Officials on Friday unveiled the new $ 1.6 billion Moynihan train station, which freed New York City train passengers from the sloppy catacombs of Penn Station in New York.
But most NJ Transit riders will still catch a train from the old waiting area in Eighth Avenue, and not free New Jerseyans from the troop of travelers rushing to the gate before the pandemic.
The new station, across the street from Penn Station in a former mailing facility, will mostly serve drivers from Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road.
The passengers were accompanied by curious and rail historians who came to the public opening of the train station of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, DN.Y.
Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak, led a tour on Friday and explained some of the features of the building, which does not replace Penn Station.
“This is the most important passenger facility in North America,” Gardner said as he explained the train station, its history as an email sorting facility, and its future in a post-coronavirus world.
People stopped to observe the large parabolic skylight that runs the length and breadth of the train hall and take photos, supported by steel girders that recall some of the original features of Penn Station, which was demolished 54 years ago.
“It’s spectacular. I think we pay homage to it (the original Penn Station). There are no antique or periodic things or structures before you look up and see how the skylight and industrial structure hold the roof up, ”said John Turkeli, a historian at Penn Station in Farmingdale, New York. “It’s a great place to go to or from.”
The station was designed for rebound after the pandemic, Gardner said. Amtrak voluntarily reduced the capacity of trains to 50% to allow social distance. Currently, management is 20% of capacity ahead of COVID, he said.
“We are still optimistic about the journey between cities,” Gardner said. “As the vaccines multiply and successful measures are taken against the virus, we expect the journey to return.”
The northeast passage between Washington and Boston is 75% of the passenger share in the railroad air.
“There are no alternatives,” Gardner said. “I-95 is not getting better, airspace is overcrowded, train travel remains the most efficient, lowest carbon method in the Northeast.”
The railroad will be ready if the trip bounces back, he added, even if travel patterns change due to COVID-19.
“We believe these cities will come back,” Gardner said. ‘Will they come back in different ways, will there be work patterns changing? Yes, we provide that with the capacity we are adding in our new Acela fleet. We feel we will adapt to that market. ”
The train hall shows concessions to COVID-19, including touch-free touch and case, clerks behind plexiglass and hand cleaners at entrances.
There are parts of Moynihan that feel more like an airport than a railway hub, including a luggage recycling carousel with a mural history of the old Penn station and a lounge for first-class and premium passengers, modeled on ‘ an airport club for premium passengers.
The many windows of ticket agents seen in Penn are gone. Gardner said only a few are present in the train station because ‘the vast majority’ use Amtrak’s smartphone app.
Amtrak has also built a luxury Metropolitan Lounge on the second floor with facilities for its first class, sleeping accommodation and club customers, including a family room, bar and buffet and storage areas for luggage.
“It is modeled on an international airport lounge and is adapted for railways,” Gardner said. ‘There are two main areas, one is more intimate, with personal space and high chairs. People can open windows and get a breeze. ”
The lounge also has a business area with charging stations between the personal and food service area. Travelers can also sit on a balcony overlooking the main hall.
Some areas are still under construction, including a food hall and other retail spaces – only a Starbucks is currently in use. A passage from Ninth Avenue to Hudson Yards and office space, including offices surrounding the main hall skylight, is also under construction. The food hall is expected to be open by the end of 2021.
“It will be a destination in itself,” Gardner said.
In keeping with the original decor of Penn Station in 1910, Moynihan has artworks, including a sculpture of international skyscrapers in the ceiling of one of the entrances to 31st Street.
Other entrances, converted from driveway lanes, contain stained glass art in the ceiling. A bank of video screens on one of the train station walls contains a crossroads of New York State and city attractions.
What is missing is any presence in NJ Transit, as the conversion of the train hall is funded by Amtrak and the state of New York. NJ Transit riders will use the train hall limited, as long as their train does not use tracks one to four, which does not extend under Moynihan.
But they will have to use NJ Transit’s app to obtain rail and other information in Moynihan, as there are no announcements from the port authority for NJ Transit trains, Gardner said.
‘This is not a boarding house for NJ Transit at this stage. “NJ Transit will continue to board the space we evacuated (in Penn Station),” he said. ‘Some (passengers) will enter from platforms (Moynihan). We will not be announcing NJT trains. Over time, that may change. ”
Moynihan is part of a larger Penn Station complex to be built as part of the Andrew Cuomo Government Station draft plan. It is also part of the larger Gateway project to build two new Hudson River rail tunnels and rehabilitate the 110-year-old existing tunnels.
“This is the first and most important part of a larger expansion of the entire Penn complex, it gives us room to alleviate congestion and improve the passenger experience,” Gardner said.
This includes building an extension to the Penn Station south of the existing station to provide additional tracks and platforms to solve the trains’ problems at the train level.
“Over 21 (existing) tracks, there is no room to grow in the peak season. We need the addition, then we can start building the Penn Station again, ”he said.
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Larry Higgs can be reached at [email protected].