It was winter 2020 when then-New York City Transit President Andy Byford left the agency after reported clashes with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. But he’s now happy to be back in New York, armed with that experience.

“The good news is you learn from your mistakes, right?” Byford told the New York Building Congress Wednesday. “And so I said to someone the other day, I’ve come back to New York sneakier, more cunning, more crafty.”

What You Need To Know

After working in Washington, D.C. for Amtrak, former New York City Transit President Andy Byford says he’s happy to be back in New York leading the transformation of Penn Station

The Penn Station project includes a study on expanding capacity within the current footprint of the station to prepare for the completion of the Gateway Tunnel, which Byford says he is confident will be built despite the president saying it is terminated

Byford says the LIRR’s recent renovation of the 33rd Street concourse won’t be affected and, in fact, serves as a template of how the station should be

He says he’s using that in his new position — special advisor to the Amtrak Board for the Penn Station Transformation — to get shovels in the ground by late 2027, on orders from the president.

“If we have someone that’s unduly obstructive or something that’s causing me a problem, even within Amtrak, well, my trump card is the Trump card,” Byford said. “If necessary, I won’t hesitate to say, ‘Well, we need to get this done. And you’re saying we can’t do it? Do you want to tell him, or shall I? Because I’m not telling him.’”

The Penn project does not have a budget yet but does include a study on how to maximize capacity at the station once the Gateway Tunnel is completed, which will bring in more trains. So, he’s not worried by the president’s proclamation that the project to build an additional train tunnel under the Hudson River has been terminated.

“I’m not unduly fazed by the current standoff,” Byford said. “I think there’s a lot of politics there. Let’s see how it plays out.”

Byford has ideas for the station, citing what the MTA did in renovating the LIRR concourse, which he says he won’t be touched.

“What the MTA did in widening the corridor and elevating the ceiling and providing much better retail offer, much easier to clean surfaces, just a better customer product that’s got to be, sort of a — it’s got to be a template,” Byford said. “That’s what I’m looking for, a template for how it should be done in the future.”

Despite the politics, Byford says he looks back fondly at his two years at the MTA.

“I loved working for the MTA, and I was super proud to be president of New York City Transit. It’s something that will remain with me for the rest of my career,” Byford said. “I use the subway every day. I’m very pleased to see that what we launched as the Fast Forward plan back in 2018, that does continue.”

Byford is moving forward fast with Penn Station, putting out the solicitation for a master developer on Oct. 31. A firm will be chosen in May. However, there’s no timeline for completion.