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10/3/2024
Amtrak, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and New Jersey Transit released an engineering feasibility study that analyzes the potential of four concepts to double train capacity at New York Penn Station during the peak period, as well as expand Amtrak Empire Service, without expanding the current station’s footprint.
The study concludes none of the concepts achieve this capacity goal, a significant milestone that determines the focus going forward will be on options that expand the station's physical footprint.
“This study demonstrates that to meet the needs of the region, we must expand the station beyond its existing footprint to deliver the passenger capacity promised by the Gateway program,” said Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner in a press release.
The feasibility study is part of a long-term collaboration between Amtrak, MTA and NJ Transit to find ways to transform the station into a modern, world-class facility with the capacity to provide 200,000 more passenger trips, Gardner said.
The study focuses on two alternatives with two design concepts each to evaluate their potential to at least double the station's existing rail capacity between New York and New Jersey in the peak direction during rush hours.
The "Under Penn Station" concepts evaluated in the study involve adding 10 station tracks directly below the existing facility. The "Through-Running" alternatives include a full reconstruction option that requires complete demolition of existing tracks and platforms and reconstruction of fewer tracks with wider platforms, and a “Limited Track and Platform Reconfiguration” option, which also envisions wider platforms and fewer tracks but would require only partial demolition and reconstruction of existing tracks and platforms.
The study concludes that all concepts evaluated suffer from constructability, operational, safety, and/or connectivity challenges and flaws that render them infeasible for further evaluation. More information about the study and the Penn Station projects are available here.