US government and Amtrak select team for Penn Station redevelopment
US Department of Transportation secretary Sean P Duffy and national transportation company Amtrak have selected a team led by developers Halmar and Skanska to renovate New York City's Penn Station.
The team, which is called Penn Transformation Partners and is led by Halmar and Skanska, was selected on Tuesday following a months-long proposal process.
Initial designs for the project were first released in 2023 by architecture studios PAU and HOK, and developer ASTM. At the time, the project included renovating existing structures without the destruction of or addition to the surrounding infrastructure.
The initial renders also show Penn Station's square base and Madison Square Garden (MSG) wrapped in a light stone that mirrors Moynihan Train Hall across the street.
PAU's lighter touch contrasts with two other designs that were in the running for the project, such as a Trump-adjacent project that proposed relocating Madison Square Garden (MSG) completely.
"The modern historical preservation movement was in large part jump-started by the decision to build the current iteration of New York Penn Station, which replaced the previous classical structure," said the team.
"The new design takes inspiration from this lost architectural gem while fitting with the major structures there currently, particularly Madison Square Garden and Moynihan Train Hall."
A Penn Station redesign has long been in the works. Under the Trump Administration, it was largely removed from the purview of New York City's local transportation company the MTA, and brought beneath federal jurisdiction.
"In selecting Penn Transformation Partners and their innovative plan, we are one step closer to delivering a world-class travel hub that daily commuters and travellers have dreamed of for decades," said Duffy upon the selection.
"Under President Trump's historic leadership, the days of Penn Station's cramped hallways, broken infrastructure, and snarled rail lines are numbered."
Amtrak told Dezeen that additional details on the submitted projects and procurement process will be released in the coming weeks, as well as "details on participating teams". HOK was initially attached to the PAU scheme, but it is unclear if they are still on the project.
The project is set to break ground in 2027. Until then, next steps include "finalizing contract negotiations, working toward permits, advancing design, and achieving financial and commercial close."
Other designs in the running included a "classical" design put forward by Grand Penn Community Alliance, in line with Trump's 2025 Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again executive order, which set the preferred federal design standards.
"We are deeply disappointed that Amtrak has chosen a design for Penn Station that lacks the vision and scale of a truly transformative classical architectural new Penn Station," said Grand Penn Community Alliance chief planner Robert Yaro.
"This is a once-in-a-century opportunity to create a world-class transportation hub that could improve the lives of not only the passengers who pass through it, but those who live and work in Midtown Manhattan, by leading to a renaissance of the neighborhood."
Across the street, Moynihan Train Hall was renovated by SOM in 2021 and four major architects reimagined Penn Station back in 2013.
The renderings are by DBOX for ASTM.
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