The $ 1.6 billion project to replace the cramped and dark Penn station in Manhattan with a light rail will be completed this week, with the first trains starting on New Year’s Day.
The new 255,000-square-foot station was named after U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat who advocated the project and died in 2003. Government Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, announced on Sunday that the train station in Moynihan will be completed on time and budget on Thursday despite challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The landmark Farley Post Office was transformed into a new station across the street from the old Penn Station in 2017. It will be used by Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak passengers.
‘This monumental achievement is a shot of hope as we emerge from one of the darkest periods in our history and send a clear message to the world that although we have suffered greatly as a result of this one-off health crisis, the pandemic has not stopped us to dream big and build for the future, ‘Cuomo said in a statement.