MTA New York City Transit announced today that structural repairs and station improvements at the 34 St-Penn Station subway complex on the Seventh Avenue  and Eighth Avenue  lines will begin on Sunday, May 20. Both stations will remain open and service will be unaffected for the duration of the work. 

“Penn Station is a critical hub in the regional transit network, and the two subway stations within this complex are two of the busiest in our entire subway system. For many visitors to New York City, this station complex is their first experience of the New York Subway. We simply cannot afford to have a major connection point like this fall into disrepair. This hub especially needs to be state-of-the-art, clean and easy to navigate – and it will be, once this important work is complete,” said MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford.   

Crews will make significant repairs at the stations, including leak mitigation and repairs to the structural steel and concrete infrastructure such as station entrances, walls and ceilings. Other improvements and upgrades include improved electrical systems like cables, conduits, lighting boards, new flooring in mezzanine areas, new stair treads and illuminated handrails and new wall tiles. Two mezzanines will be upgraded with glass barriers, security cameras, LED lighting for increased light and energy efficiency, digital screens, and enhanced signage for easier navigation including digital, real-time service change and train and bus arrival information. 

Three  entrances will be refurbished with new stairs, railings, lighting and electronic signage that will display service and train information. Two of those entrances, on the northeast and southeast corners of West 33^rd Street and Eighth Avenue, and a  entrance on the southwest corner of West 34^th Street and Seventh Avenue, will feature new canopies. The  entrance at the northwest corner of West 34^th Street and Eighth Avenue will be enhanced with glass panels and new digital signage. 

Subway service on the lines at these stations is not affected during the work, and both stations will remain open for subway service and for connections to NJ Transit, Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road though for customer safety, some passageways and turnstile areas may be closed during demolition and repairs. Some of the repairs will be performed during overnights to minimize disruptions to customers, though small areas may be closed temporarily as crews work on various parts of the mezzanines and turnstile areas. The affected station entrances for 34 St-Penn Station  will be closed one at a time to allow for continued customer flow into and out of the station.  

The contract for the projects was awarded in February 2018.  MTA staff has conducted extensive outreach to local community boards, businesses, elected officials and other nearby stakeholders recently detailing the work, and signage at the affected stations and terminal areas will be posted ahead of the scheduled start to alert customers of the work, which is scheduled for less than eight months.