A coalition of New York elected officials rallied outside Penn Station on Sunday to accuse the Trump administration of shutting local leaders out of the station's redevelopment and demand answers about how a private development team was selected to lead the project.
The officials, including U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, argued the process has lacked transparency and said New Yorkers still don't know key details about the project's cost or impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
"We deserve to know who is paying for this project," Nadler said. "We deserve to know how much it will cost. We deserve to know what buildings, blocks, businesses, tenants, commuters and neighborhoods will be affected. We deserve to know who benefits from these decisions and who gets left behind."
The rally comes weeks after Amtrak selected Penn Transformation Partners as the "master developer" for the station's overhaul. The federal government took control of the reconstruction effort from the MTA last year, with Amtrak overseeing the project.
Penn Transformation Partners includes real estate company Vornado and construction firms Halmar and Skanska. The group's proposal calls for a new entrance on Eighth Avenue, changes intended to improve train operations and a redesign of Madison Square Garden's exterior with what federal officials have described as a "classical look."
The total cost of the project remains unclear. During recent Senate testimony, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Trump administration plans to provide $8 billion for the rebuild. Gov. Kathy Hochul has said New York state will not contribute additional funding to the project and MTA officials have declined to sign onto a collaboration agreement with Amtrak.
Local elected officials said they should have been included in planning discussions because they represent communities surrounding Penn Station and riders who rely on the transit hub.
In a statement released Sunday, the coalition called the federal government's handling of the project a "blatant attempt to steal money, land and power."
Amtrak has said the project will transform the station into a brighter, more spacious transit hub and allow for at least limited through-running of some NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road trains.
Federal officials have defended the redevelopment effort. Department of Transportation spokesperson Nate Sizemore recently said the agency, Amtrak and Penn Transformation Partners look forward to releasing final renderings for what he described as a "once-in-a-generation project" in the near future.
