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Whether referring to the classic steel-and-glass gem that debuted in 1910 or the concrete shopping mall-like pit that replaced it in 1968, New Yorkers can agree that Penn Station must function reliably if New York is to be the greatest city in the country. To that end, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that the much-anticipated overhaul of Penn Station will begin by the end of 2027, be run by federal officials under the leadership if former MTA head Andy Byford, and be finished, in Duffy’s words, “at the speed of Trump.” Perhaps most notably, some people have floated the idea of renaming the rail hub “Trump Station” after the President who took the redesign project out of the hands of the MTA in the first place. 710 WOR’s Beat on the Street reporter Natalie Migliore went outside Penn Station to ask the commuters who would use the facility what they think of the revamp.
One commuter told Migliore she’s concerned that doing things on “Trump time” means taking time and money from other projects: “A lot of it might be just save face, which is the only thing I have a little bit of reservation about because, okay, earlier start date but also we’re going to defund all these other things and not approve the funding for the [Second Avenue Tunnel]. I think it’s just important to pay attention to the key details, because they’ll try to do some flashlights over here and then do some slimy things I the other side.”
Migliore ran into another commuter who thinks the plan won’t address an unspoken concern: the homeless people who call Penn Station home. “I feel like they’re more focused on the structure aspects of the building more than the people aspect. You’re bringing in these people, but you’re gonna still have these stains on your new structure. It’s like having a new car with bird [poop] on it. I don’t know- it doesn’t make any sense to me, but it’s their money, they choose what to do with it.”
As for what to call the train hub once it’s done, most people said Penn Station is too iconic to change the name; one woman politely said of Trump Station, “I don’t think that’s a good name- and that’s all I’ll say.”
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