NEW YORK (AP) — The $1.6 billion project replacing Manhattan's cramped and dark Penn Station with a light-filled train hall is set for completion this week, with the first trains rolling out on New Year's Day.
The new 255,000-square-foot station is named after U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat who championed the project and died in 2003. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, announced on Sunday that the Moynihan Train Hall will be completed on time and on budget Thursday despite challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Work began in 2017 to transform the landmark Farley Post Office into a new station across the street from the old Penn Station. It will be used by Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak passengers.
"This monumental accomplishment is a shot of hope as we come out of the one of the darkest periods in our history and sends a clear message to the world that while we suffered greatly as a result of this once-in-a-century health crisis, the pandemic did not stop us from dreaming big and building for the future," Cuomo said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on WJAR 10