Governor David A. Paterson, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other officials broke ground yesterday on phase I of the construction for Moynihan Station.

The first phase of the Moynihan Station project, "Moynihan Moving Forward," will include the expansion and enhancement of the 33rd Street Connector between Penn Station and the West End Concourse, which lies under the grand staircase of the Farley building.

The project will also provide for the extension and widening of the West End Concourse to serve nine of Pennsylvania Station's 11 platforms, new vertical access points and passenger circulation space and entrances into the West End Concourse through the 31st and 33rd Street corners of the Farley building. The first phase of construction is expected to be complete by 2016.

Planning is underway for Phase 2, which will include the construction of the intercity train hall.

Peg Breen, President The New York Landmarks Conservancy, said: "The long-awaited start of Moynihan Station is welcome news for New York and the whole northeast corridor. Now we need to ensure that the design of future train hall proves worth the wait."

The groundbreaking takes place on the 100th anniversary of the opening of Penn Station, the largest and most widely used train station in the United States.

Prior to the groundbreaking, Governor Paterson and Secretary LaHood signed a final grant agreement providing $83 million in Recovery Act funds to New York through the U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Transportation Initiatives Generating Economic Recovery" (TIGER) program. Senator Schumer led the effort to secure the funding to begin Phase I of the construction.

The future Moynihan Station will improve passenger safety and security for the more than 550,000 people that pass through Penn Station on a daily basis and will be a catalyst for growth. Completion of the long awaited station will create an economic engine to restart development across the entire West Side; growth that has stalled with the national economic downtown.

"This is an historic day for New York; not only the 100th Anniversary of Penn Station, but also the birth of another," Governor Paterson said. "Today we break ground on one of New York's most important transportation projects. While the size and scope of the project may have changed over the years, its goals have remained constant. This critical infrastructure project will create thousands of jobs for our construction workers and foster economic growth."

"Moynihan Station is poised to be one of the greatest transportation and infrastructure legacies of our generation. Transportation infrastructure is the life-blood of New York and investing in it is a tried and true job creator," Senator Schumer said. "The construction of Moynihan Station will create jobs, upgrade aging infrastructure, and leave behind an economic engine for the entire region. This project will bring together large numbers of people who can live and work in close proximity, which is New York's secret formula for success. Our public transportation systems must continue to expand in sync with our population and job growth and confidence in the future. Indeed if we don't boldly build for the future, we will lose our status as the greatest city and State in the nation."

"There's no better way to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Penn Station's opening than seeing Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's dream of building a grand, new gateway to New York City become a reality," Senator Gillibrand said.

"Moynihan Station is a significant addition to our city's infrastructure and a worthy initiative that helps preserve the legacy of the late Senator Moynihan, who first championed this project," Congressman Nadler said. "I have proudly supported this important rail project for years, and I want to especially thank Senator Schumer, whose dogged persistence has made this day a reality. I am very pleased that we were able to deliver $85 million in Federal funding for the first phase through the Tiger I grant. This is precisely the sort of use for stimulus funding that we intended - for local and regional economic development, job creation, all in the name of necessary public works and infrastructure in our communities."

The Federal government has made substantial economic stimulus funding available for transportation projects, creating new opportunities to assist in meeting project financing needs while reducing the share of costs that must be met by State and local sources. The Public Authorities Control Board (PACB) approved the first phase of improvements in July, which will transform the Farley Federal Post Office Building in Manhattan into the new Moynihan Station, a grand rail gateway into New York City. The budget for Phase 1 is $267 million and is being jointly funded by the State and Federal governments.

Bob Yaro, President of the Regional Plan Association, said: "We're very pleased this critical project is finally getting underway, after years of delay. There is no more important project for creating needed transportation capacity in the regional rail system and for catalyzing the redevelopment of New York's Far West Side."

Vin Cipolla, President of the Municipal Art Society said: "Today we celebrate the start of the first phase of one of the most important public works project in the northeast, one that will in the near term create jobs and ease crowding in congested Penn Station, and in the long term improving rail infrastructure and sustainability for the region."