To help accomplish this important work, Penn Station customers will notice several changes to the existing LIRR concourse, in the area nearer to Seventh Avenue, including: six ticket windows that will close, four ticket machines that will be moved, and the removal of the alphabetical departure board above the ticketing and Customer Service offices.
While pedestrian access from the 34th Street and Seventh Avenue entrance will still be available to the concourse level, customers are reminded they can also use the West End Concourse entrance at 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue, that was built and opened in 2017, to await and access trains.
During this time, the LIRR encourages customers to purchase tickets via the eTix app, as the easiest way to buy train tickets for your trip and avoid lines. For train departure times available right on your mobile device, customers can download the MYmta or LIRR TrainTime apps, or visit MyLIRR.org for track information. LIRR station ambassadors will be available throughout the corridor to help customers navigate, if needed.
Early phases of the work will not impact the LIRR’s customer waiting room or bathrooms.
“LIRR customers not only deserve reliable train service, they deserve train stations that feel comfortable, spacious, and meet their modern needs,” LIRR President Phil Eng says. “This new entrance, coupled with the Moynihan Train Hall, will undoubtedly help transform the customer experience at Penn Station, which is long overdue. We thank our customers for their patience and adaptability as this important work gets underway.”
Since the current Penn Station’s opening, pedestrian traffic has more than tripled from 200,000 to 650,000 passengers daily, with 234,000 people using the LIRR via Penn Station every day. In addition, 115,000 people use the station each day solely to enter or leave the subway or to patronize the on-site retail.
