DCA writer

This seems hard to believe after so many of decades of NYP's mediocrity, but Amtrak said this week that Moynihan Train Hall will open across 8th Avenue in January of 2021. I don't know if that will include everything--like, will what's supposed to be a vastly better Club Acela be ready then?--or how much wishful thinking plays into that estimate. OTOH, it's not like I'm at liberty to jump on the Acela to check out the space, much less take my mom there and have her tell me if it lives up to the Penn Station she knew growing up in NYC.

AndyPatterson

Amazing, finally some good news about Amtrak!

Now if they can fix the Hudson River tunnels, and the tight curves around Baltimore and in Frankford (north of Philadelphia), then that will shave off significant time from the WAS-NYP route.

Also, note that this station will require an even longer walk to get to the 1-2-3 subway lines, although it should be a much shorter walk to the A-C-E subway lines, so I will have to get used to taking the latter route.

vatraveler

A couple weeks ago when I transited NYP, there was signage outside Club Acela directing you to the new Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Hall. Totally jumping the gun and very confusing.

Mr. BoH

This will be a very welcome addition. Hope it lives up to the hype.

wxguy

I saw it too -- and asked the agent inside when they expected to move. She said "late December."

Longboater

Was booking my next trip to NYP and saw this at the top. When I am in NYC next weekend, it appears it will mercifully be my last time through that pit of Penn Station and my trip in January will be seeing Moynihan train hall, hopefully with the sun shining through.

physioprof

So excited for the new train hall!!! I hope they have decent rest rooms that don't smell like a rotted out crotch...

Blumie

You sound like the reaction I had when my dry cleaner moved from the lobby of my building to a block away. "Now what am I going to do?," I thought to myself.

Amtrak is moving across 8th Avenue. And the tracks aren't moving at all. It's not a big enough difference to require changes to you subway route.

AndyPatterson

Well, actually yes. The access to A-C-E should be easy. However, going from the Moynihan Station on 8th to the 1-2-3 lines on 6th will require going through the now-"old" Penn Station, walking 2 blocks, and likely up and down at least two stairs or escalators to get to 1-2-3... Hence the need for me to get used to the A-C-E trains which fortunately stop near my usual destination on West 44th.

dicksboat

1,2,3 are under 7th Avenue accessed through Penn Station.

Blumie

Again, the tracks are not moving. The journey from an arriving train to the 7th or 8th Avenue subway lines (the 1-2-3 operate on 7th Avenue, not 6th) will be same as it ever was. Same distance. Same number of steps and/or escalators.

paytonc

Email announcement today says it's opening not just in January, but on 1/1. Happy 2021!

bennos

Well, plausibly Amtrak could stop the trains further west on the platforms to align more closely with Moynihan Station, particularly the really long platforms in the mid-teens, since very few Amtrak trains are as long as the platforms they use. But yes, if one needs to take the IRT the easiest path is just to walk east (towards the "front" of any LIRR train, as per the signs) along any platform until you get to the furthest set of stairs.

Similarly, it will still be possible to board Amtrak trains from Penn Station (unless for some bizarre reason Amtrak decides to put in a barrier of some form), though some of the advantage of that might be lost if the trains are further west. That said, if assigned seating on the Acela sticks around post-pandemic, that eliminates the only reason I cared about boarding quickly.

sppunk

Dumb question but we always board Amtrak in the arrivals area (below the main Penn Station Amtrak waiting area) - it’s where NJT and Amtrak passengers exit into the station. It lets us skip the crazy long lines that are unnecessary. Can we still board the tracks here despite Amtrak moving a block west technically?

Repooc17

The Amtrak waiting area is on the east side of 8th Ave. The new train hall is across the street on the west side of 8th Ave.