Funding for new NYC Penn Station stripped away....

Washinton has quietly stripped funding that would move the current NYC Penn Station to the James Farley Post office across the street. Details can be found at:

http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=11170

Not so quietly; it's been all over the news and other message boards.

Not that it matters; all it was to have been was a glorified concourse. Since NYC (or state?) owns the building now, they may as well rent it back to the USPS and get some actual use out of it...

Amtrak hasn't shown a great interest in moving to the Farley center, and why should they?

They'd have to pay rent under the proposed deal. There's no rent in the current place. The access to the narrow end of the platforms means there would be even more cramping for baggage elevators and passenger escalators. There would be substantial re-work to the track plant if they extended the platforms. It's in NY, so figure it will cost 3× the planned amount.

If they haven't spent the money in 5 years, and can't even develop a serious design plan, send the money somewhere where it will help transport, like the JFK to downtown rail link. The absence of support from Bloomberg, Pataki, Schumer, and Hillary spoke volumes.

Funny you mention the (now pork) project of the JFK-Downtown rail link. Washington apparently has released either $1 billion or $2 billion (depending on sources) of 9/11 funds towards that project. I say "now pork" because of the fact that the JFK Airtrain has now been completed and you can at least get a two-seat rail ride into that airport.

IMHO, the money would be better spent on a new rail terminal linking NJT's Hoboken Division and LIRR's Atlantic Avenue Branch. Don't know if there's room in "the Bathtub" to put such a facility now that PATH's back in there, but that would be a far better use of that currently-open area than an "isolated subway train" that serves a few locales. (Mind you, if the NJ-ARP "PATH-Lex" connector took PATH out of the Bathtub, then you'd have plenty of space for such a terminal...)

It would require new Hudson Tunnels, correct?

Certainly would. Amazing that with all of the 9/11 funds released, nothing was earmarked for such projects...