The Federal Railroad Administration released a Phase I study Wednesday finding that Penn Station could handle 32 trains per hour during morning rush — a one-third increase over the 24 it manages today, at a station largely unchanged since the 1960s.

The Federal Railroad Administration released a study Wednesday finding that New York Penn Station could handle as many as 32 trains per hour during the morning rush — a one-third increase over the 24-per-hour peak the station manages today, at a facility the agency describes as largely unchanged since the 1960s.

The study, the first phase of the FRA's New York Penn Station Service Optimization Study, also found that evening rush capacity could reach 30 trains per hour with proposed changes. The Phase I report was finalized in June 2026.

Penn Station is shared by Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the LIRR — three agencies threading the Northeast Corridor through Midtown Manhattan. At 24 trains per hour, the station is already at or near that ceiling on most weekday mornings.

The release landed in the middle of a busy week in Penn Station policy. The evening before, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal hosted a panel on through-running — the idea of connecting LIRR and NJ Transit tracks so trains run straight through rather than terminating, freeing up platform time. Rep. Jerrold Nadler published an op-ed in the Times the previous week pressing for the $7–8 billion renovation the station needs, arguing that the federal money isn't materializing.

The FRA study is labeled Phase I. The specifics of how to reach 32 trains per hour — whether through scheduling changes, platform management, signaling upgrades, or structural work — remain to be detailed in subsequent phases. The agency has not announced cost estimates or a timeline.