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,

To make the outdoor space a reality, Madison Square Garden would move across Seventh Avenue to the empty site where the Hotel Pennsylvania once stood.  “How centrally located the existing MSG is right now is not necessarily the best for access,