Friends of Moynihan Station

Amtrak releases new renderings of Moynihan Station

2012-07-13T17:51:06Z

The West End Concourse is being significantly expanded. Image credit: Amtrak

As part of its Vision for the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak released new renderings of Moynihan Station. The first three images reflect the work that is currently being undertaken as part of Phase One. The last rendering depicts the future train hall, the final design and funding scheme of which have yet to be finalized. Nevertheless, these images together give a sense of Amtrak's vision for its future flagship station.

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Big news! A contract is awarded to build Phase One

2012-05-10T19:50:57Z

A rendering of the station's future entrance at 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue. Credit: MSDC

The Moynihan Station Development Corporation Board today approved the award of a $150 million contract to Skanska to build some of the key elements of Moynihan Station:

two new entrances into the Penn/Moynihan Station complex through the corners of the Farley building,
the extension of the West End Concourse to serve eight additional tracks,
the doubling of the width of the concourse, and
new stairs, escalators and elevators from the platforms up to the station to meet ADA requirements.

This work will help to alleviate some of the congestion in the station and at the platform level. It also constitutes a critical first step toward the larger goal of building a new train hall in the Farley Building for Amtrak.
Work on this phase is scheduled to begin in October and be completed by 2016.

More renderings after the jump.

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A future entrance at 31st Street and Eighth Avenue

The expanded West End Concourse

Moynihan Station development office to be folded into the Port Authority

2011-10-19T19:50:01Z

In nominating Pat Foye to be Executive Director of the Port Authority, Gov. Andrew Cuomo also called for consolidating the Moynihan Station Development Corporation - the state agency in charge of developing the new train station - into the Port Authority.

The Port Authority has been involved with Moynihan Station since early 2010, when Gov. Paterson charged it to manage the construction of the station hand in hand with MSDC.

A full transfer to the PA and the likely dissolution of MSDC makes sense as the project moves into a construction phase. (The PA has more experience managing construction than MSDC, most recently at the World Trade Center). A construction management team was recently hired, and construction bids from several prequalified bidders were solicited earlier this month. Bids are due back in early December, and work would begin in the late winter.

In addition to the PA's construction-management experience, the Authority might also be able to provide more funding to Moynihan Station than cash-strapped New York State.

Moynihan Station Phase One breaks ground

2010-10-18T20:19:09Z

From left to right: Moynihan Station Development Corporation President Timothy Gilchrist, Elizabeth Moynihan, Maura Moynihan, Governor David Paterson, US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

A wide range of New York and federal officials broke ground today on Phase One of the construction of Moynihan Station. Prior to the groundbreaking, Governor Paterson and Secretary LaHood signed a final grant agreement providing $83 million in Recovery Act funds to New York through the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Transportation Initiatives Generating Economic Recovery" (TIGER) program.

Construction of Phase One, which includes new entrances to Penn Station through the Farley building, a wider and longer West End Concourse, more escalators from the platforms and other infrastructure work, started this month and will be completed by 2016. The project is scheduled to take 6 years because work is restricted to nights and weekends.

Click through for reactions from the Friends of Moynihan Station, and new renderings of the project.

]]> Bob Yaro, President of the Regional Plan Association, said: "We're very pleased this critical project is finally getting underway, after years of delay. There is no more important project for creating needed transportation capacity in the regional rail system and for catalyzing the redevelopment of New York's Far West Side."

Vin Cipolla, President of the Municipal Art Society said: "Today we celebrate the start of the first phase of one of the most important public works project in the northeast, one that will in the near term create jobs and ease crowding in congested Penn Station, and in the long term improving rail infrastructure and sustainability for the region."

Denise Richardson, Managing Director of the General Contractors Association of New York, said: "Moynihan Station will not only improve transit service at the busiest train station in the country, but this vital project will support hundreds of very much needed jobs in the construction industry. This long awaited project will also lay the groundwork for the economic development of the Farley Post office and the surrounding area and create a grand gateway to New York City."

Peg Breen, President The New York Landmarks Conservancy, said: "The long-awaited start of Moynihan Station is welcome news for New York and the whole northeast corridor. Now we need to ensure that the design of future train hall proves worth the wait."

Full press release from Gov. Paterson's office

Moynihan Station Development Corporation website

New renderings of the project:

Ceremonial groundbreaking at Farley on Monday October 18 - All welcome!

2010-10-13T13:53:26Z

Please join us at a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Moynihan Station Phase One project on Monday, October 18, at ~~10:30am~~ 2pm on the steps of the Farley Building (rain location is the 31st Street Rotunda). Gov. David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, Senator Charles Schumer and others will unveil new renderings and break ground on the project. It should be an exciting event - please stop by! For more information, contact the Governor's press office at (518) 474 8390.

Also, on the evening of October 18, there will be a symposium to launch the release of a new book entitled "Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary." Senator Charles Schumer will keynote. The event is at 5:30pm at the New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue. More information here.

Happy 100th birthday (original) Penn Station!

2010-08-01T16:16:11Z

This month marks the 100th anniversary of the construction of the original Penn Station. "The largest building ever to be built at one time," points out the New York Times, was completed in August 1910, and service on the Long Island Rail Road was inaugurated on September 8. Full use of the station by the Pennsylvania Rail Road to New Jersey and beyond began on November 26th. That day, 100,000 visitors came to admire the new building.

Little did President of the Pennsylvania Rail Road Alexander Cassatt know that his monumental structure would stand barely longer than 50 years.

Browse our collection of images of the original Penn Station.

and read this fascinating article about how Penn Station was to transform the region.

Phase One clears last legal hurdle; construction can begin

2010-07-26T21:01:33Z

The Public Authorities Control Board, which reviews projects financed by New York State authorities, voted last Friday to approve Phase One of the Moynihan Station project. The $267 million project, to expand the West End Concourse, build two new entrances into Penn Station through the Farley Post Office building and upgrade key infrastructure is funded in part with federal grants (approximately $110 million), and in part with State and Local funding ($75 million). PACB approval clears the way for construction, which could begin this fall or winter.

Tim Gilchrist to be appointed President of MSDC

2010-06-01T14:34:46Z

photo credit: the Observer

Gov. David Paterson announced that he is recommending the appointment of Tim Gilchrist, his senior adviser for infrastructure and transportation, as the President of the Moynihan Station Development Corporation, the state entity under ESDC that is in charge of seeing through the Moynihan Station project. He will be replacing Robin Stout, in the position since early 2006.

Gilchrist is well qualified for the position. He played a critical role in securing $83 million in federal stimulus funding for the project back in February, and was instrumental in negotiating an MOU between the State and Amtrak. As a result of his work - and numerous other people's - the first phase of the project is now underway: the public comment period closed last Friday, a vote by the PACB is expected in the next few weeks, and construction could begin by the end of the year.

The Friends of Moynihan Station thank Robin Stout for his tireless work on the project and his persistent optimism. We wish him the best as he pursues other opportunities at ESDC.

Tim Gilchrist will begin in the new position in mid-July.

Friends testify in support of Phase One

2010-04-29T14:22:01Z

credit: wallyg/flickr

Several member organizations of the Friends of Moynihan Station attended the Moynihan Station Development Corporation's public hearing last night, urging the agency to continue pursuing the project and particularly "Phase One," which is to say the widening and lengthening of the West End Concourse, two new entrances into the station through the corners of the Farley Post Office building, as well as less visible catenary and emergency-ventilation work.

- Regional Plan Association focused on the tangible benefits that even just Phase One would bring
- General Contractors Association emphasized the importance of starting construction soon and creating jobs
- Municipal Art Society encouraged ESDC to think beyond Phase One
- New York Landmarks Conservancy applauded the fact that this plan preserves the building's historic integrity
- Assemblymember Richard Gottfried would have preferred that Phase One went through the City's approval process but understands that time is of the essence. He urged that Phase Two go through ULURP.

Public comment period has begun

2010-03-29T21:20:07Z

Last Friday, ESDC's board of directors approved a revised General Project Plan and Technical Memorandum for Phase One of Moynihan Station. (In layman's terms: Last Friday, the state agency in charge of Moynihan Station issued detailed documents of what it proposes to build as part of Phase One of the project.)

This step means that the public approvals process has officially begun! The Friends of Moynihan Station -- as a group and as individual organizations -- will be testifying at the April 28 hearing at the Farley Building. Please join us, to express your support for the project, and/or provide some constructive criticism of the plans. If you are not able to attend, you may send your comments in writing until May 28. All information is below.

Here are a few keys links:
- The Draft General Project Plan, which is a general overview of the project and its financing
- The Draft SEQRA Technical Memorandum, which includes detailed information about several aspects of the project, including its environmental impacts
- Yesterday's Notice of Public Hearing, published in the Daily News

The hearing will be held on Wednesday April 28, from 4pm to 8pm, at the Farley Post Office building, 380 West 33rd Street, Room 4500.
Please send written comments to ESDC, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, attn: Rebecca Pellegrini.

What is Phase One?

2010-03-18T19:47:15Z

Phase One of the Moynihan Station project -- the phase that is now fully funded and that will begin construction before the end of the year, will include doubling the width and length of the West End Concourse (pictured above) so that it provides access to more platforms. Travelers coming in on platforms 3 to 6 will be able to head to the A/C/E subway, or exit to the street at Eighth Avenue -- through new entrances at the corners of the Farley building, in fact -- without walking through Penn Station. (The West End Concourse currently serves only platforms 7 to 11.)

(For an illustration of what this work means, or to get your bearings around this confusing station, check out these site plans and images.)

Phase One also includes some less visible infrastructure improvements including platform ventilation and catenary work.

Paterson announces MOU with Amtrak; charges ESDC and PA with the project

2010-02-18T14:34:00Z

On the heels of Tuesday's announcement that the Moynihan Station project was awarded the necessary funding to begin construction of Phase 1, Gov. David Paterson announced that the State of New York had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Amtrak. (A broad term sheet was signed last September.) It is not clear at this time what terms of agreement the MOU includes. More detailed contracts will be signed in months to come.

Gov. Paterson has also officially charged the Empire State Development Corporation and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to see the project through. This involves coordinating the multiple agencies involved, negotiating a final agreement with Amtrak, and applying for federal funding. The Port Authority's board must now vote to approve taking on the project.

Big News! Moynihan Station Receives Federal Funding Necessary to Start Construction

2010-02-16T15:15:01Z

The Moynihan Station project has just been awarded an $83.3 million federal grant that will allow the first phase of the project to move forward. This first phase includes:

- building two new entrances to Penn Station's platforms from West of Eighth Avenue through the corners of the Farley Building,
- doubling the length and width of the West End Concourse,
- providing 13 new "vertical access points" (escalators, elevators and stairs) to the platforms,
- doubling the width of the 33^rd Street Connector between Penn Station and the West End Concourse, as well as
- other critical infrastructure improvements including platform ventilation and catenary work.

Now that funding has been lined up and design plans are in the final stages, construction should begin before the end of the year. The press statement from the Friends can be found here.

Political trends for 2010: Build Moynihan Station

2010-01-04T16:30:28Z

The best way for New York City to recover from the current economic slump? Build Moynihan Station!

In this New York Post op-ed, Julia Vitullo-Martin, director of the Center for Urban Innovation at Regional Plan Association, argues that City and State must join forces to see through a number of stalled development projects that will help the City get out of the current recession. The most important of these projects is Moynihan Station.

To access the story, click here (and scroll down). Full text on the jump.

]]> POLITICAL TRENDS FOR 2010

DEVELOPMENT BACK ON TRACK?

Some parts of New York feel like they're in a deep, post-apocalyptic funk -- vacant storefronts, pot-holed streets, broken sidewalks, stalled construction sites, garbage-strewn blocks, untended graffiti. Our boom-and-bust city has pulled out of worse before and surely can do so again. But we need government to push hard on its end -- supplying infrastructure in now-fallow neighborhoods and moving forward important projects that have been mired in bureaucracy and strife.

Of these the most important to the city's future is Moynihan Station, the ambitious attempt to convert the old Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue, across from Madison Square Garden, into a glorious new Penn Station. Seemingly moribund since the winter of 2008, Moynihan is back on track now, in part because Amtrak's new chief, former state transportation commissioner Joseph Boardman, agreed to relocate his agency to the new train hall so long as Amtrak could share in future retail revenues. That deal was just struck in December, so that Amtrak is now at last onboard.

In a neighboring but unrelated move, the City Council approved the West Side rail yards rezoning, which will allow the mixed-use development of 13 yards, directly south of Moynihan Station, with commercial and apartment buildings. The redevelopment of the long-fallow, rail-yard-dominated West Side will start in 2010.

Across the East River in Long Island City, Queens, the Economic Development Corporation will begin on-site infrastructure for the Hunters Point South development, which will build 5,000 housing units on 30 acres of prime waterfront. The site is magnificent, but like most of the city's old industrial sites, is bereft of the basics -- sewage, roads, parks. To judge just how quickly and effectively good parks can transform an area, New Yorkers can look to the Brooklyn Bridge Park that, after much contention, will open in 2010.

- Julia Vitullo-Martin, director of the Center for Urban Innovation at the Regional Plan Association

New York State applies for stimulus funding for first phase of Moynihan Station

2009-09-16T15:09:48Z

(A design for the future entrances to Moynihan Station has not been specified;
this rough sketch was drawn up by Regional Plan Association for visualization purposes.)

The Moynihan Station Development Corporation submitted yesterday an application for a TIGER federal stimulus grant, in the amount of $98 million. (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants are intended to help pay for projects that will reduce carbon emissions and bolster environmental sustainability.)

The grant would help pay for the first phase of the Moynihan Station project, which includes:
- Doubling the width and length of the West End Concourse;
- Stairs and escalators from the West End Concourse to the 31st St and 33rd St corners of the Farley Building. In other words, there will be two street-level entrances into Penn Station from the Farley building, a major improvement over the current Eighth Avenue entrances, which are through the ACE subway station;
- Additional stairs and escalators from the West End Concourse to the platforms;
- Widening of the 33rd Street Concourse, including making it ADA compliant;
- Ventilation and catenary work.

Later phases of the project will include a new train hall in Farley for Amtrak and related development. Cost estimates have not been revised lately. As of last spring, they ranged anywhere from $1.1 billion to $1.5 billion.