There’s wide agreement that something must be done to make Penn Station better.

But there is much disagreement on the question of what or how to do that.

"The only thing we know is Penn Station is between 7th and 8th and 31st and 33rd streets. Beyond its geographic location, there's just so much going on that it is really hard to keep track," said Layla Law-Gisiko of Manhattan Community Board 5, which covers the neighborhood.

What You Need To Know

  • The rebuild of Penn Station would cost $7 billion

  • Hochul dropped plans to fund it through real estate revenues from new skyscrapers, and instead will rely on federal and state funding

  • Madison Square Garden, which sits on top of Penn Station, is in the process of obtaining a new operating permit

One large question looming over Penn Station is the future of Madison Square Garden. The project relies on cooperation between MSG officials and the railroads that operate at Penn Station — or the state using eminent domain to get what it needs.

A master plan for Penn Station has been devised by the railroads that operate there — Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and the MTA.

But there is a competing outside plan from a private development firm, ASTM North America, that would keep MSG in place, buy the former Hulu Theater and create a grand entrance on 8th Avenue — a plan that MTA officials had criticized.

Meanwhile, transportation experts have been trying to get the railroads to think bigger about transporting passengers. This would include carrying passengers through the station to their destination, rather than only giving them a nicer, spacious place to catch their train.

"It’s not just about building something that’s more aesthetically pleasing — important as though that is, Penn Station is kind of an embarrassment," said Andy Byford, a transit executive credited with turning around the poorly performing subway as president of New York City Transit.

Byford made the remarks at an event for a think tank called ReThinkNYC. Byford, who now works at Amtrak, which owns Penn Station, was speaking on his own behalf.

"You can't fix it by just putting in a few light boxes, by just heightening the ceilings, by just widening a few corridors," Byford said.

This summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped her controversial plan to have developers help fund the $7 billion reconstruction of Penn by allowing tall skyscrapers to go up near the rail terminal. Instead, the state is kicking in $1.3 billion — leaving the rest to local, state and federal aid.

"I'm happy to see the governor now said the new Penn Station will no longer be reliant on the dubious funding," said Assemblyman Tony Simone, a Manhattan Democrat who represents the area.

Once the designs are complete, there will be request for proposals to build the new Penn Station under the vision laid out in a plan devised by the railroads.

"We're in a position to move forward before the end of 2024 with early work and moving into the real reconstruction of Penn Station so everybody benefits from a much better environment there," said Jamie Torres-Springer the president of MTA construction and development.

The undercurrent for all of this is Madison Square Garden. Its permit to operate is up for renewal and MSG wanted a new one with no expiration date.

The city wants to give MSG a 10-year permit.

Sources tell NY1 that the councilman for the area, Erik Bottcher, privately expressed support for a 3 year permit — a spokesman said he has not made a final decision ahead of a City Council vote.