NYS Assembly Grills Amtrak on Penn Station Plans

The New York State Assembly held a hearing today to probe upcoming construction plans at Penn Station. The hearing follows two recent derailments and other problems at Penn Station that have caused massive delays for commuters. Amtrak CEO and President Charles Moormon said the delays reveal the serious vulnerability and fragility of the station.

"Old infrastructure, decades of under-investment by all of the users— at the track and the station-concourse levels— and a massive increase in use have created a very fragile state," Moorman said.

Moorman said a lot of the current problems come from the fact that the station was designed in 1910 to serve half the amount of trains that use Penn every day. He said track-work scheduled for this summer will help ensure long-term reliability, meaning less disruptions for commuters. He said another big part of the plan is to improve communication with Amtrak, Long Island Railroad and New Jersey Transit riders.

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