fredct wrote:Nasadowk, and in your grand plan, what do commuters & MSG-tenants do for the few years it takes to rebuild the entire site?
I have another question though... can someone explain to me the operational benefits of Moynihan Station project?
(1) A waiting room large enough to actually hold the crowds.
(2) New passenger access to platforms from said waiting room.
It provides operational benefits for *pedestrian flow*. If you've ever been in the crowded maze under Madison Square Garden, which is handling several *times* the number of passengers it was designed for, you understand the problem.
It is quite bluntly for passengers. It doesn't change the number of trains or anything.
Oh, the Post Office is currently abandoned, basically; the Postal Service doesn't use most of it anymore and doesn't really want to use any of it. Accordingly, the Post Office won't be "destroyed", it'll be saved (imagine if it just sat, largely unused, for years... you can see where this is going).
Specifically I'm referring to this quote in the NYT article (which other articles have as well: "The project aims to expand capacity and create an eye-catching new entrance to Penn Station, which is now underneath Madison Square Garden and would be connected to the annex."
( source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/nyreg ... f=nyregion )
Since the tracks run east-west, and the Farley Building is just west of the existing Penn station, how will capacity be improved?
*Pedestrian* capacity. They're running on the brink of violating the fire codes as it is.
EDIT: Unfortunately I've never seen detailed plans for "Moynihan Station". I always assumed they'd add elevators and stairs directly from it to as many platforms as possible (which would certainly account for the billion dollars, and would be well worth it for passenger flow).