The ticketed waiting area at New York Penn Station will be refreshed by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), which will include new furniture and fixtures, including communal tables and seats with electrical and USB outlets, an upgraded ceiling complete with new LED lighting, a family area with a nursing mother’s pod, the removal of the midpoint barrier, a new information desk and a second entrance offering easy access towards the 7th Avenue side of the station.
“I am thrilled to see work start on significant improvements to the NJ Transit waiting area at New York Penn Station,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “Because of increased cooperation between the state of New Jersey, NJ Transit and our partners at Amtrak, NJ Transit customers will now have the modern, state of the art and comfortable facilities at Penn Station that they have deserved for so long.”
The project, which includes a $7.2 million total joint investment between Amtrak and NJ Transit, will be completed over two phases; the first started Jan.7, and the second is scheduled to start in March, after the first phase is complete. The second phase is expected to be completed in June 2020. There will also be two temporary spaces (one for each phase of the project) to accommodate passengers during the two construction periods. The first will be at the concourse near Tracks 9 and 10, and the second will be near Tracks 13 and 14.
Amtrak undertook the first steps to refresh the ticketed waiting area in 2019 when it opened a Starbucks coffee bar in the space to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase refreshments and removed the exterior information booth to improve customer flow.
“The journey is the most important part of the adventure at Amtrak, and we are refreshing the ticketed waiting area because that journey begins at the station,” said Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia. “We thank our customers, as well as our partners at NJ Transit, for their patience and cooperation as we continue to update New York Penn Station with an improved and more modern experience.”
NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett added, “NJ Transit customers deserve a better experience at New York Penn Station, and that’s exactly what these improvements will deliver. Thanks to our renewed partnership, NJ Transit is working closely with Amtrak to put our customers first in every decision we make. Our joint effort to improve the experience at New York Penn Station is a perfect example. These improvements will help reduce overcrowding in the NJ Transit waiting area, improve pedestrian flow through the station and generally provide for a more comfortable environment for NJ Transit customers using New York Penn Station as an origin or destination.”
The ticketed waiting area project is the continuation of several improvements Amtrak has been making to the station since 2017 as it advances Amtrak’s plan to modernize stations, infrastructure and trains on the Northeast Corridor. Other completed work to date includes the refreshed restrooms, upgraded air conditioning, new furniture in ClubAcela, and the continued work of the Infrastructure Renewal program.
