herald Square.
The remaining $24 million of the $96 million design phase will be split three ways between the states of New York and New Jersey and Amtrak.
The renovation project is separate from the Gateway Project, which seeks to add capacity to the Midtown transit hub by building additional tunnels and tracks from New Jersey.
Federal dollars are funding roughly 70% of the $16 billion tunnel project.