Summary
- Moynihan Hall, an expansion of New York City's Penn Station, opened on January 1, 2021, after a construction period of several years and a cost of $1.6 billion.
- The hall is named after U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who originally proposed the expansion in the 1990s. It is a 486,000-square-foot complex with retail and dining options, art installations, and Amtrak facilities.
- Business class passengers can access the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Hall for a fee of $50 per day. The hall also features a food hall and concourse floor with various dining and shopping options.
In January 2021, New York City's Penn Station was expanded with the addition of Moynihan Train Hall. This multi-billion dollar project has served the purpose of easing Penn Station's heavy congestion as one of the busiest train stations in North America.
Here are ten things to know about Moynihan Hall.
10 Moynihan Hall Opened In 2021
Construction of Moynihan Hall began with the expansion of the Farley Building's Concourse between 2010 and 2017. However, construction of Moynihan Hall proper began in 2017 before the hall opened on the 1st of January 2021. The project cost about $1.6 billion.
- Moynihan Hall Opening Date: January 1st, 2021
Initial blueprints for a new Penn Station train hall date back to 1993. Several plans came and went before Moynihan Hall was built.
9 The Station Is Named After U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
An expansion to turn New York's Penn Station into a modern and world-class transit hub was initially proposed in one form by U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the early 1990s.
Notably, Senator Moynihan had many memories related to the streets of New York as he shined shoes there during the Great Depression. Moynihan passed away in 2003 at the age of 76.
- Key Political Roles of Senator Moynihan: Senator for New York (1977 to 2003), Senate Finance Officer (1993 to 1995), and Chair of the Senate Environment Committee (1992 to 1993)
8 Moynihan Hall Is A 486,000-square Foot Complex
Moynihan Hall is a nearly half-a-million-square-foot complex that includes a 31,000-square-foot passenger complex beneath the train hall's large glass skylight. Much of Moynihan Hall is dedicated to retail and dining as well as art installations and Amtrak facilities (e.g. ticketing).
The complex, unsurprisingly, comes with digital, modernized elements, which help to further bring the station into the 21st century.
- Moynihan Hall Designers: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
7 Business Class Passengers May Want To Visit The Metropolitan Lounge
Business class passengers can pay $50 per day to access the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Hall. Previously known as Club Acela, Moynihan Hall's Metropolitan Lounge offers a high-quality lounge experience, cozy seating, priority boarding, complimentary WiFi, a full-service bar, and even dedicated customer service agents.
- Cost For Business Class Passengers to Access the Metropolitan Lounge: $50
- Metropolitan Lounge Opening Hours: 5am to 10pm, Monday to Friday and 7am to 9pm, Saturday to Sunday
6 Commuters Can Shop And Dine In Moynihan Hall
Moynihan Hall features a food hall and concourse floor level. Among the places to dine and shop in Moynihan Hall include Birch Coffee, The Bar, H&H Bagels, Gotham News, Starbucks, Magnolia Bakery, and Duane Reade by Walgreens.
Travelers will want to ensure they do a bit of research beforehand so that they know where to find the best food in Penn Station as a whole.
- Number of Places To Shop and Dine in Moynihan Hall: 25
5 Moynihan Hall Comes With Many Awesome Design Features
As touched on, overall, Moynihan Hall is a smart, modern complex that adds a deep breath of contemporary air to Penn Station. One notable feature of the complex is its 12 ft tall four-faced 12-hour clock.
Featured at the center of the passenger concourse, the Headhouse clock can be seen from all directions. While largely a contemporary building, the use of a 12-hour clock offers a touch of nostalgia and provides reverence for the station's origins.
Among the artworks featured in Moynihan Hall includes the 80-foot wide Penn Station's Half Century, that being a collection of photographic panels showing Penn Station in its original form. The collection was created by Canadian artist Stan Douglas.
- Dimensions of the Headhouse Clock: 12 ft tall x 6 + ft wide on each side
4 Various Amtrak Trains Stop At Moynihan Hall
Being a key stop for Amtrak trains on the East Coast, a long list of Amtrak trains arrive at Moynihan Hall every day, with many finishing and starting their journeys there. There are many things travelers may want to know about Amtrak trains and the inclusion of WiFi onboard most Amtrak trains along with other additions will please a lot of commuters.
Amtrak routes that stop at Moynihan Hall include the Acela, Vermonter, Northeast Regional, Cardinal, Carolinian (one of the most popular routes that pass through the station), Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Crescent (which features an awesome scenic route), Maple Leaf, Silver Star, and Silver Meteor trains.
As one might expect, Moynihan Hall is a busy stop. In fact, some 600,000 passengers pass through Penn Station every single day.
- Moynihan Hall Opening Hours: 5am to 1am Daily
3 There Are Key Differences Between Penn Station And Moynihan Hall
While technically two different stations, Penn Station and Moynihan Hall are part of the same overall complex with Moynihan Hall being an expansion of Penn Station. Both Moynihan Hall and Penn Station take on various train routes.
The key difference between Penn Station at large and Moynihan Hall specifically is the modernity of the latter.
- Address of Moynihan Hall: 350 W 33rd St, New York, NY 10001, United States
2 Long Island Rail Road Routes Also Pass Through Moynihan Hall
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) routes also cover Penn Station. As a result, Moynihan Hall provides LIRR ticket, waiting, and information facilities. LIRR facilities are open in Moynihan Hall from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week.
LIRR is also available in Moynihan Hall to assist LIRR customers boarding or leaving LIRR trains.
- Long Island Rail Road Facilities Opening Hours: 6am to 10pm, Monday to Friday
1 Moynihan Hall Is A Gateway To The US East Coast And Ontario
As discussed, many Amtrak trains pass through Moynihan Hall daily, making it the perfect gateway for New Yorkers to travel the eastern coast of the U.S. and access part of Canada.
New Yorkers can take trains including the Acela and Northeast Regional to Boston, while the Northeast Regional also provides access to Baltimore and Philadelphia. The Acela can take travelers from New York to Boston.
Alternatively, trains like the Empire Builder connects New York to Chicago. Travelers who'd prefer more sunshine can take the Silver Star or Silver Meteor to Florida. New Yorkers can also take the Maple Leaf to Toronto, Canada.
- Operators at Moynihan Hall: Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit