Reviewing the Feasibility Study
and Data Availability

This page concerns the October 2024 Doubling Trans-Hudson Capacity at Penn Station feasibility study prepared by WSP/FXC for Amtrak, the MTA, and NJ TRANSIT. That report is separate from RPA's April 2026 Penn Station report and separate from the FRA/DB Service Optimization Study now underway. Public-records responses later showed one record about Amtrak's possession of simulations, another about whether simulations were performed, and a third record in which FRA sought access to a Penn Station RTC model developed with the three railroads. Separate Service Optimization Study records released by NJ TRANSIT show the railroad challenging RTC outputs proposed for public capacity reporting.

NJ TRANSIT Feedback on SOS RTC Files

The same OPRA production includes March 2026 correspondence about the federal Service Optimization Study. NJ TRANSIT identified technical problems in the SOS RTC files and objected to public-facing TPH capacity figures.

"significant deficiencies in both the modeling assumptions and the resulting analysis"

— Kerry Donovan, NJ TRANSIT, March 24, 2026

Those issues included shortened train consists, zero-second switch handling, mismatches between track drawings and the RTC case, dwell-parameter violations, and optimistic delay reporting. This record concerns the SOS analysis, not the separate October 2024 WSP/FXC feasibility study.

Public Statements and Study Publication

In August 2024, prior to publishing the formal feasibility study, project representatives discussed their plans at a public forum. During the discussion, attendees inquired about the specific data and methodology. The representatives outlined their ongoing work and stated that an upcoming report would include detailed "documentation and calculations".

Key Moments: Meeting Timeline

(0:00)

The Core Question

Layla Law-Gisiko of The City Club asks for the "methodology" and "general assumptions" used in the study.

(0:58)

Discussion on Train Capacity

Statements on Meeting Goals

When asked if the Southern Expansion meets the stated 48 trains-per-hour goal, an Amtrak official states: "We believe that it will."

(1:13)

Project Phase Context

Concept Design Phase

When asked for further clarification, the response notes the current status of the plans: "We're still in concept design..."

(1:53)

Mention of the Upcoming Report

The project's lead consultant mentions a forthcoming report—Doubling Trans-Hudson Train Capacity at Penn Station: An Engineering Feasibility Study of Alternatives Within the Existing Station Footprint—that will contain "documentation and calculations."

Study Publication

The referenced report was published in October 2024. The later public-records sequence does not establish a single settled answer about the modeling record. It shows that Amtrak framed one response around possession, another response around whether simulations were performed, and NJ TRANSIT records later referenced a Penn Station RTC model while also challenging separate SOS RTC outputs.

(2:52)

Discussion of Process

A speaker discusses the procedural approach of determining whether project goals can be met within the existing station footprint before evaluating expansion options.