MSG, Penn Station are ‘not compatible’: MTA
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), along with station tenants Amtrak and NJ Transit, has released a report claiming that Madison Square Garden (MSG) and Penn Station are no longer compatible, citing MSG’s “existing configuration and property boundaries impose severe constraints”. The MTA hopes the report will help persuade MSG owner James Dolan to let it make service improvements underground. The report comes as city officials are set to decide whether the World’s Most Famous Arena can remain at its present site atop Penn Station once its permit expires on 24 July. The Garden owns the property it sits on, but the permit extension is needed for it to continue holding its 19,800-seat capacity. Without it, the arena can host no more than 2,500.
FAQs section:
What is the report about?
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, along with station tenants Amtrak and NJ Transit, has released a report claiming that Madison Square Garden (MSG) and Penn Station are no longer compatible due to MSG’s “existing configuration and property boundaries impose severe constraints”.
Why has the report been released?
The MTA hopes the report will help persuade MSG owner James Dolan to let it make service improvements underground.
What is the issue with MSG’s permit?
City officials are set to decide whether the World’s Most Famous Arena can remain at its present site atop Penn Station once its permit expires on 24 July. The Garden owns the property it sits on, but the permit extension is needed for it to continue holding its 19,800-seat capacity. Without it, the arena can host no more than 2,500.
What is MSG’s response to the report?
A spokesperson for MSG Entertainment, which owns the Garden, said: “We are disappointed to see this compatibility report from the MTA and the other rail agencies, considering how we have been cooperating throughout this process. This is the opinion of a few and not all stakeholders involved”.
MTA declares MSG and Penn Station to be incompatible
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), along with station tenants Amtrak and NJ Transit, have released a report claiming that Madison Square Garden and Penn Station are no longer compatible. According to the report, the existing configuration of the Garden and its property boundaries impose severe constraints on the station, impeding passenger movement and efforts to implement improvements. The report was released on the eve of a crucial decision by city officials on whether the arena can remain at its present site, after the arena’s city permit expires on 24 July. MSG’s owner, James Dolan, is seeking a permit extension allowing the arena to operate indefinitely, after the council gave him only a decade when the original permit expired in 2013.