In April, we shared how Assembly member Tony Simone and Governor Hochul gave us reason to hope for the future of this terribly mismanaged project.
Since then, the federal administration took over control of the project, designated Amtrak as the lead railroad, and this week Andy Byford (A.K.A.” Train Daddy”) was tapped to head Amtrak redevelopment plan for Penn Station , subject to board’s vote.
Byford, who has described the rebuilding of Penn Station as a “golden opportunity” to transform commuter rail service in New York and New Jersey, has run rail services on three continents—in London, Toronto, Sydney, and New York. In London, he completed the Elizabeth Line, which runs from one side of London, through the center city, to the other side using what is called “through running” to dramatically increase capacity and performance in spite of limited real estate.
Activists had been asking for such governance changes since the original Community Advisory Committee report in 2021. It solidifies the prospects that a 21st century station will be built for long distance and regional rail alike.