Empire Station Complex, aka New York Pennsylvania Station

STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 7:05 am Even the split-flap displays didn't show all of the trains... but who would want to see a train 8 hours away when they're trying to board the next train out of Dodge... er... New York?

That and the three systems have separate loading areas dating back to before Moynihan. If you're taking LIRR, you're ticketing in Moynihan but you're waiting under Madison until your train's called to board. LIRR boards under Madison. NJ Transit boards under Madison. Amtrak boards at Moynihan. Otherwise, you got a crowded mess...

...well, it was a big crowded mess back then. Now, it's a bit less.

I'm not sure what showing trains for all 3 agencies has to do with showing trains 8 hours out. In fact, if all agencies were shown, you'd have less far out trains since there would be no place to show them. The Solari board and its digital replacement showed both NJT and Amtrak.

It's 2024. You're "ticketed" on your phone anywhere on the planet. The only tracks that are reachable from only a single concourse are NJT's 1-4. Every other track is reachable from every other concourse, so really, you should be waiting where it makes sense for you. I board Amtrak from NJT because it's closest to my office.

From Hauptbahnhof, Berlin--

What if the "New Penn Station" were to be like this?

I think I can earn a title of "well traveled" around here, but I have never seen a train station to equal this.

As for railviewing, you can walk on to any platform (Gleis) you choose, but all told, it could be a "railfan overload".

https://www.otdowntown.com/news/mta-app ... -FH3922034

MTA Appears to be Retreating on Big Penn Plans, Despite Hochul’s Recent Statements

The SWAG team of key advisors saw a presentation from the MTA that showed the transit is in the midst of dramatically scaling back its redevelopment plans for Penn Station.


The MTA has dramatically scaled back its plans for rebuilding Penn Station even as Governor Kathy Hochul was saying publicly that she wants commuters to have a “magnificent” station that rivals Amtrak’s Moynihan station.
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“It’s really pretty shocking to see how far they’ve pulled back,” one member of the advisory group said. Eliminated from their plans is a greenhouse like train hall built in the present taxiway on the east side of Madison Square Garden between 31st and 33d streets, according to advisory group members who received the briefing.
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Reopening the underground passage from Penn Station to Herald Square was also deferred. One dumbfounded member of the advisory group said the MTA’s new plans approached Penn Station like a big subway station.
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The revised renovation plan, for example, would add 15 stairways to make it easier to get on and off the often-overcrowded platforms, an increase to 57 from the current 42. Five elevators would also be added, an increase from 17 to 22. Escalators would be slightly reduced, from 31 to 28.
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The new plan would improve entrances at the corners of the station, on Eighth Ave. and 31st and 33d street and at the middle of those blocks. The improvements would echo the successful new entrance at 33d St. and Seventh Ave. that leads to an expanded Long Island Railroad corridor.
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