ReThinkNYC Holds Rally in Support of Through-Running at Penn Station
Last week, ReThink NYC held a Zoom rally in support of through-running at New York’s Penn Station. Five experts and stakeholders joined to speak about the benefits of why through-running is clearly the best choice for Penn Station. We couldn’t find a recording of the rally, but here is a video from October with many of the same experts.
There was also a surprise speaker: Andy Byford, Executive Vice President in charge of high-speed rail at Amtrak.
“This is a golden opportunity. It’s not just about building something that’s more aesthetically pleasing — important as though that is, Penn Station is kind of an embarrassment — but you can’t fix it by just putting in a few light boxes, by just heightening the ceilings, by just widening a few corridors.
If we’re going to do all of that, why not take the opportunity to fix the damn thing once and for all, which is, I’m going to say: get rid of the pillars, which means move MSG, but at the very least, do something with the track configuration to enable through-running.”
At the High Speed Rail Alliance, we support the vision for Penn Station that ReThinkNYC has laid out. We believe that New York City’s system, with smart planning, could be comparable to the excellent regional rail systems in Paris, London, Tokyo, and elsewhere.
Read More:
Byford Urges “Through-Running’ at Penn Station
Rethinking Penn Station – ReThinkNYC’s Proposal
Through-Running at Penn Station Webinar (Hosted by ReThinkNYC)
The Debate Over How to Improve Passenger Rail in America: NYC Penn Station
Passenger Rail Developments in North Carolina
Speaker: Jason Orthner, Rail Division Director, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
Mr. Orthner worked for a private engineering firm prior to joining the NCDOT Rail Division in 2000, and has worked in railroad project and program management for more than 26 years. He is responsible for leading statewide rail initiatives, including safety, planning, engineering, construction, and freight and passenger programs.
Dallas to Fort Worth High-Speed Rail
Speaker: Brendon Wheeler, Program Manager, North Central Texas Council of Governments
The North Central Texas Council of Governments has been leading the locally funded High-Speed Transportation Connections Study (HSTCS) between Dallas and Fort Worth since 2020. We will be joined by Brendon Wheeler, the project manager for this study. The study aims to environmentally clear a corridor in the fastest growing metro in the country to connect with other planned high-speed transportation projects in Texas, including the Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail project by Texas Central.
This webinar is free but you must register in advance.