u/RockBrycee

>The new plan for Penn features raised ceilings, adding as much as 50 feet of overhead space to parts of the cramped station, according to documents that include architectural renderings, schematics and engineering notes. The plan also includes two brand new entrances: one on Eighth Avenue where the Theater at Madison Square Garden currently sits, and another along 31st Street. 

>Ceilings in the cramped 32nd Street corridor would be raised 20 feet, while ceilings at the new Eighth Avenue entrance would be 50 feet higher than the current ceilings, according to the plan.

>The proposal also includes renovations to improve access to Penn’s tracks ahead of 2035, when the Gateway tunnels beneath the Hudson River are expected to open, expanding train capacity at the station.

>Last week, Amtrak said the winning plan would rebuild the station to enable limited “through-running,” in which NJ Transit and LIRR trains travel through Penn Station instead of having to terminate there and turn around.

>Critics of through-running have said the station’s platforms are too narrow for passengers to board and deboard trains at the station at the same time. Columns that support Madison Square Garden take up space on Penn Station’s platforms. But the plans obtained by Gothamist show the feds aim to address the problem on at least one platform by removing some columns and adding new access points to reduce crowding.