“Regional Plan Association commends Governor Cuomo for adding an additional entrance to Penn Station on 33rd Street, making the plaza on 33rd Street permanent and improving the LIRR concourse. These improvements are an essential part of making the station safer and more pleasant for the over 650,00 daily passengers who travel through the station which was designed to handle one third that many.

We are also pleased that the Governor recognized the need to do a more comprehensive overhaul of Penn Station. The new Moynihan Station project, and East Side Access, two ambitious infrastructure projects which are a credit to the Governor, present a huge opportunity, opening up more space and temporarily relieving some of the overcrowding Penn Station and allowing more comprehensive work to be done. But in order to capitalize on that we must begin today, we call on the Governor to continue to lead by convening the diverse stakeholders in the area - both public and private - to form a task force to produce a comprehensive plan for fixing Penn Station, expanding capacity, making it safer, and improving public spaces in the neighborhood befitting the nation’s busiest transit hub,” said Tom Wright, President, Regional Plan Association.