NEW YORK (WABC) — New York Senator Chuck Schumer plans to block any bills that would rename Penn Station.
Schumer’s stance comes just days after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s listen priorities for the station’s rebuild, among them a directive to have Amtrak rename the busiest transit hub in the Western Hemisphere after the president.
On a sunny summer Sunday, New York’s Penn Station is bustling, but it’s certainly not beloved.
“Penn Station has been ill for quite some time, and it needs help. When you look around the country, you see other transit locations and they’re in good shape. New York’s a little behind,” said Larry Walker.
The transit hub is set to undergo a long-awaited $8 billion renovation project, expected to start in 2027 under Amtrak’s control.
In a letter to senate leaders last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked congress to reauthorize funding for many transportation initiatives – including an additional one billion dollars in grant funding for the aging station’s design and construction, but also added a line to quote “direct Amtrak to rename New York Penn Station.”
The DOT didn’t go as far to say what it would be renamed, but Duffy made mention last summer of what has become a poorly kept secret.
“Is this going to be Trump station? I think that has a nice ring to it,” Duffy said.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Penn needs to be rebuilt but not rebranded.
“Any transportation bill, any bill that renames Penn Station for Trump is dead in the United States Senate. I will block it. It ain’t happening, Donald Trump. Forget about it. Or, as we say in New York, forget about it,” said Schumer.
Penn was named after the now-defunct Pennsylvania Railroad back in 1910.
Eyewitness News reached out to the DOT in regards to Senator Schumer’s comments but have yet to receive a response. commuters are hoping no matter what happens, the priority remains fast and easy train rides.
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