Moynihan Station train hall

The newly opened Daniel Patrick Moynihan Train Hall opened to New Yorkers and travelers from the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak, the New York City Subway, and the entire Northeast corridor on January 1, 2021. Moynihan Train Hall is an expansion of the existing Penn Station, comprising a 225,000-square-foot, approximately 20,900-square-meter, rail hub expansion within the landmark James A. Farley Post Office Building. Through the adaptive reuse of the Farley Post Office, we have reached an understanding with architectural design and history, injecting new life into New York and creating a commuting experience unlike anything seen in decades, says Laura Ettelman, Managing Partner at SOM. She adds: From the moment you enter, the scale and natural light of the space transform the everyday experience of rail travel. The project converts the vast internal spaces of the historic post office into a grand train concourse, preserving the building's Beaux-Arts facade while creating a modern, light-filled interior. A dramatic steel-and-glass skylight floods the hall with natural light, and new entrances on Eighth Avenue and 31st Street improve pedestrian access. The Train Hall provides Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road passengers with a dignified, spacious alternative to the cramped underground corridors of the existing Penn Station. The project represents a major step toward the long-term redevelopment of the entire Penn Station complex and demonstrates how historic civic buildings can be adaptively reused to meet twenty-first century transportation needs.