Moynihan Train Hall Opening Jan. 1

The Train Hall expands Penn Station’s concourse space by 255,000 square feet or 50% to serve Amtrak and MTA Long Island Rail Road. (Architecture and Interiors - FXCollaborative)

New York City’s Moynihan Train Hall will open for Amtrak and MTA Long Island Rail Road service Jan. 1. The $1.6 billion project, which renovated the 100-year-old James A. Farley Post Office Building at 8th Avenue across from Penn Station, wraps up Dec. 31.

The Moynihan Train Hall expands Penn Station’s concourse space by 255,000 square feet or 50%, and is set, Amtrak said, to relieve crowding and improve rider comfort and security. It is named for the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who represented New York for 24 years and championed the project.

The project’s first phase, completed in 2017, included a new $300 million, 400-foot-by-400-foot concourse with direct access to the western end of platforms for 17 of Penn Station’s 21 tracks.

The nearly completed second phase is a public-private partnership among Empire State Development, Vornado Realty Trust, Related Companies, Skanska, LIRR, Amtrak, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and was delivered via a design-build partnership.

Among the Train Hall’s features:

• A 92-foot-high skylight over an atrium that is approximately the size of the Grand Central Terminal’s Main Hall.

• Designated customer service locations for each railroad.

• Dozens of LED and LCD displays for train information and messaging.

• A free public Wi-Fi network (Wi-Fi 6).

• A waiting room for customers with tickets; Red Cap Service; and a premium Metropolitan Lounge, providing select riders with expanded food and beverage offerings.

• A dedicated lounge for nursing mothers.

The Train Hall will be open between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily; Penn Station will remain accessible 24/7.

“Amtrak’s Moynihan Train Hall will deliver the world-class rail travel experience our customers deserve when traveling to and from this incredible city,” Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia said. “The beautiful vistas, modern design, new amenities and enhanced accessibility features showcase the kinds of improvements Amtrak is undertaking across our network. Amtrak dreamed up this plan 35 years ago and we deeply thank the Governor [Andrew M. Cuomo], Senator [Chuck] Schumer and the New York Congressional delegation, and all our partners for helping to make it a reality.”

Said Gov. Cuomo: “New Yorkers have known for decades that Penn Station needed to be reimagined—and after years of work, the Moynihan Train Hall will open on time and on budget at the end of 2020.”