Federal Study Proposes Escalators and More To Boost Penn Station Capacity

A new federal study is looking at ways to increase train traffic and ease passenger flow at Penn Station — the main intercity railroad station in NYC and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere — as part of the Trump Administration’s planned US$8-billion overhaul of the transit hub, ABC Channel 7 reports. Among proposed improvements are additional escalators, stairways and extended platforms to make it easier for passengers to move through the station and access trains. The improvements, according to the study released by the Federal Railroad Administration, could boost Penn Station’s capacity to up to 32 trains per h during the morning rush and 30 trains per h during evenings. Also on the drawing board are a modernized Eighth Avenue entrance and a reconfigured station layout. Penn Station spans the blocks between 21^st and 33^rd streets and 7^th and 8^th avenues in Midtown Manhattan.