Expanding the train station, the busiest in the nation, is a pressing issue because construction has just begun on a $16 billion pair of rail tunnels under the Hudson River, the centerpieces of a project known as Gateway, which would double the current cross-Hudson capacity.

Alexandros Washburn, the project lead for the Grand Penn Community Alliance—the interest group behind the proposal—discussed the plan with The New York Times, noting that the new train hall "could double the station’s capacity to 48 trains per hour,

Under the plan by the Grand Penn Community Alliance plan, Penn Station will move above ground while Madison Square Garden is relocated.