The Trump administration has announced it will take control of the renovation of New York City’s Penn Station. The announcement was made on late Thursday by transportation secretary Sean Duffy, who said that the department was withdrawing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) from leading the reconstruction effort of Penn Station and replacing the agency with Amtrak as the project lead.
The project has seen years of planning, setbacks, and disputes over design, financing, and management. Under the premise that it would execute the nation’s largest transit hub with greater efficiency, Duffy outlined the new direction, emphasizing that the federal takeover could save taxpayers $120 million on the rebuild, once estimated at about $7.5 billion.
“President Trump has made it clear: The days of reckless spending and blank checks are over,” Duffy said in a statement. “New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we’re ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in.”
The administration’s decision comes at a moment of heightened tension between federal and state authorities. Recent disagreements over transportation funding, crime statistics in the subway system, and the implementation of a congestion pricing plan have fueled criticism of the MTA’s leadership. Duffy added that the administration will champion a comprehensive rebuild aligned with federal standards.
Penn Station has long been a symbol of both grandeur lost and potential reclaimed. The original structure, completed in 1910 by McKim, Mead & White, was a Beaux Arts masterpiece—its vast concourses, vaulted ceilings, and classical columns hailed as a triumph of civic architecture. But in 1963, the station was controversially demolished to make way for Madison Square Garden, triggering a national outcry and galvanizing the modern preservation movement. What replaced it—a maze of underground tunnels and low ceilings—has been widely criticized for its cramped, confusing layout and lack of natural light. Over the decades, countless renovation proposals have stalled amid political disagreements and logistical complexity.
One of the proposed ideas under review includes restoring Penn Station’s grandeur with a neoclassical design—an approach that echoes the Trump-era executive order promoting traditional architecture in federal buildings. Amid such action, officials have suggested that classical aesthetics could return to center stage, potentially replacing Madison Square Garden with a new public plaza.
Details about construction timelines, funding mechanisms, and architectural plans are expected in the coming months.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
