New York Penn Station Tours and Tickets

Penn Station is famous for once being a beautiful Beaux Art building that was Manhattan’s main railway station. The structure was demolished in the 1960s due to maintenance costs, but much of the original infrastructure remains. It’s still one of North America’s busiest transport hubs.

Grand Central Station and Penn Station aren’t the same. The Metro-North Railroad commuter trains, plus MTA Subway lines 4, 5, 6, 7, and S, operate from Grand Central Station. The Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit trains, and MTA Subway lines A, C, E, 1, 2, and 3 run from New York Penn Station.

Penn Station is short for Pennsylvania Station—both New York and Newark have a Penn Station. They were both made by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in the early-20th century. They are different stations in different cities, so make sure you book tickets to and from the right station and get off at the correct stop.

No, Penn Station isn’t connected to Grand Central Station. They’re both in Manhattan, but Penn Station is on 33rd and 31st Streets, while Grand Central Station is on 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Taking public transit between the two stations requires some subway or bus changes, or takes 25 minutes to walk.

The cheapest total train fare from JFK Airport to New York Penn Station is US$20.50, and the most expensive is US$24.75. The AirTrain from JFK to Jamaica, Queens, costs US$8.75. Then, the subway (E train) to Penn Station costs US$11.75 and the train (Long Island Rail Road) costs US$16 peak or US$14 off-peak.

To pay for subway tickets, use the OMNY contactless card or digital wallet (which you can buy from select retailers and vending machines) or MetroCard swipe cards available in most subway stations. There are staffed ticket counters for long-distance trains and you can also buy tickets online.