FIRST LOOK: See inside Penn Station’s brand new West End Concourse

As of today, Penn Station‘s long-awaited West End Concourse–the first tangible step towards Governor Cuomo’s ambitious plan to transform the James A. Farley Post Office into the new Moynihan Train Hall–is open for business, for the first time allowing Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit passengers to enter and board trains through the historic building across 8th Avenue. In addition to landscaped entryways, the sparkling new concourse is chock full of LED screens, artwork, and, in true Cuomo fashion, bright, open, and high-tech spaces.

Entrance to the James A. Farley Post Office at the southwest corner of 31st Street and 8th Avenue

Entrance at the northhwest corner of 33rd Street and 8th Avenue

As 6sqft previously reported, when complete, the new Moynihan Train Hall “will hold more than 112,000 square feet of retail and 588,000 square feet of office space, in addition to new ticketing and waiting areas for Amtrak and Long Island Railroad passengers.”

Street-level entrance at 32rd Street

Today’s unveiled first phase was supposed to finish up last year, but the original design was updated to include digital media screens for better navigation. Phase two will tackle the massive, ground-level main space of the post office, including a historic restoration and the addition of commercial and retail space around a light-filled atrium.

Street-level entrance at 31st Street

The artwork depicts classic NYC buildings and scenes in white silhouettes set against a background of primary colors.

The ceiling is supposed to be a “digital sky.” Other features include charging stations and large windows to see the trains below.

In September, Cuomo chose Related Companies, Vornado Realty and Skanska AB to lead the project, with initial renderings by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. The price tag for the entire project is $1.6 billion, “with $600 million coming from the developer of the hall’s retail space, about $570 million from the Empire State Development Corporation, and $425 million from Amtrak, LIRR, the Port Authority and the federal government.” It’s expected to be complete by 2020, which unfortunately won’t help with the current “summer of hell.”

RELATED:

• Work to begin this spring on Penn Station-Moynihan Train Hall complex
• REVEALED: Governor Cuomo unveils plans for new Penn Station-Moynihan Train Hall complex
• Renderings revealed for Governor Cuomo’s $3B Penn Station overhaul

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