Now Trump needs to take over Manhattan’s Penn Station renovation | EUROtoday

So a lot for native management.

The Trump administration goals to present New York’s Penn Station a “makeover” because it plans to take management of the $7 billion restoration mission.

In the most recent battle between federal and native leaders within the state, Amtrak — backed by the Department of Transportation — will now spearhead the restoration mission on the practice and mass transit hub on West thirty fourth Street in Manhattan, stripping the tri-state Metropolitan Transportation Authority of its management of the initiative, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy introduced Thursday.

He claimed the Trump administration may save taxpayers thousands and thousands — and took goal on the MTA, a public profit company serving New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that operates the biggest public transit system in North America.

“President Trump has made it clear: the days of reckless spending and blank checks are over,” Duffy mentioned in a press release.

“New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we’re ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in.”

Duffy offered no particulars of his accusations of inefficiency and waste of the MTA. The Trump administration is presently beneath conflict-of-interest scrutiny because it weighs huge new federal contracts to multi-million-dollar Trump and Maga contributor Elon Musk. Private companies would apparently even be a part of the federal takeover of the Penn Station mission.

The transfer may save taxpayers $120 million, Duffy indicated. It’s not instantly clear how that will be achieved. But the division mentioned a subagency is “rescoping and slashing” the federal grant to Amtrak for mission improvement, and plans to make use of a “public-private partnership model” for the mission.

New York Governor Kathy Hocul thanked the Trump administration for taking up the mission and selecting up the invoice, noting she had been requesting federal funds for the “long-overdue overhaul” of the busiest transit hub within the U.S. that serves greater than 600,000 commuters every day.

“This is a major victory for New Yorkers, and the use of federal funds will save New York taxpayers $1.3 billion dollars that would have otherwise been necessary for this project,” the governor mentioned in a press release Thursday.

Under the plan, the cramped midtown practice station might be expanded, the world surrounding will probably be reimagined, and a brand new infrastructure can be devoted to the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber touted his company’s transformative enhancements to the as soon as dimly-lit thirty third Street Concourse that have been accomplished “on time and under budget.”

Lieber added that the MTA hopes to nonetheless take part within the renovation mission. “As the major leaseholder in the station, we expect to participate in the [Trump] administration’s and Amtrak’s efforts to ensure future plans meet the needs of everyone who uses it,” he emphasised.

Kris Kolluri, president and CEO of New Jersey Transit — which has trains working out of Penn Station — informed the New York Times: “As one of the largest users of the station, N.J. Transit looks forward to working with U.S. D.O.T. and Amtrak on the Penn Station Reconstruction project.”

The announcement comes weeks after President Donald Trump ordered a halt to New York City’s congestion pricing system levying heavier commuters fees on automobiles within the crowded metropolis middle to encourage mass transit use.

“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” he wrote on Truth Social in February. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

In a letter Duffy despatched to Hochul on the time, he known as this system “backwards and unfair” and a “slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.” Both are heavy customers of mass transit.

In response, Hochul retorted: “Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and critical to our economic future — as a New Yorker, like President Trump, knows very well.” She added: “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.”