ALL ABOARD! Welcome to New York City’s stunning Pennsylvania Station ‘ one of New York’s oldest and most infamous hubs of railway transportation. Built between 1905 and 1910, Pennsylvania Station was one of the nation’s grandest centers of rail activity for nearly 50 years, providing millions of travelers with a gateway entrance into NYC. Built as an extension of the Northeast Corridor electrified railroad system, the original Pennsylvania Station featured two single-track tunnels under the East River linking the Long Island Rail Road between Manhattan and Queens. A magnificent achievement of engineering genius, the original New York Pennsylvania Station was demolish in the 1960’s making way for further midtown development and the construction of the iconic Madison Square Gardens. An integral part of the city’s architectural and manufacturing history, the original Pennsylvania Station lives on in the current rail complex via artist’s depictions and original moldings. A definite must-see for first time AAMCAR New York Car Rental customers, the Pennsylvania Station is located at 32nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues in midtown Manhattan.
A Lost Legend
Numerous factors contributed to the eventual demolition of Pennsylvania Station, the two largest of which included financial struggles and real estate value. By failing to incorporate multi-story office buildings into the station’s original design, Charles McKim (the building designer) seemingly sealed the station’s fate and chance at extraneous monetary earnings. In 1964 the upper levels of the station were permanently pulled down, demolishing all visible signs of the station in the process of better accommodating the space with high rise office buildings and a world-class entertainment facility. Some AAMCAR New York Car Rental clients still believe that this action of architectural tragedy was necessary in during the capitalistic reign of the 1960’s, but it is widely recognized that the station should have been protected under some sort of architectural landmark law. Senseless acts of destruction, such as the demolish of Penn Station, further led to the instigation of the New York City Landmarks program, which protects locally, nationally and internationally significant structures by placing excluding them from external commercialization and renovation programs.
Catching the Train
If you’re planning on catching a train during your upcoming AAMCAR New York Car Rentals vacation, chances are pretty good you’ll either arrive or depart from the legendary Pennsylvania Station. Trains which currently function in and out of the station include Amtrak commuters like the Adirondack to Montreal; the Carolinian to Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, and Charlotte; the Maple Leaf to Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto and the Vermonter to New Haven, Springfield, and St. Albans. MTA trains also make a stop at Pennsylvania Station connecting AAMCAR New York Car Rentals customers to subway stations throughout NYC. AAMCAR New York Car Rental passengers can also catch New Jersey Transit trains to numerous neighboring cities including Newark, Princeton, Dover and Gladstone.
The Future of Penn Station
If you’re interested in visiting Pennsylvania Station during your upcoming AAMCAR New York Car Rentals vacation be sure to keep your eyes and ears open to further Pennsylvania Station re-building programs. Rumors are currently floating around the city stating that David Childs (the architect responsible for the upcoming Ground Zero Freedom Tower memorial) is currently considering rebuilding a new above-ground entrance into the legendary station. Plans for this project are currently in the initial stages, but you never know ‘ your next visit to Penn Station may be through a grand entrance reminiscent of the original 1910 structure!
If you would like to learn more about Pennsylvania Station before reserving your upcoming AAMCAR New York Car Rentals rent-a-car it is recommended that you contact the station via telephone at 212-630-6401. To learn more about train schedules please contact either the New Jersey Transit offices, the MTA New York Subway offices or the Amtrak headquarters.