Governor Andrew Cuomo Reveals Renovation Plans for New York’s Penn Station

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday he plans to renovate Penn Station, and this time he’s not joking around.

Cuomo plans on adding an Amtrak waiting area, a shopping concourse in the James A. Farley Post Office across Eighth Avenue and wants to recreate the area underneath Madison Square Garden where the Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit intersect. Plans also include adding a third track to the LIRR and a possible creation of a grand glass-wall entrance from Eighth Avenue.

“It is a terrible impression of New York,” Cuomo told the The New York Times. “What is amazing is how long it has been tolerated. It’s not like Penn was a secret.”

Developers have just 90 days to submit their proposals for the Penn Station and James A. Farley Post Office renovation. The project, which Cuomo is calling the Empire Station Complex, could cost up to $3 billion.

Right now, it’s unclear how the project will be paid for. Cuomo said $325 million would come from different government sources. The final financial plan is expected to be unveiled later next week during the State of the State speech.

Penn Station already houses 600,000 commuters and travelers daily, triple the amount that the station was intended for.

“We wanted people to know we’re looking for an aggressive, ambitious design,” Cuomo told the Times. “This will get done.”