The long-gestating plan to revitalize Penn Station has taken a significant step forward with the selection of a development team for the Midtown, Manhattan transit hub. Penn Transformation Partners, a joint venture between Halmar and Skanska, will lead the project, which will involve extensive exterior and interior revisions to the facility while preserving and re-cladding Madison Square Garden.
The design will introduce a sweeping, modernized train hall entrance on Eighth Avenue, a feature that will vastly improve visibility, natural light integration, and pedestrian flow. The hall will be located at the site of MSG’s Infosys Theater, which will be fully demolished.
In conjunction with the announcement, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Railroad Administrator (FRA) David Fink also unveiled $200 million in new federal funding through the Partnership-Northeast Corridor Program to support essential design and permitting work for the project. This funding will accelerate the timeline of the public-private partnership project, with a target groundbreaking date before the end of 2027.
The latest renderings, secured by Gothamist from an unnamed source, appear to be a refinement of the designs created by ASTM North America in 2023. The images preview the Eighth Avenue entrance with a stately, classically inspired design that will complement the James A. Farley Building across the street. The exterior will be clad in limestone with expansive floor-to-ceiling glass and a colonnade featuring Art Deco-inspired sculptural geometry. Two gilded cornices and signage will line the top of the entrance hall.
The following rendering shows the new structure extending around all four sides of MSG, with only the upper half of the arena’s cylindrical outer form remaining. The existing concrete façade will be removed from the drum and replaced with a series of limestone fins, matching the station’s street-level colonnade. Volumes clad in expansive glass will protrude at the north- and southeast corners, offering views over the neighborhood and providing access to the new landscaped terrace depicted atop the station’s roof.
Penn Station Renovation. Image: Gothamist
Interior renderings preview the bright new train hall, which will be illuminated by floor-to-ceiling windows and lighting integrated into the coffered ceiling. Gold-hued columns will flank the concourse, and an elaborate staircase will lead down into the hall, which will feature seating and concessions facilities. A gilded analog clock will hang from the ceiling at the center of the space, a nod to the clocks suspended from the vaulted corridors of the original Penn Station.
Penn Station Renovation. Image: Gothamist
Below ground, the plan includes the replacement of the station’s notoriously tight walkways with expansive, easily navigable concourses featuring modernized retail spaces and enhanced passenger wayfinding. The overhaul will also expand track capacity to alleviate historical bottlenecks and accommodate future passenger service growth across the Northeast Corridor.
The project’s timeline has advanced steadily since USDOT and Amtrak assumed control from the MTA in April 2025, supported by transit veteran Andy Byford as special advisor. The new $200 million grant builds on a $43 million federal allocation from August 2025. Combined with funding from Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, these resources fully capitalize the pre-construction phase.
The new development team will next meet with Byford and a team of P3 advisors to begin finalizing contract negotiations, advancing the architectural design, and navigating the complex environmental permitting process. At the same time, the FRA will complete its Service Optimization Study (SOS) to ensure the station’s operational rail capacity is maximized.
Penn Station Renovation. Image: Gothamist
“We took over the transformation of New York Penn Station because the project was behind schedule, over budget, and hopelessly mismanaged,” Duffy said in a statement. “In selecting Penn Transformation Partners and their innovative plan, we are one step closer to delivering a world-class travel hub that daily commuters and travelers have dreamed of for decades.”
If all milestones are met, groundbreaking will commence by the end of 2027, setting the stage for the full revitalization of a world-class transit gateway that will fuel the continued evolution and improvement of Manhattan’s West Side.
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As someone who uses Penn Station on occasion, I have to say the proposal fails to address the major problems. The pretty 8th Ave. side of the station shown is largely unused since Amtrak moved across the street. The real problem is the NJT concourse near 7th Ave. I find that this becomes dangerously overcrowded. I was once in an escalator pile-up when crowds rushed down the stairs to the platform, blocking arrivals trying to exit. One of these days, something fatal will happen.
What needs to be done is a total rebuilding of the station, with or without MSG. There should be a single main floor at the LIRR level and a wide open space. This would obviously be very costly. The talk of “through running” trains is not very practical, given the different voltages and third rail vs. overhead wire power systems. As is often mentioned, the narrow platforms can not accommodate waiting passengers.
The exterior plan is nice enough, though real classical columns, or something a la Federal Triangle, would be even better.
correct. as someone who used to use this abomination every day I can confirm the 9th ave side is essentially useless, 85% of the flow if in and out of 7th which this plan seems to leave untouched. A meaningless facelift.
Strange how “commence” is replacing “start” everywhere!