This week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans to renovate and expand the existing Pennsylvania Station in New York into a new 'Empire Station Complex.'Cuomo is aiming to create a public-private partnership to expand the existing station, and build a new transport hub across the street. The total project is expected to cost $3 billion, of which the governor has committed $325 million in public funds. No architect has yet been named in association with the project.The current, post-war building replaced the majestic original Penn Station, constructed in 1910, and designed in the Beaux Arts style by architects McKim, Mead & White. At the time of construction, it was the largest building in the world. The controversy surrounding its demolition in 1963 was instrumental in giving rise to the preservation movement in New York.Today, Penn Station is the busiest train hub in the United States, carrying more than 600,000 commuters daily, although it was originally designed for no more than 200,000. It handles Amtrak, the US national railway system, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Railroad – which brings day commuters from east and west – as well as coach buses. But the station is crammed and hard to navigate, with low ceilings and poor circulation, and is situated under Madison Square Garden, with no substantial presence in the streetscape."Penn Station is the heart of New York’s economy and transportation network, but it has been outdated, overcrowded, and unworthy of the Empire State for far too long," Cuomo said in a statement. "We want to build Penn Station to be better than it ever was, and that is exactly what we are going to do."The new plan would see Amtrak relocated into the historic Farley Post Office building across the street, freeing up 210,000 square feet of waiting and retail space. An underground theatre in Madison Square Garden may also be removed, allowing for a new entrance that would bring natural light into the station.The plan also foresees larger corridors, upgraded ticketing facilities, Wi-Fi, new escalators, and more natural light.The government is seeking proposals within the next 90 days.This is not the first plan to revive the station. A similar plan was proposed in the 1980s by Cuomo's father, Mario Cuomo, but funding was never finalized. Another plan fell through when Amtrak withdrew, in 2001.At the announcement of the new Empire Station Complex, the Internet has responded with a series of jokes referencing Star Wars.Click on the slideshow to see the proposed redesign of Penn Station.
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