Photo Credit: Max Touhey
(New York, NY) – The US Department of Transportation wants to overhaul New York’s Penn Station. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the team will start soliciting design proposals with the expectation of starting construction in 2027.
The Trump Administration announced it would take over the project in May with former New York City Transit president Andy Byford serving as a special advisor on the project that will aim to increase train capacity and modernize the transit hub.
The Long Island Rail Road now uses Moynihan Train Hall, expanding its services from Penn Station to the new, world-class transit hub in the historic James A. Farley Post Office Building. The hall provides LIRR passengers with expanded platform access, new amenities like a ticket office and customer service area, and a transformed travel experience.
Penn Station primarily consists of the original station platforms and concourses, now integrated with the new Moynihan Train Hall, which serves as a grand passenger gateway for Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road with new shops, art, and amenities. The station also includes an expanded LIRR concourse and serves NJ Transit, Amtrak, and the NYC subway, all while being located beneath Madison Square Garden.
As the federal government takes over, speculation swirls of renaming Penn Station after the president.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the the Trump administration is moving to take over Union Station in Washington, DC.. Duffy says the facility has fallen into disrepair and the project will help make the city safe and beautiful at a fraction of the cost by reclaiming management of the station. It’s the latest move by the White House as part of President Trump’s crime crackdown in the capital.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Washington, DC should be an example and that it’s time for the DOT to step in. The Transportation Department is renegotiating an agreement with the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation – the nonprofit organization that oversees the station – and Amtrak, and expects “a formal action” confirming its renewed control by September.
In Other Railway News
Amtrak is rolling out its new high-speed rail. The railroad says the new NextGen Acela will replace the existing Acela trains and will be “America’s only high-speed rail service.” The NextGen Acela will run from Boston to Washington DC at a top speed of 160 miles per hour, starting with five new trains. Amtrak says the NextGen Acela will accommodate 27-percent more customers with more daily departures, and has new features like wider seats and free high-speed wi-fi. Passengers can choose between first class and business class seating.
In California, leaders are hopeful about the high-speed rail project, even as costs continue to rise. Initially estimated at 33-billion dollars in 2008, the project’s price tag has now reached around 130 billion. The federal government recently revoked four-billion dollars in funding.
A new bill, SB 545, aims to increase state funding through public and private partnerships to lessen the burden on taxpayers and eliminate the need for federal funding. Governor Newsom has also proposed investing one-billion dollars a year into the project. The bill is currently moving through the assembly and will soon go to the governor. Meanwhile, the state is challenging the federal government in court for rescinding federal funding.
From the Rails to the Roads
The Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) said three states would lose federal funding if they didn’t fully enforced English-language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers within 30 days.
A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) probe found that California, Washington, and New Mexico did not properly put drivers out of service for violations of rules around English-language proficiency. That probe came in reaction to an accident involving an Indian driver who killed three people in Florida in August 2025. He couldn’t speak English and didn’t understand all of the road signs in front of him.
Seth Millican, the president and CEO of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association says enforcement of the language rule could cross over into racial profiling. He added, he knows American drivers who know the English language very well, but that doesn’t mean that they follow all the rules.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the states have 30 days to comply. California may lose 33-million dollars, Washington ten and a-half million, and New Mexico seven-million.
