For the first time in decades, New York's Penn Station feels, in the words of those behind its overhaul, like a station built for the people who actually use it. The renovated hub is not the old Penn Station, and never will be, but the changes are meant to undo years of cramped, congested travel. The aim, as one put it, was to turn a notorious bottleneck back into a true crossroads.
One of the most basic changes was how passengers find their trains. In the past, everyone would huddle under a single gate board, creating congestion as crowds bunched together in one spot. Now the gate information has been moved onto screens spread around the station, a shift designed to create a natural flow and to let customers wait in different areas rather than piling into one place.
The renovation also reshaped the space itself. Those behind the project said they nearly doubled the height of the ceilings and nearly doubled the width of the concourse. Because the station sits so far below street level, the goal was to bring in a feeling of natural light and fresh air, qualities the old underground warren had badly lacked for years.
At the heart of the project is a brand-new entryway, designed by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the same firm behind the nearby Moynihan Train Hall. The new gateway was built to bring in natural light and expand access. The team created what they call the East End gateway entrance, after finding that more than 70% of the station's customers use the 7th Avenue entrance.
The new entrance was also designed with a view in mind. It was positioned so that the iconic Empire State Building sits almost as the focal point, framing one of the city's most recognizable landmarks for travelers as they come and go. The effect is meant to make arriving in New York feel like an event again rather than an ordeal underground.
The 2019 renovation cleared out the businesses below ground, but many have since returned, including a few neighborhood icons. Rose's Pizza, a name well known to commuters, was one of the first retailers to come back once the work was complete. Their return was part of an effort to restore the station's familiar character alongside all of its new architecture.
Among the most beloved returns is Tracks, long claimed as the longest bar in the city. Regulars describe it as a melting pot, where union workers mixed with Wall Street types and the same commuters turned up day after day, riding the railroad five days a week. By one count, four marriages came out of Tracks, which is set to return in the same profile and footprint, a small piece of the old Penn Station carried into the new one.