U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is on his way to New York City to provide an update on the Penn Station redevelopment project.
For decades, the nation’s busiest transit hub has languished as a dark and dreary place that commuters love to hate. Now, Duffy hopes President Trump’s decision to assume control of fixing the station will put the project into hyperdrive.
“This administration, this DOT wants to make those investments to make travel safe, efficient and faster,” Duffy said Wednesday morning.
Duffy started the day in Washington, D.C., where he announced the Department of Transportation is reclaiming control of Union Station, a busy travel hub for the city and for the Northeast corridor.
The announcement came as Duffy joined Amtrak leaders for the launch of the railroad’s new Acela trains, which are supposed to shave 20 minutes off the trip from Washington to New York.
The secretary then boarded a train bound for Penn Station in Manhattan, where he will be joined by Andy Byford, who ran New York’s transit system for years and is overseeing the $7 billion project.
They are expected to unveil a timeline for the renovations and other new details. The feds initially said they would like to start construction in 2027.
Watch their announcement streaming live around 1:20 p.m. on CBS News New York.
Trump administration takes over Penn Station redevelopment project
Duffy announced back in April that he was taking over the project, sidelining the state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
He said he withdrew the MTA as the lead and would work with Amtrak, the federally chartered railroad company that owns Penn Station, instead.
“New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed,” Duffy said in a statement at the time.
Duffy said the move would save $120 million, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul — who has clashed with Duffy over congestion pricing and subway crime — said it was a major win. The state was able to pocket the $1.3 billion it would have spent on the project.
“In multiple meetings with President Trump, I requested that the federal government fund the long-overdue overhaul of Penn Station. Clearly that effort has been successful, and I want to thank the President and Secretary Duffy for taking on the sole responsibility to deliver the beautiful new $7 billion station that New Yorkers deserve,” Hochul said at the time.
New York state and city officials have sought for years to rebuild Penn Station, which sits under Madison Square Garden. It’s aging tracks and dreary passageways have long been a magnet for the homeless.
The redevelopment plan includes a new commuter train hall, a new open concourse with improved accessibility and new green space for the neighborhood. Whether the project will require MSG to move is still being resolved.
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