Amtrak, NJ Transit begin update of Penn Station ticket waiting area

As part of the update, customers can expect new furniture and fixtures, including communal tables and seats with electrical and USB outlets. Amtrak

Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT began their revamp of the ticketed waiting area at New York Penn Station, the seating area for their customers at the Amtrak Concourse on the Upper Level and 8th Avenue side of the Station.

As part of the update, customers can expect new furniture and fixtures, including communal tables and seats with electrical and USB outlets to charge devices, an upgraded ceiling complete with new LED lighting, a family area that will also feature a nursing mothers’ pod, the removal of the midpoint barrier, a new information desk and a second entrance offering easy access towards the 7th Avenue side of the Station.

The project, which includes a $7.2 million total joint investment between Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT, will be completed over two phases; the first starts, Jan.7, and the second is scheduled to start in March, after the first phase is complete. The second phase is expected to be completed in June 2020. There will also be two temporary spaces (one for each phase of the project) to accommodate passengers during the two construction periods. The first will be at the concourse near Tracks 9 and 10, and the second will be near Tracks 13 and 14.

Amtrak undertook the first steps to update the ticketed waiting area in 2019 when it opened a Starbucks coffee bar in the space to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase refreshments and removed the exterior information booth to improve customer flow.

The project is the continuation of several improvements Amtrak has been making to the Station since 2017 as it advances Amtrak’s plan to modernize stations, infrastructure, and trains on the Northeast Corridor. Other completed work to date includes the refreshed restrooms, upgraded air conditioning, new furniture in ClubAcela, and the continued work of the Infrastructure Renewal program.