Inside NYC's ornate new Penn Station train hall

New York City's Penn Station has been around for more than 100 years. The trains at Penn have never stopped running, but what’s above them has been built, destroyed, neglected and now born again. As of January 2021, the stunning new part of midtown Manhattan’s historic transit hub is open, carrying with it many of the longtime hopes, dreams and struggles that have defined a city as well as a nation. Jeff Glor takes a look.

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[kobyschechter]

Nothing will be more beautiful than the old Penn Station. But Moynihan Train Hall gives a great glimpse of what the old Penn Station looked like. Nice to see that we’re trying to replicate the past.

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Imagine demolishing a majestic train terminal for a sports arena
Penn Station needed this upgrade. It's not Grand Central, but it's getting there

[tonylarussa]

Now Amtrak needs to get high speed trains running!!

[Jonathan-jjnc]

I worked on the new Moynahan station for the last yr and a half 💪🏽

[lugano]

As the old saying goes, "When business is slow, paint the store." This is the time to totally revamp infrastructure. It's what FDR spearheaded in the 1930s heling to refuel massive growth in subsequent years.

[JuliaMaeLaude]

I would love to have trains more available across the country.

[pnkfreud]

I've never been much of a train guy (much to my engineer uncle's dismay) but I have to say, I took amtrak in october to see family, and I had a whole car to myself! It wasn't a first class ticket or anything, but WOW the accommodations were excellent, I got a beer and a roast beef sandwhich right on the train in the dinner car, and the ride was smooth as butter. A lot quicker of a ride than I anticipated, as well. I had brought a lot of entertainment material and I almost wasn't ready to leave the train by the time we got there, but I guess that's a good "problem" to have. Will be riding Amtrak again in the future, that's for sure.

[spiderhider]

British tourist here. Came into Penn when we were there on a holiday and hated the station. It was so confusing and crampt with low ceilings. Glad to see this beautiful replacement.

[rufusgriffin]

I’m in my 30s and have been all over the world. One thing about great cities such as London, Paris and Tokyo have in common is that they all have great central train stations. I visited NYC for the first time in 2019. The first place I saw in Manhattan was Penn Station after taking the LIRR from JFK International Airport. After getting off the train I literally felt like I was in a claustrophobic, run down underground shopping mall. It was extremely confusing just to get out of there and find where the subway station was that I needed to get to. I was totally shocked that a world class city like NYC would have it’s main train station in such bad condition. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

[feartactics]

The original Penn Station looked so gorgeous even from the few seconds of footage shown. What happened was a travesty.

[jamesdandy]

A lot of cities are revamping their train stations. It's nice

[bartoncarlin]

This is great. I loathed going into Penn Station before. It was depressing and even scary. This is wo wonderful.

[adama]

My company did the fireproofing (PAL Environmental) for this train hall and I did the logistics for the deliveries to this station so the workers and unions got their stuff. Im proud to have been involved in such an amazing project!

[hungrysoles]

I'm glad to see the new Pennsylvania Station was finally finished and now there is again a monumental entrance to New York by train.

[koleyw]

It was so grubby and dark before, great endeavor, Jackie Kennedy would be happy.

[matthewok]

As a Chicagoan, I feel so proud of our monumental Union Station that every Chicagoan loves. So happy to see my mother's hometown, New York City, finally has a proper entrance. First, they revamped LaGuardia, and now Penn Station! Next project: the subway.

[TheFoodieCutie]

I’m happy about this. They weren’t lying when they described the old Penn station. It was dark, claustrophobic and a maze to go through. One thing I noticed was the upholstery waiting rooms... that area better be for ticketed passengers only!

[donnanadlesneu]

I was there in April, for a consult with a Dr up there, I took a train from Richmond up and I had a great ride. Going by air sucks, the train had a cafe car and I could move about when ever I wanted. The train took me right to the heart of NYC. I loved it. Plus I picked up on a sale, total round trip was $38.00 for the train, That was great!

[wfat]

The room is a nice gesture, but Penn Station had much superior class, innovation, and worthiness of a timeless New York landmark. But this a nice gesture, though 60 years late. (The loss of Penn Station hurts even those born long after the crime.) I still look forward to walking through that space.

[jayski]

As a former New Yorker (now living in L.A.) it's very nostalgic to see some of the city's old grandeur recaptured like this. And as I've grown older, I've come to feel that the loss of the old Penn Station is what saved Grand Central from a similar fate. However stations are just one piece of the rail travel puzzle. When I lived in New York, I rode the trains all the time. But I haven't been on one since I've lived on the west coast. Amtrak has to find a way to get me traveling by train again.