Duffy unveils schedule for NY Penn Station project, $43 million grant for Amtrak

Construction on the project to overhaul New York Penn Station will begin by the end of 2027, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced yesterday.

To "jumpstart" an aggressive schedule for the station's "transformation," Duffy also said the U.S. Department of Transportation will provide Amtrak with nearly $43 million in federal grant funding for the project.

"Crumbling infrastructure, bleak and dirty architecture, unnavigable hallways and no inviting spaces for families with kids — the current state of Penn Station is unacceptable,” Duffy said in a press release.

“Under President Trump’s direction, we will transform Penn Station into a world-class transit hub that is beautiful, safe and clean," the secretary added. "The aggressive schedule we’ve outlined will ensure we are back on track to deliver a gleaming monument worthy of New York City.”

Details of the project's new schedule are available here. 

To meet the administration's timeline, Andy Byford, an adviser to Amtrak, will begin the process to solicit a master developer, a key player in the public-private partnership model to transform the station, according to the USDOT press release. The formal process will start by the end of October and a selection will be made by the end of May 2026.

In April, Duffy announced that the USDOT was taking over the $7 billion New York Penn Station reconstruction project and that Amtrak — not the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — will lead the effort.