{"id":27,"date":"2026-05-20T22:09:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T22:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=27"},"modified":"2026-05-20T22:09:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T22:09:12","slug":"msg-will-stay-put-as-trump-team-announces-8b-for-penn-station-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=27","title":{"rendered":"MSG will stay put as Trump team announces $8B for Penn Station makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Swish!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Madison Square Garden will not be forced to relocate under a Penn Station redesign plan approved by the Trump administration and Amtrak Wednesday \u2014 with the federal government pledging $8 billion to revamp the decrepit train hub.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=25\">Gruesome cause of death revealed for Donike Gocaj, grandma who plunged to death down NYC manhole<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Halmar\/Penn Transformation Partners was the \u201cmaster developer\u201d chosen to lead the overhaul of the nation\u2019s busiest commuter rail station, US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the Amtrak Board of Directors said in a joint announcement.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said Halmar\u2019s construction design will be released in the coming months, with groundbreaking expected by the end of 2027.<\/p>\n<p>The makeover will include: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Constructing a grand entrance on Eighth Avenue to a new train hall.<\/li>\n<li>Replacing cramped, decrepit walkways with open, beautiful concourses.<\/li>\n<li>Expanding track capacity and adding new retail stores.<\/li>\n<li>Keeping the iconic MSG linked to the station, while making passenger experience improvements there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some planners argued that dramatically transforming Penn was not possible without moving MSG. <\/p>\n<p>Another bidder for the project, Grand Penn Partners supported by Trump and GOP mega-donor Tom Klingenstein, had proposed moving MSG across Seventh Avenue.<\/p>\n<p>But MSG owner James Dolan opposed relocating what\u2019s called \u201cThe World\u2019s Most Famous Arena\u201d \u2014 home of the red hot playoff Knicks basketball team and Rangers hockey team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The facelift of the run-down Midtown commuter hub is a top priority for President Trump, and his admin announced the feds will dedicate $8 billion for the long-delayed project.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to our rail, we\u2019re making generational improvements to the Northeast Corridor,\u201d Duffy said during testimony at a Senate hearing Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat means \u2026 a transformative investment in New York\u2019s Penn Station \u2014 $8 billion, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump fired the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year and put the feds in charge of redeveloping Penn Station with Amtrak following years of delay\u00a0and squabbling among the hub\u2019s stakeholders. <\/p>\n<p>The MTA\u2019s Long Island Railroad uses Penn along with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit and the city subway system connects to it.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=23\">School administrator admitted she didn\u2019t search 6-year-old who shot teacher Abby Zwerner after hearing he may have a gun<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe took over the transformation of New York Penn Station because the project was behind schedule, over budget, and hopelessly mismanaged. One year later, we continue to hit major milestones at record speed,\u201d Duffy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn selecting Penn Transformation Partners (Halmar) and their innovative plan, we are one step closer to delivering a world-class travel hub that daily commuters and travelers have dreamed of for decades,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder President Trump\u2019s historic leadership, the days of Penn Station\u2019s cramped hallways, broken infrastructure, and snarled rail lines are numbered. 2027 can\u2019t come soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The firm also works on the Second Avenue subway extension.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Former NYC Transit\u00a0 President Andy Byford, affectionately called \u201ctrain daddy,\u201d served as Amtrak\u2019s special advisor, overseeing the bidding process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone at Amtrak is thrilled to announce Penn Transformation Partners (Halmar) and even more excited that the project is one step closer to having shovels in the ground next year,\u201d Byford said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe rapid completion of a rigorous procurement process represents more than just delivering on a highly ambitious milestone; it demonstrates that Amtrak and USDOT are uniquely capable of making this vision a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Kathy Hochul welcomed the news, calling the selection of a developer \u201can important step\u201d in Penn Station\u2019s reconstruction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the day I took office, I made reimagining Penn Station a priority. While Penn is a federal asset, New York spent years trying to move this project forward, only to face significant federal bureaucratic hurdles at nearly every step,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cLast year, I took my case directly to the White House to cut through red tape and secure full federal funding for delivery of this project, saving New York taxpayers over $1 billion and accelerating this long overdue transformation,\u201d Hochul continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be successful, this project must accomplish two things: dramatically improve the experience for every rider who passes through Penn Station, from the A train to the Acela, while protecting the record performance of the LIRR and ensuring the costs are not borne by New York commuters or taxpayers,\u201d she said. \u201cI will accept nothing less.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=21\">Graham Platner cruelly mocked a US soldier who nearly died protecting squad: \u2018Stupid motherf\u2014er didn\u2019t deserve to live\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Madison Square Garden will not be forced to relocate under a Penn Station redesign plan approved by the Trump administration and Amtrak Wednesday &#8212; with the federal government pledging $8 billion to revamp the decrepit train hub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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