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Penn Station Departures Board To Be Switched Off Permanently Monday Night

By Maya Rajamani | January 23, 2017 2:57pm
 The Amtrak departures board at Penn Station on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
The Amtrak departures board at Penn Station on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017.
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DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani

MIDTOWN — The Penn Station departures board is leaving the station for good this week.

Amtrak plans to shut off power to its classic block-letter board and begin taking it down around 10 p.m. Monday night for a dismantling project that will last all week, a spokeswoman for the company said.

The transit service officially announced its plan to replace the giant board with smaller screens scattered around the transit hub in October.

“DepartureBoard"

One of the new LCD departure screens at Penn Station. (Credit: Maya Rajamani)

The new LCD screens, which were activated that month, are easier to read and "synchronize audio and visual messaging in the station," the spokeswoman said.

“At either end of the concourse, large video walls featuring train status information are intended to draw waiting customers away from the center of the room, easing congestion and improving pedestrian circulation," she said.

It will take several days to fully dismantle the old board, and it will be completely removed by next Monday, she added.