The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced that it has reached three major milestones in the New York Penn Station Transformation Project, keeping the effort on track to break ground by the end of 2027. The project, led by Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, aims to modernize and expand the country’s busiest transit hub as part of a broader federal infrastructure initiative.
“We’re rebuilding Penn Station on Trump Time and we are tapping our partners in the private sector to make it happen on time and on budget,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “Under President Trump, USDOT is cutting through the red tape to meet our ambitious timeline, and I’m confident we’ll bring together the greatest minds to create an unmatched symbol of American architecture and infrastructure for visitors and daily commuters to enjoy for decades to come.”
In coordination with Amtrak, the Department announced three key milestones:
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The release of the solicitation for the project’s master developer, inviting interested parties to submit Letters of Interest through Amtrak’s procurement portal.
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The selection of Public-Private Partnership (P3) advisors, including Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP as legal advisor, KPMG as financial advisor, and AKRF as environmental consultant.
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The initiation of the Service Optimization Study to explore strategies for accommodating future passenger growth at Penn Station and across the surrounding region.
According to USDOT, these steps advance efforts to transform Penn Station into a modern, world-class facility, streamline approvals, attract private investment, and manage project costs and risks.
“This will be one of the biggest and most significant construction projects in U.S. history, and we want the most skilled and knowledgeable partners to help make it a success,” said Special Advisor to the Amtrak Board Andy Byford. “By working with the private sector, we will be working with advisors who focus on the project’s goals while minimizing costs for taxpayers.”
In Fiscal Year 2024, New York Penn Station served more than 12 million passengers, representing 18% of Amtrak’s total ridership and nearly 45% of Northeast Corridor travel, supporting over 1,000 daily train movements among Amtrak, NJ Transit, and Long Island Rail Road.
