We have a plan…
WE CALL IT
“GRAND PENN”
Located on the site of Madison Square Garden, Grand Penn includes a new park, a commuter train hall modeled after the original Penn Station, and a classical façade at the 7th Avenue entrance.
NEW YORK HAD THE
GREATEST
TRAIN STATION
IN THE WORLD
IN 1964
WE THREW IT OUT
FOR
THIS
Imagine, we could have this instead:
WELCOME TO GRAND PENN
Looking West. In the foreground is the roof of the new commuter train hall. To its west is the park. Further west, across 8th Avenue, is the existing classical post office, the location of the new Amtrak Moynihan train hall.
COMMUTER HALL CONCOURSE
The classical Commuter Hall, that serves LIRR and is modeled after the original Penn Station. The Commuter Hall, which is larger than Grand Central Station, will be linked by underground tunnels to the new Moynihan Amtrak Station, that is located in the old U.S. Post Office building across Eight Avenue.
COMMUTER HALL CONCOURSE
Inside the Commuter Hall Concourse, there will be a replica of the iconic clock from the Original Penn Station.
COMMUTER HALL AMENITIES
Above the concourse level of the commuter hall, there will be restaurants and shops.
COMMUTER HALL BOARDING LEVEL
Below the concourse level of the commuter train hall is the boarding level. From there, travelers will take escalators and elevators to the train level. The ceiling of the boarding level is 18-feet high. Today it is only 8 feet.
GRAND PENN PARK
Looking West at the existing post office. The Park will be about the size of Bryant Park.
GRAND PENN PARK (con’t)
The park, looking east toward the commuter hall, will be the only park in Midtown South.
What It Was
What It Is Now
WHAT IT COULD BE
SEVENTH AVENUE ENTRANCE
Frequently Asked Questions…
Is it realistic to move MSG? Why would the current owners of MSG agree to move?
The City Council limited to five years MSG ability to stay and operate in its present location. MSG is the oldest arena in the NBA, and the least efficient to operate. So it makes sense to build a new arena in a new location to benefit everyone.
Where might MSG go?
MSG has said that it would relocate across 7th Avenue if the right opportunity was presented to them.
How much does it cost:
Grand Penn construction should cost $1 billion less than the schemes proposed by New York State and Amtrak to expand Penn Station, with the old Madison Square Garden in place above.
Grand Penn is based on the most logical construction sequence, which is to move MSG first. The NYS/ Amtrak scheme requires extra expenses to keep MSG, needlessly and illogically, in place during construction.
The extra cost to maintain access and safety to MSG, while trying to rebuild and expand America’s busiest train station directly underneath it, is enormous. The unnecessary cost premium is approximately $4.5 billion in total: $3.5 billion for the station rebuild and $1 billion for the expansion.
That’s $4.5 billion and years of extra inconvenience for passengers and fans alike. And we end up with just a bigger version of the inefficient and potentially unsafe transportation mess we have now.
Move MSG:
To move MSG across 7th Avenue costs $3.5 billion: $1.3 billion for the land and $2.2 billion for construction.
That’s a $1 billion savings.
And it’s not just money we save.
- 5-year savings of extra construction time for passengers.
- 50% reduction in station areas closed due to construction.
- 100% increase in safety for fans of MSG.
And a brand new, modern, convenient arena that fans deserve.
How likely is it this plan will be approved?
This plan exceeds the transportation aims of the current attempts to renovate Penn Station and has been prepared by the same architect as the Moynihan Train Hall. So it is a very realistic plan that could gain approvals.
How long until approval and when is it built?
It will take the same amount of time to build a new MSG and build a new Grand Penn as it will to slowly renovate Penn while keeping the garden operating above it.
Why not just rebuild the old Penn Station?
As beautiful as the old Penn Station was, it was designed to handle only 160,000 people per day. Today, the station handles over 600,000.