Res. No. 716
Resolution calling on the United States Congress to retain the current name of New York Pennsylvania Station and to use its powers to block any efforts to rename the station
By Council Member Brewer
Whereas, Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or Penn Station is the main intercity railroad station in New York City (“NYC” or the “City”) and is the busiest passenger rail hub in the United States, serving more than 350,000 daily riders across more than 1,000 daily train movements; and
Whereas, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, which conducts business as Amtrak, is the national passenger railroad company of the United States and is the current owner of Penn Station, operating the station’s intercity trains, while the Long Island Railroad (“LIRR”) and New Jersey Transit (“NJ Transit”) operate commuter rail services at the station; and
Whereas, Penn Station was first constructed in 1910 and was known for its grandeur and striking Beaux Arts architecture before being torn down in the 1960s and having its air rights sold to Madison Square Garden, which currently sits atop the existing underground station and remains in use today; and
Whereas, When Madison Square Garden was constructed over Penn Station, 1,100 support columns were installed throughout the Penn Station platform system, which has raised concerns about platform congestion and safety; and
Whereas, According to the United States Department of Transportation (“USDOT”) Federal Railroad Administration, only 76 percent of Amtrak trains in 2025 and 81 percent of NJ Transit trains in January 2026 that utilized the Northeast Corridor (“NEC”) arrived on time to Penn Station, due to a lack of reliability of operations at the station; and
Whereas, In 2022, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) commissioned a $74 million design to rebuild Penn Station, with NJ Transit and Amtrack contributing $23 million and $30 million, respectively, in order to modernize its operation; and
Whereas, In April 2025, the federal government took control of the Penn Station rebuild from the MTA and, in May 2026, Amtrak and USDOT announced the selected master developer, known as Penn Transformation Partners; and
Whereas, The planned renovation of Penn Station is estimated to cost between 7 and 8 billion dollars, but as of June 2026, only $250 million has been committed by the federal government; and
Whereas, In July 2026, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, wrote a letter addressed to the leaders of three U.S. Senate committees, which included requests for Congress to authorize an additional grant of 1 billion dollars for Penn Station’s renovation and urging Congress to direct Amtrak to rename Penn Station; and
Whereas, President Trump has mentioned in social media posts that other politicians and construction union heads have suggested renaming Penn Station after him; and
Whereas, According to the New York Times, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer has suggested that the presidential administration plans on renaming Penn Station after the president, stating, “Penn Station needs to be rebuilt for the millions of commuters who use it, not rebranded to satisfy Trump’s bottomless ego…Secretary Duffy should stop scheming to flatter the president and start delivering the safe, modern station New Yorkers deserve”; and
Whereas, The newly renovated Penn Station will serve as the entrance to NYC for the millions of residents, commuters, and visitors who enter the City via rail each year and should retain its current historic and iconic name; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to retain the current name of New York Pennsylvania Station and to use its powers to block any efforts to rename the station.
JPB
LS # 25625
10/30/2026 6:10 PM