PENN STATION TO GET A MAKEOVER

摘要

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, confusing, poorly lit Penn Station is about to get a makeover as it prepares to add Metro-North train service to Connecticut and the expansion to come with the Gateway Tunnel program.Under a proposal unveiled to the MTA Board of Directors by Janno Lieber, who heads major construction for the agency, Penn Station's warren of corridors, hallways, and fast-food shops will give way to a brighter, more open, and inviting space, improving passenger circulation and reintroducing daylight to the dark, dingy station. Some 30 new escalators, elevators, and stairways will relieve crowding to the station platforms.Two design alternatives are under consideration: single-level or two-level layouts. Either would unify the existing station with the Moynihan Train Hall one block to the west and with a planned additional station between 31st and 30th streets, called Empire South. That facility is necessary to connect with the new Gateway Tunnel, which will add eight tracks to the overall station complex. Penn Station is expected to see 832,000 daily riders by 2038, not including those who use Moynihan Hall.