Amtrak's Penn Station repairs may carry forward to next year

Amtrak’s planned Penn Station repairs may carry forward into 2018, the New York Post reports. Following the announcement last week that Amtrak will likely shutter some tracks at Penn Station for a total of 44 days this summer, the CEO of the corporation is saying that more trouble likely lies ahead.

While speaking at a hearing at the New York State Assembly on Thursday, Charles Moorman said Amtrak is going to try to finish as much work as possible this summer, but that they’re unsure if all the requisite repair and rehabilitation work will wrap up. If that’s the case, they will be forced to resume work sometime next year as well

Elected officials admonished Moorman for not scheduling repairs this summer during holiday weekends like Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Instead repairs are tentatively planned from July 7 through through July 25 and from August 4 to August 28.

Moorman was still unable to go into details about what the repairs would entail, but this latest announcement comes just a day after some Long Island Railroad trains were delayed or canceled because of a signal problem in an East River tunnel. More details on this summer’s repairs are expected to come forward next week.

The frustration expressed by legislators at the hearing on Thursday echoes the malaise New Yorkers are increasingly experiencing about public transportation in NYC, particularly the subway.

• Amtrak CEO: Penn Station chaos might extend into next year [NYP]
• Amtrak’s Penn Station repairs will close some tracks for over a month [Curbed]
• New Yorkers bemoan Governor Cuomo's inaction on the faltering subway system [Curbed]