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

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

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

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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

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

Joey Hadden/Insider

Read More: I took a 30-hour train from New York to Miami, and the motion sickness and terrible sleep were too much for me

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

Read More: New York just debuted a $1.6 billion train hall to upgrade its notorious Penn Station, complete with skylight ceilings and a premium lounge — see inside

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