This is probably a dumb question . . . but would the two stations in NYC use the current Penn station platforms, or would their be new platforms for the new station. IIRC the new station be accross the street from Penn . . . or neaby. So im thinking two sets of platforms.
Steve,
In order to answer your question I have to set the stage by telling you how things are aligned right now. So with that in mind, the current Penn Station sits in between 7th and 8th Avenue's and in between 31st and 33rd Streets. The Farley Post Office, which in theory will become Moynihan station sits between the same two streets, but in between 8th and 9th Avenues or if you prefer, directly across 8th Ave from Penn Station.
Now moving underground, Penn has 21 tracks available for service. Tracks 1 - 4 are used exclusively by New Jersey Transit and tracks 18 - 21 are exclusively used by the LIRR. Tracks 5 thru 17 are shared by Amtrak, NJT, and the LIRR. As things currently sit platforms 3 thru 11, which serve tracks 5 - 21, all extend under 8th Ave and therefore under Farley. Three platforms 5, 6, & 7 reach almost all the way to 9th Ave, while the rest end at various points west of 8th Ave, with #11 just barely extending past 8th Ave.
This is why the idea to move Amtrak into a remolded Farley building was originally envisioned. Amtrak as a general rule uses only platforms 4 - 8, all of which extend at least halfway to 9th Ave. So to make the new area work, all that would have been needed below ground would be some new stairs, escalators, and elevators. This is the plan that Warrington agreed to back when he was president of Amtrak. It may have even been one of the reasons that he decided that he could mortgage the current Penn Station.
When David Gunn took over Amtrak, he saw the insanity of paying rent as well as some serious money to decorate and move from the existing facility, when he could just stay right where he was rent free. That killed that deal, so the group responsible then tried to court the LIRR and their parent company the MTA. The LIRR said no thanks, as they were quite happy where they currently are. In fact they have spent considerable monies fixing things up in their current location. They also realized that they serve commuters and commuters want to be close to the subways at 7th Ave and 8th Ave. Amtrak’s long distance customers would have cared less about the subway issue as they tend to wait in the station longer than commuters, which was why Amtrak was a good match with Moynihan.
So things basically hit a standstill regarding Moynihan, until George Warrington now president of NJT stepped back into the picture. I can only imagine that he sees this grand station as his legacy, since he's now committed two different RR's to using it. Of course he completely disregarded the LIRR's conclusion that the new station is too far away from the 7th Avenue subway. He also disregarded the $125 Million dollars that NJT just spent building a new waiting area and ticketing area in the current Penn Station. All that money to a large extent will have been wasted now, since they will most likely abandon that area when they move across the street to Moynihan.
This new concourse area is just approaching its 4th birthday and if things go as planned will basically become useless before it ever reaches its 10th birthday. Yes NJT may still maintain it from the point that one can board and exit trains there, but I can't imagine that they will continue to staff the ticket windows and they'll probably close the waiting area. So they will basically have wasted the $125 M spent on that new area.
So returning to the tracks and platforms, NJT now has the added problem that platforms 1 & 2 do not extend under 8th Ave to the Farley building. That means that NJT passengers would not be able to reach tracks 1 - 4 from the new Moynihan area. So the track layouts at Penn will have to be changed to accommodate lengthening platforms 1 & 2 under 8th Avenue. I believe that platform #3 serving tracks 5 & 6 will also be lengthened too, I'm not sure if plat #4 will also be lengthened or not.
While the platforms might not have been lengthened if NJT had not agreed to occupy Moynihan, the ladder tracks on the west side of Penn would still have been reconfigured anyhow. The reason for that is in part to fix many of the current issues, like all Empire Corridor trains only being able to use tracks 5 - 8, but also to accommodate the new proposed Hudson River tunnels. So in that regard the only money NJT would be wasting IMHO, is lengthening the platforms. All the track work still needs to be done anyhow.
But where NJT is going to find all this money remains the big question. Yes the Fed will contribute a lot, but NJT is still going to have to find some money for the new tunnels, the track and platform work, the new Moynihan area, as well as the completely new station under Macy's that will be needed with the new Hudson River tunnels. And no one seems to know where NJT is going to find this money, especially since they are already spending Capital improvement funds on operating costs.
