Penn Station Businesses To Be Evicted During Construction: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A bar and grill loved by Penn Station commuters and several other businesses inside the terminal will be forced to close due to upcoming construction work on a revamped Long Island Rail Road concourse and new station entrance, according to reports.

Ten businesses were notified recently that they must vacate their spaces by Aug. 31, the Wall Street Journal reported. Most of the retail spaces are occupied by chain restaurants, but one is home to commuter favorite Tracks Raw Bar & Grill, which opened 17 years ago, according to the report.

Tracks co-owner Bruce Caulfield told the Wall Street Journal that he received his eviction notice in April and doesn't know whether the business will be able to return to Penn Sation when the new terminal is complete. The retail spaces will be turned over to development firm Vordano to lease out, according to the Journal.

"I know this is going to become a beautiful station again, and I want to be a part of the new Penn Station," Caulfield told the Wall Street Journal.

Work will begin on Penn Station's new entrance on Monday, June 17. Six ticket windows, four ticket machines and the departures information board above the ticketing offices will also be removed to facilitate the construction.

The new entrance, located on Seventh Avenue and West 33rd Street, is expected to be complete by December 2020. In addition to providing direct access to the Long Island Rail Road, the project will result in a more spacious LIRR concourse, state officials said. The concourse will be widened from 30 feet to 57 feet and ceiling heights will be raised to 18 feet, which should make the area feel less cramped.