I travelled through NYC's new, $1.6 billion train hall on a recent Amtrak trip, and I'm so glad I'll never get lost in Penn Station again

Joey HaddenNov 19, 2021, 02:22 IST

Insider's reporter thought Penn Station's new train hall primarily for Amtrak travelers was brighter, cleaner, and easier to get around than Amtrak's old facility in Penn Station.Andrew Burton/Getty Images, Joey Hadden/Insider

I recently traveled from New York City to Miami by Amtrak, and my train departed from Pennsylvania Station.
I was nervous about traveling through Penn Station because I've gotten lost there several times.

As a frequent traveler through New York's Grand Central Station, a train station I find to be bright and easy to navigate, having to pass through NYC's Penn Station always made my stomach churn — until now.

Grand Central Station and Penn Station are train stations in NYC.Matteo Colombo/Getty Images, Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images

As a frequent traveler through New York's Grand Central Station, a train station I find to be bright and easy to navigate, having to pass through NYC's Penn Station always made my stomach churn — until now.

Penn Station, which is notoriously loathed by New Yorkers, has a reputation for being dark, dirty, crowded, and confusing, as Insider previously reported.

Travelers pass through the Amtrak terminal of New York Penn Station in 2015.Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Traveling through Penn Station in the past, I felt like a rat in a maze, and getting to my destination often felt like pure luck.

A traveler waits for a train at New York's Penn Station in 2009.Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images

But when I set foot in Penn Station's new Moynihan Train Hall during a recent Amtrak trip to Miami, I was floored. Thanks to the $1.6 billion upgrade, I don't think I'll ever get lost in Penn Station again.

New York City's new Moynihan Train Hall in January 2021.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

But when I set foot in Penn Station's new Moynihan Train Hall during a recent Amtrak trip to Miami, I was floored. Thanks to the $1.6 billion upgrade, I don't think I'll ever get lost in Penn Station again.

The new train hall was bright and clean with skylights on the ceiling when I visited in October.

Joey Hadden/Insider

Large, bright screens showed train schedules throughout the station, and I was relieved that I didn't have to step over people in front of one screen, as I previously had to do.

New York City's Moynihan Train Hall in January 2021.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Large, bright screens showed train schedules throughout the station, and I was relieved that I didn't have to step over people in front of one screen, as I previously had to do.

I felt relaxed sitting on the spacious waiting room's cushioned seats, a nice upgrade from the floor, where I've previously sat many times in Penn Station.

The author sits in the waiting area in the Moynihan Train Hall.Joey Hadden/Insider

Since the hall wasn't crowded and I could see everything going on, I felt calm as my train was called, and I was told to line up to board just a few feet away.

The author's view of the waiting room at Moynihan Train Hall.Joey Hadden/Insider

I also had people guiding me on where to go, and I realized I felt less anxious than usual knowing that I was in the right place. I'm so glad I'll probably never get lost in Penn Station again.

A view of the line to board an afternoon Amtrak to Miami.Joey Hadden/Insider

I also had people guiding me on where to go, and I realized I felt less anxious than usual knowing that I was in the right place. I'm so glad I'll probably never get lost in Penn Station again.

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I travelled through NYC's new, $1.6 billion train hall on a recent Amtrak trip, and I'm so glad I'll never get lost in Penn Station again

As a frequent traveler through New York's Grand Central Station, a train station I find to be bright and easy to navigate, having to pass through NYC's Penn Station always made my stomach churn — until now.

Penn Station, which is notoriously loathed by New Yorkers, has a reputation for being dark, dirty, crowded, and confusing, as Insider previously reported.

Traveling through Penn Station in the past, I felt like a rat in a maze, and getting to my destination often felt like pure luck.

But when I set foot in Penn Station's new Moynihan Train Hall during a recent Amtrak trip to Miami, I was floored. Thanks to the $1.6 billion upgrade, I don't think I'll ever get lost in Penn Station again.

The new train hall was bright and clean with skylights on the ceiling when I visited in October.

Large, bright screens showed train schedules throughout the station, and I was relieved that I didn't have to step over people in front of one screen, as I previously had to do.

I felt relaxed sitting on the spacious waiting room's cushioned seats, a nice upgrade from the floor, where I've previously sat many times in Penn Station.

Since the hall wasn't crowded and I could see everything going on, I felt calm as my train was called, and I was told to line up to board just a few feet away.

I also had people guiding me on where to go, and I realized I felt less anxious than usual knowing that I was in the right place. I'm so glad I'll probably never get lost in Penn Station again.