This Amtrak information booth is no longer in Penn Station
As fans of Untapped Cities know (especially those that have taken our ever-popular Remnants of Penn Station tour), we revel in discovering parts of the original 1910 train station that still exist inside and around the current station. But, nostalgia can be irrespective of decade – as we saw when the Amtrak departure board installed in 2000 was removed in early 2017. On Sunday, the information kiosk in the main Amtrak hall was dismantled, part of a series of upgrades Amtrak is undertaking at Penn Station while Moynihan Station — the future primary Amtrak hub opening in early 2021 — is under construction next door in the post office building.
Here are eight remnants of the current Penn Station you may (or may not) miss when they are removed in the coming months:
1. Amtrak Information Kiosk
The Amtrak information kiosk, located in the central hall, had an Art Deco feel and was in use until last week. With its removal, access will also be open from the main hall into the waiting rooms for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit for the first time in perhaps decades. According to Janet Campbell-Lorenc, Infrastructure Development Executive with Amtrak in charge of the Northeast Corridor who took us on a tour last week, the sliding door entrance into the waiting rooms (below) has never been open as long as she has been with Amtrak – nearly six years.
Join us on our upcoming tour of the Remnants of Penn Station, where you will discover what still remains of the original 1910 station and learn about the changes coming to current Penn Station!
2. Club Acela
Although a new, high-end Club Acela is being built for Moynihan Station, the club inside Penn Station is also getting a needed upgrade. The current design was intended to emulate the dark private clubs of the 1990s, but is feeling out of date. Soon, the club will be expanded, taking over the station superintendent’s office adjacent to the ticket windows, and extending out diagonally into the station for better visibility and more space. There will be more seating, new chairs and furniture, new bathrooms, a higher ceiling, an improved business center, and an improved snack bar (with better snacks!) will be installed. There will also be high top counters for laptop use.
The curtained office is the station superintendent’s office that will be repurposed into the expanded Club Acela
Construction will begin first on the bathrooms, which will take the longest though the club will remain open during the first phase of work. Then work on the interior will begin, with Club Acela to be closed for two weeks. Even when Moynihan Station opens, the original Club Acela will still be in operation and will be the main club for night trains since Moynihan will close overnight.
3. Ticketed Waiting Room Upgrades Are Coming
Ever wonder why there are two sides to the ticketed waiting room? When first conceived, it was thought that one area would be just for Amtrak Acela and the other area would be for other Amtrak customers and NJ Transit customers. Over time however, the metal and glass barrier that divides the two has come to feel more and more unnecessary. Amtrak decided it was time to both upgrade and combine the waiting rooms into one free-flowing space. The Red Cap service, a free baggage service from Amtrak for those with mobility issues or traveling with large groups, will be moved closer to the escalators for both greater public visibility and ease of transport for the Red Caps.
An upgrade that is already in operation is the new Starbucks kiosk that opens onto both the waiting room and the main hall. This is the first two-sided Starbucks ever worldwide and is a direct response to passenger feedback – it was impossible to get coffee before and leave your bags in the waiting room.
4. Old Phone Booths
The above two phone booths are just outside the waiting room and definitely do not work (we tested them!), but even more hidden are the phone booths still remaining inside the waiting room (below). Flipped around, they look more like pieces of furniture than anything else, and have become a place to paste informational advertisements. These will be removed to create a new family waiting area.
5. New Lighting on the Platforms
The old fluorescent lighting
Amtrak is currently testing out new LED lighting on Track 5, to replace the harsh incandescent lighting that currently exists. The lighting will also be able to change colors, to indicate things like where the quiet car or the cafe car are located.
6. New Wayfinding Signage is Coming
New Jersey Transit area in Penn Station
With three train agencies operating in Penn Station, the signs can be pretty confusing. According to Campbell-Lorenc, each track has about 100 signs, which have accumulated over the decades. Amtrak is working both internally and with NJ Transit and Long Island Railroad on a new wayfinding signage system, particularly important for when Moynihan Station opens. NJ Transit has already released a unified map, with help information and logos for each agency.
7. New Jersey Transit Art Installation
Yes, there’s a large art installation in the New Jersey Transit area. It’s a kinetic sculpture called “Visit New Jersey” designed by George Greenamyer and features the Jersey Devil and Lucy the Margate Elephant along with other famous New Jersey icons. It’s manufactured by Batso Ironworks from New Jersey, whose factory town is now a museum village. The art installation is a nice touch but takes up a lot of space. NJ Transit plans to remove the installation to widen up the concourse – a much needed expansion during peak hours.
8. Taxi Way
No longer used is the taxi drop off between the Amtrak concourse and Madison Square Garden, originally envisioned as the primary way passengers would enter the concourse during the car-frenzy of the 20th century. Long used as a storage space (though passengers can still exit onto 31st Street from here), Amtrak intends to open this space up and use it better for the 21st century.
Join us on our upcoming tour of the Remnants of Penn Station, where you will discover what still remains of the original 1910 station and learn about the changes coming to current Penn Station!
Next, check out the 5 remnants of the original Penn Station and discover the modern west end concourse of Penn Station.
