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8/8/2022
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York last week unveiled the first section of new 18-foot-tall ceilings at Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road Concourse.
Construction crews are raising the ceiling height across the entire LIRR concourse and nearly doubling its width from 30 feet to 57 feet. Crews are also installing a new "luminous ceiling" and upgrading air flow, wayfinding signage and accessibility, MTA officials said in a press release.
The raised ceiling is supported by a structural framing system installed by Skanska and AECOM. Prior to the new ceiling's installation, there were low-hanging, 6-foot-8-inch beams known as "head knockers," MTA officials said.
A major section of the completed 33rd Street corridor will be open to the public in fall, with the LIRR concourse to be mostly completed by March 2023.
"As this project nears on-time completion, these new ceilings are just a preview of the substantial enhancements Penn Station riders will experience starting this fall," said MTA Construction and Development President Jaime Torres-Springer.