Trump officials take charge of Penn Station rebuild, displacing MTA
Published on Apr 19, 2025
President Donald Trump’s Transportation Department asserted Thursday that it is taking control of the long-anticipated renovation and expansion of Penn Station, saying it will pursue the megaproject in partnership with a private developer. To that end, Trump officials said they are revoking a $72 million grant awarded last year to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to upgrade the station.The U.S. Transportation Department said it would seek to combine the previously separate projects to renovate the dangerously cramped station and expand its capacity, putting both in the hands of a private developer. The reshuffle would displace the MTA from its leading role in rebuilding Penn, instead leaving things in the hands of the federal DOT and Amtrak, which owns the rail hub.Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has discussed Penn Station’s future in multiple private meetings with Trump, praised the move, even as many questions remained unanswered from the Thursday afternoon announcement by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. She also implied that the state would pull the $1.3 billion it previously committed toward a Penn reconstruction, expecting the federal government to foot the bill instead.
President Donald Trump’s Transportation Department asserted Thursday that it is taking control of the long-anticipated renovation and expansion of Penn Station, saying it will pursue the megaproject in partnership with a private developer. To that end, Trump officials said they are revoking a $72 million grant awarded last year to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to upgrade the station.The U.S. Transportation Department said it would seek to combine the previously separate projects to renovate the dangerously cramped station and expand its capacity, putting both in the hands of a private developer. The reshuffle would displace the MTA from its leading role in rebuilding Penn, instead leaving things in the hands of the federal DOT and Amtrak, which owns the rail hub.Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has discussed Penn Station’s future in multiple private meetings with Trump, praised the move, even as many questions remained unanswered from the Thursday afternoon announcement by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. She also implied that the state would pull the $1.3 billion it previously committed toward a Penn reconstruction, expecting the federal government to foot the bill instead.
