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

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.

A group of Midtown politicians is backing a new plan for high-rise housing around Penn Station, urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to finally ditch the stalled megaproject that would rely on office towers built by Vornado Realty Trust.