flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Pennsylvania Station set to transform into a world-class transportation hub

Transit Facilities

Pennsylvania Station set to transform into a world-class transportation hub

New York's Penn Station currently accomodates 650,000 passengers per day.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | January 18, 2016

Renderings: © Governor Andrew Cuomo

Developing nations in today’s world have a distinct advantage over cities that developed decades or even centuries ago. They are able to look at the cities that came before them, examine the problems they faced, and build the solutions into their developing cities before they even have a chance to make themselves known.

Take Naypyidaw, for example, the capital city of Myanmar. With a population just under one million people, the city is relatively small. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t building for the future and anticipating growth, as evidenced by their highways, 16 lanes wide in some places, which remain as empty and desolate as a supermodel’s dinner plate. Sure it might look silly and overly ambitious now, but when the population does begin to skyrocket, the methods to their madness will be quite clear.

Many cities aren’t built to handle the growth if and when it does arrive. Exhibit A, New York City. More specifically, New York City’s Pennsylvania Station. Completed in 1910, the station was originally designed to accommodate 200,000 people, but today, more than 650,000 people pass through the station on a daily basis, according to ArchDaily.

So while Stanford White, the building's original architect, didn’t have a crystal ball that would have allowed him to create a structure for the 21st century back in the early 20th century, the situation with Penn Station is far from hopeless.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has presented plans to give Pennsylvania Station and the neighboring James A. Farley Post Office the 16-lane highway treatment and turn this overcrowded transportation hub into a free flowing 21st century work of art.

 

© Governor Andrew Cuomo

 

Though an official architect has still not been chosen, the projects plans have been detailed. At a cost of $3 billion, the project envisions a modernized station that will connect underground with the Farley Post Office, which is located across 8th Avenue from Penn Station. This new, connected area will be known as the “Empire Station Complex."

“We want to build Penn Station to be better than it ever was, and that is exactly what we are going to do. This proposal will fundamentally transform Penn Station for the 21st century, and we are excited to move forward with the project in the days to come,” said Governor Cuomo in his presentation on the project.

In addition to the new connection with the Farley Post Office, Penn Station will be undergoing quite a bit of renovation of its own. ArchDaily reports that the plan calls for existing corridors to be widened, ticketing and waiting areas to be reconfigured, connectivity to be enhanced, and retail opportunities to be expanded.

The plans for the Farley Post Office have it to be redeveloped into a 210,000-sf train hall for Amtrak that will service passengers of the Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, and the new Air Train to LaGuardia Airport. This new train hall will increase the station’s size by 50%.

 

© Governor Andrew Cuomo

 

Included in this new facility will be more concourse and circulation space, retail space, and modern amenities such as Wi-Fi and digital ticketing, and 30 new escalators, elevators, and stairs to help passengers get to where they need to be quickly.

While an iconic architectural design is important, the Governor is also hoping for it to be very energy efficient and incorporate plenty of natural light.

Despite the lack of an official architect, the project hopes to break ground this year and be completed by 2019.

 

© Governor Andrew Cuomo

 

Related Stories

Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2017

Top 15 transit engineering firms

AECOM, STV, and Arup top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest transit sector engineering and EA firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2017

Top 25 transit architecture firms

Jacobs, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Perkins+Will top BD+C’s ranking of the nation’s largest transit sector architecture and AE firms, as reported in the 2017 Giants 300 Report.

Mixed-Use | Sep 25, 2017

Getting there is half the fun: Mass transit helps entertainment districts thrive

In Los Angeles, the entertainment district L.A. Live is expected to benefit from the proposed expansion of the city’s mass transit system.

Transportation & Parking Facilities | Aug 6, 2017

Post Panama Canal expansion, the top three U.S. ports still rule

But land constraints around the terminals are pushing asset prices and rents to new highs.

Transit Facilities | Jun 21, 2017

Foster + Partners unveils design for the Ourense FFCC Station in Galicia, Spain

The project will create key infrastructure for the future development of the city and provide it a new social focus.

Transit Facilities | Mar 31, 2017

Mississauga Bus Rapid Transit stations share common theme but sport custom details

The route will connect with Toronto public transit.

Transit Facilities | Mar 30, 2017

Train station architectural design fundamentals: Accessibility

If safety is the number one priority for train stations, then accessibility comes in at a close second.

Transit Facilities | Feb 7, 2017

Wood and glass dominate Swedish city’s new ‘living room’

The building will be a train station and City Hall for the Swedish city of Växjö.

Transportation & Parking Facilities | Jan 31, 2017

Public transportation of the future: Four new sustainable technologies

In 2014, Americans spent an average of 42 hours per year sitting in traffic jams.

Transit Facilities | Nov 15, 2016

The winning design for the Paris metro station competition looks like a giant, loopy “P”

Bjarke Ingels Group and Silvio d’Ascia Architecture teamed up to create the winning submission.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.



Transit Facilities

Top 25 Transit Facility Construction Firms for 2023

The Walsh Group, Clark Group, Hensel Phelps, Skanska USA, and Hill International top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest transit facility general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes construction revenue for work related to bus terminals, rail terminals, and transit stations.


Transit Facilities

Top 40 Transit Facility Engineering Firms for 2023

AECOM, Jacobs, EXP, WSP, and Arup head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest transit facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes design revenue for work related to bus terminals, rail terminals, and transit stations.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021