As the congressman who has for decades represented the district that is home to Penn Station, I have always been a staunch supporter of renovating the transit hub. For nearly 34 years, as I’ve commuted to Washington, I’ve experienced the decay and neglect that have befallen this station. It’s clear that Penn Station fails to meet New York City’s needs, and I welcome the chance to renovate and renew this vital piece of American infrastructure.
Penn Station is the busiest transit hub in the Western Hemisphere, and it needs to be modernized. As ridership increases, Penn Station’s infrastructure must be updated to meet the needs of riders — making the station easier to navigate, more accessible for all and safer. But with President Trump at the helm, this project has so far been mismanaged as a backroom deal between billionaires and the politicians who serve them.
For years, New York state and local officials have tried to renovate Penn Station. Every effort has run aground on the same problem: cost. Past estimates have been as high as $22 billion. New York residents and commuters should not be held singularly responsible for a project that benefits residents and travelers alike. Past attempts often prioritized appearances over functionality and never fully resolved how the project would be paid for.
Now, with the Gateway Tunnel under construction — which will modernize train tracks under the Hudson River and double the capacity for passenger transit between New Jersey and New York — our city, state and federal government have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally deliver a Penn Station renovation. Mr. Trump’s administration has made that far harder.
The New York public deserves immediate answers about who will pay for the Penn Station renovation. The cost estimate for the project is $8 billion, but the process has been shrouded in secrecy from the beginning, and that figure cannot be corroborated. One glaring omission from the vague plans is the cost of purchasing and demolishing the Madison Square Garden theater to build the new entrance to Penn Station. How much will the facility’s owner, the billionaire James Dolan, charge?
The likely truth: The Trump administration plans to stick New York residents and public transit riders with the massive cost of this development. We must have transparency on where every taxpayer dollar is being spent.
When the Trump administration wrested control of the Penn Station renovation project from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year, the president made it clear that crucial state and local partners would not be needed and that necessary public oversight would not be considered. Behind closed doors, Mr. Trump has already attempted a quid pro quo, offering federal funding for New York’s transit needs only if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed for him. Mr. Trump reportedly held a nonpublic meeting with Mr. Dolan and the real estate investor Steven Roth at the White House. Key decisions — like whether to move the events venue — were seemingly on the table, but without essential public disclosure.
Later, Mr. Trump shared his dreams for the Penn Station renovation. Madison Square Garden would no longer change location, and Mr. Trump focused on aesthetics rather than practical necessities. How those decisions were made and what promises might have been offered were not shared with the public. Without further disclosure, the series of events stinks of possible self-dealing, even corruption.
Like the planning process, the developer selection process is happening behind closed doors. This will be one of the most important and most expensive projects in the country, yet there was no public oversight. The public does not know what was discussed, what deals and incentives were offered or whether anyone in the room ever raised the question of who would pay. And in Congress, some are trying to seize New York’s tax dollars outright — handing Amtrak unprecedented power over local zoning and stripping away our tax revenue, with no negotiation and no input. We cannot let that stand.
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget requested supplemental funding for the Department of Defense to cover the money that has been spent illegally on Mr. Trump’s war in Iran. That request also included $1 billion for Penn Station, the first time the Trump administration acknowledged that federal funding may be used for the project. It’s still $7 billion short, and with top appropriators already opposing the supplemental funding request, it’s unlikely to be approved anyway.
Andy Byford, a former transit executive in London, Toronto and New York, was appointed by the Trump administration to lead the Penn Station project. While Mr. Byford is rightly credited for his prior work, in his new role he is only adding to the project’s opacity. He claimed that transit riders wouldn’t feel the pain of this project, then cautioned that his word could not be taken as a promise.
No other administration official has delivered any kind of commitment to protect riders from bearing the brunt of this massive cost. In 2020, Mr. Byford resigned as New York City’s subway chief after Andrew Cuomo, then the governor, pressured him to work against the best interests of the city’s public transit. It is time for him to show the same courage and not sell out the integrity of Penn Station to Mr. Trump’s vanity and corporate greed. Mr. Byford must address the source of funding and compel the administration to prove that this project won’t be completed at the expense of New Yorkers.
Mr. Trump’s record here is clear. He has repeatedly attacked New York City transportation and infrastructure, attempting to roll back congestion pricing, withhold the Gateway tunnel funding and block transit security funding that would help prevent terrorist attacks. We cannot let him do so again by using the renovation of Penn Station as just another one of his vanity projects.
New Yorkers are accustomed to bright lights and beautiful architecture. Indeed, the new facility that has been planned looks magnificent in carefully made artistic renderings. But we will not be duped by the gimmick being sold to us. We cannot allow necessary accountability, transparency and reliability to be compromised by pleasing drawings. Had a less self-dealing president decided to give the federal government a greater role in the Penn Station redevelopment, I would enthusiastically partner with officials and stakeholders on the project. Federal financial help and planning acumen are undoubtedly necessary to rebuild the station. I am not opposed to a beautiful, renewed and reliable Penn Station. I am opposed to a process that keeps New Yorkers outside the room while the country’s wealthiest and most powerful decide the fate of millions of New Yorkers — and everyone who passes through Penn Station.
