"Amtrak's Andy Byford is making a big assumption about his plans for Penn Station - and you know what happens when you assume. The railroad's big plans for a new Penn Station still assume a capacity boost from the Gateway Tunnel project - despite President Trump's recent declarations that he has "terminated" the project."
"Amtrak on Thursday announced that it would begin to solicit letters of interest from developers for the renovation of the country's largest train hub, and that the Federal Railroad Administration has begun its "service optimization study" to understand how to provide the most service within Penn Station's existing footprint. The study will include an in-depth look at how to bring "through-running" to the station that the Amtrak, NJ Transit and the MTA currently use as a terminal, a top Amtrak official responsible for Penn Station's redevelopment told reporters at a background briefing. (Streetsblog agreed not to identify the official in accordance with Amtrak's terms for attendance at the briefing.)"
"Asked if Amtrak would evaluate a scenario where Gateway doesn't happen, the official said the railroad continues to assume the tunnel really is getting built. Trump, however, has been hostile to the project even as experts say that failing to repair the existing two cross-Hudson River tunnels into and out of Penn Station would cause catastrophic economic damage to the country."
Amtrak plans a major renovation of Penn Station while assuming additional capacity from the Gateway Tunnel project. The railroad will solicit letters of interest from developers and the Federal Railroad Administration has begun a service optimization study to maximize service within the station's footprint. The study will examine introducing through‑running to shift the station from a terminal model. A top Amtrak official said Amtrak continues to assume the tunnel will be built. President Trump has declared the Gateway allotment terminated and has blocked federal actions, while experts warn failing to repair the existing Hudson tunnels would cause catastrophic economic damage.
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