11.19.23 - New York’s Penn Station revamps major entrance ahead of hectic holiday travel rush
' The redesign of the 7th Avenue and 32nd Street entrance at New York’s Penn Station is finally complete — marking the latest in a massive overhaul of the country’s busiest train hub.
“It's wider, which is great. It was always very crowded and now it’s not,” said Reginald Guillaume, who was standing outside the entrance on Sunday. “The sign is very beautiful."
He added, “Before they started to renovate it, it looked like dystopian city. It doesn't look like that anymore, which is great.”
Billions of dollars are being funneled into multiple projects to redesign the station — which an estimated 600,000 people rely on for their daily commute. Gov. Kathy Hochul previously nixed an initiative from the Andrew Cuomo administration to use fees from building skyscrapers to cover the renovations — and instead turned to $7 billion in state and federal subsidies. Another $300 million federal grant is being used to make room for two new Hudson River train tunnels at the station.
“With the holiday season upon us, there is no better time for today’s announcement as millions will travel to New York to take advantage of all our city has to offer,” U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler said in a press release on Sunday. '