Nadler and New York City leaders rally against federal efforts to take control of Penn Station redevelopment

New York – A growing coalition of elected officials, transit advocates, and community representatives is mounting opposition to what they describe as an unprecedented federal effort to reshape the future of Penn Station while sidelining New Yorkers from the decision-making process.

At a rally focused on the future of one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, Congressman Jerrold Nadler joined a number of city and state officials to criticize actions they say could transfer significant authority over Penn Station redevelopment away from local stakeholders and into the hands of federal officials, Amtrak, and private development interests.

Among those speaking out were Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, Assemblymembers Tony Simone and Micah Lasher, State Senators Liz Krueger and Erik Bottcher, and New York City Councilmember Carl Wilson. Together, they voiced concerns about the direction of the redevelopment process and warned of what they believe could be long-lasting consequences for residents, commuters, taxpayers, and neighborhoods surrounding the station.

The group issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the Trump administration’s involvement in the project.

“The Trump administration has weaponized the Department of Transportation against New Yorkers in a blatant attempt to steal money, land, and power,” said the lawmakers. “The Penn Station redevelopment process has broken every precedent and trampled on the rights of New York City residents and the hundreds of thousands of riders who use Penn Station every day. There has been no transparency on the overall cost, who will pay this unknown price, no input from the MTA or key stakeholders, and no public proposal over which land will be used and for what purposes now or later. New Yorkers’ voices have been muted from the discussion happening between billionaires behind closed doors.”

The lawmakers argued that the public has been left largely in the dark regarding key details of the redevelopment effort, including financing, land use decisions, and the overall vision for the station and surrounding area. They said that residents and transit riders deserve a greater role in discussions that could reshape a major section of Manhattan for decades to come.

Much of the criticism centered on legislation currently moving through Congress, specifically the McDowell-Moulton Amendment. Opponents claim the measure would significantly alter the balance of power over Penn Station redevelopment and diminish local oversight.

The lawmakers continued, “Additionally, the legislation moving through Congress right now—the McDowell and Moulton Amendment—is a blatant attempt to advance the Trump agenda, hurting New Yorkers in the process. The amendment strips away local control and hands broad authority to a Trump-controlled Amtrak and his real estate developer friends. These entities, all of whom have a significant financial stake in this project, would have the ability to permanently reshape land use around Penn Station while exempting themselves from New York’s laws, weakening our tax base, and bypassing our communities. Without any discussion or negotiation, Amtrak and big real estate would now be exempt from local zoning laws and New York City real estate taxes. The current process has already shown a disregard for New Yorkers. If the McDowell-Moulton Amendment is adopted, New Yorkers’ homes and hard-earned dollars will be up for grabs by Donald Trump and the billionaires and multinational corporations he handed this project to. This is an infringement on local authority and New Yorkers’ pocketbooks.”

Those gathered at the rally framed the issue as more than a transportation debate. In their view, the fight is also about local control, community representation, and ensuring that decisions affecting neighborhoods are not made without public participation.

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Penn Station serves hundreds of thousands of travelers daily and remains a critical transportation gateway for New York City and the broader region. Because of its importance, redevelopment plans have generated intense interest from government agencies, transportation organizations, developers, advocacy groups, and residents.

The elected officials insisted they will continue to challenge any process they believe excludes the public.

“We represent Penn Station, the riders who rely on the transportation it facilitates, and the community members who live here. We will never stop fighting to make sure their voices are heard, and their hard-earned dollars are protected from corrupt efforts to fulfill Donald Trump’s fantasies for Penn Station and New York City,” said the lawmakers.

Transit advocates also joined the discussion, emphasizing that the station’s primary purpose should remain serving commuters and improving the rider experience.

“Before anything else, Penn Station’s rebuild should save commuters time and money,” said Riders Alliance Policy & Communications Director Danny Pearlstein. “A secret selection process and legislative land grab are the opposite of the transparency and accountability riders deserve. We must have reassurance that riders’ needs aren’t taking a back seat to private ambition. With so much at stake for millions of people far beyond the West Side of Manhattan, it’s essential that New York leaders have a seat at the table to protect what belongs to riders and advance our needs throughout the renovation.”

Pearlstein’s comments echoed broader concerns raised throughout the event: that transportation improvements should remain the central focus of any redevelopment effort and that transparency should guide every stage of the process.

Community members living near Penn Station also expressed worries about the potential impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Some residents fear future expansion plans could threaten homes, businesses, and long-established communities.

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Among the most detailed remarks came from Eugene Sinigalliano of the 251 West 30th Street Residential Tenants Association, who criticized previous proposals that contemplated expansion south of the station footprint.

“My New York City neighborhood, including all of Block 780, should never have been under the threat of destruction by former governor Cuomo or the Amtrak, MTA and NJ Transit Railroads and their allies including the RPA for an unneeded, horrendously expensive, outdated and inefficient terminal track southern expansion of Penn Station. The case for this destruction of a vibrant New York City neighborhood was never made as industry standard Rail Traffic Controller dynamic modeling simulations were never performed. These simulations should have been used to determine if through running plans could meet future capacity needs within the existing footprint of Penn Station before an expansion was even considered by the Railroads and their allies. Such simulations have or are being performed for every other capacity expansion proposed for Penn Station including Penn Access and the Empire Corridor. No government agency — federal, state or local — should ever be able to demolish an entire neighborhood and waste so much taxpayer money to build an expansion train station when these simulations haven’t been performed. We have and continue to ask the DOT and others for transparency on this issue. If the Railroads have performed such simulations, it is time for them to stop wordsmithing objections to their production and share the results with the public. If Andy Byford and the Penn Transformation Partners are sincere in their promises to see our neighborhood spared we hope they will see to it that RTC simulations are performed and the matter of the need for a southern expansion of Penn Station is finally put to rest,” said Eugene Sinigalliano, 251 West 30th Street Residential Tenants Association.

As debate over the future of Penn Station continues, opponents of the current federal approach are signaling that their campaign is far from over. With questions remaining about costs, governance, land use, and community impacts, elected officials and advocates say they intend to keep pressing for greater transparency and a larger role for New Yorkers in determining the future of one of the city’s most important transportation hubs.