Why was Penn Station renamed Moynihan?

In the early 1990s, U.S. senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan began championing a plan to rebuild a replica of the historic Penn Station, in which he had shined shoes during the Great Depression. He proposed rebuilding the station in the Farley Post Office building.



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The Penn Stations in New York City, Newark, New Jersey, and Baltimore are remnants of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's network, says Travis Harry, director of museum operations at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, a Smithsonian Affiliate.

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At the same time, Madison Square Garden, a high-rise office and sports complex that still stands today, was built in its place. Though the Penn Station terminal was demolished, the original 1900s tunnels, tracks, platforms and electric traction continue to be used today.

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Moynihan Train Hall and New York Penn Station operate as one complex. Though Amtrak maintains a presence at Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall is our new home in New York City. You can reach both stations from the platforms of Tracks 5 - 21.

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The three-year demolition of Penn Station began on October 28, 1963. At the same time, Madison Square Garden, a high-rise office and sports complex that still stands today, was built in its place.

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Moynihan Train Hall is the new home of Amtrak in New York City. Featuring state-of-the-art technologies and customer amenities, a spacious boarding concourse that bathes in sunlight from the 92-foot-high skylights, Moynihan Train Hall is a world-class station for a world class city.

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The original Pennsylvania Station was an ornate station building designed by McKim, Mead, and White and considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style. Completed in 1910, it enabled direct rail access to New York City from the south for the first time.

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Completed in 1910, the original Penn Station was intended to symbolize not only its powerful corporate owner but also New York's status as the most vital city in a nation that was becoming a political and economic superpower.

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The Penn Station name extends from the fact that the old Pennsylvania Railroad built many of these stations back in the early 20th century. At that time, different railroad companies typically used different stations, especially in major cities or towns, so the station usually took the name of the company.

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About the project In November 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a new plan to transform Penn Station into a first-class, commuter-first transit hub and revitalize the surrounding area. The plan calls for replacing the current cramped Penn Station with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility.

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The Daniel Patrick Moynihan Train Hall was designed to transform the travel experience for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) passengers by offering direct access to Tracks 13-16, with access to Tracks 17-21 available by way of the West End Concourse.

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Customers can exit New York Penn Station onto 8th Avenue, cross 8th Avenue and enter Moynihan Train Hall at any entryway. Or, customers can walk between Moynihan Train Hall and New York Penn Station on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) concourse level through the Moynihan Lower Concourse.

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Amtrak is a federally chartered corporation, with the federal government as majority stockholder. The Amtrak Board of Directors is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Amtrak is operated as a for-profit company, rather than a public authority.

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