Document Collection
Reviewing the Feasibility Study
& Data Availability
In October 2024, a feasibility study concluded that in-station through-running was not feasible. Following public requests for the underlying data and methodology, Amtrak stated that it did not possess responsive simulations or modeling data, while later NJ TRANSIT records referenced a Penn Station RTC model developed in coordination with MTA and Amtrak. Below is a timeline and collection of the requests and responses behind that unresolved record.
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
Layla Law-Gisiko of The City Club asks for the "methodology" and "general assumptions" used in the study.
When asked if the Southern Expansion meets the stated 48 trains-per-hour goal, an Amtrak official states: "We believe that it will."
When asked for further clarification, the response notes the current status of the plans: "We're still in concept design..."
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."
The referenced report was published in October 2024. Based on the FOIA and OPRA responses documented above, the agencies stated they did not possess the specific "simulations or modeling data" requested regarding the study's conclusions.
A speaker discusses the procedural approach of determining whether project goals can be met within the existing station footprint before evaluating expansion options.