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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Thousands of commuters who’ve experienced packed crowds at Penn Station over the years will get some relief at a new hall across the street.
It opens on New Year’s Day.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo led the ribbon cutting Wednesday.
Moynihan Train Hall is located right across from Penn Station on Eighth Avenue inside the Farley Post Office building between 31st and 33rd.
There are several entrances to the Train Hall, where commuters taking Amtrak and the LIRR can board their trains. The hope is to relieve overcrowding that has plagued Penn Station for years.
WATCH: Cuomo Unveils Moynihan Train Hall —
“This was a magnificent building, underutilized as a post office, and this was actually the sorting room for the post office. This is where they sorted mail,” Cuomo said.
The $1.6 billion project took nearly three years to build and is part of the overall Penn Station redevelopment master plan.
The hall is named after Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who fought for the transit hub for years after the original Penn Station was demolished in the 1960s.
“My father and his brother Michael used to shine shoes and sell newspapers in the old Penn Station in the Great Depression, so this meant a great deal to my family,” said Maura Moynihan, the senator’s daughter. “It’s a miracle, and it’s a miracle that the city needs very badly after this painful year we’ve had, and I think it will lead to the revitalization of Midtown.”
Moynihan Train Hall (Credit: CBS2)
In the New Year, restaurants, stores and several big companies will start moving into the building, CBS2’s Cindy Hsu reports.
A skylight is one of the highlights of Moynihan Hall. It’s made up of more than 3,000 individual panes of glass.
Visitors will also find beautiful artwork throughout the hall, 92-foot ceilings and an art deco clock as a centerpiece.
The governor says finally opening Moynihan Hall is a hopeful sign for the New Year, saying let’s open the door to 2021 more connected than ever.
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