New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking President Trump for federal help with Penn Station, saying the "impact of its state of disrepair" is at "a tipping point."

In his letter Sunday to the president, Cuomo said he wants the federal government to help figure out and fund transportation alternatives while repair work is undertaken this summer after a spate of problems including two recent derailments. He also repeated his call for a private operator to take over Penn Station's operations from Amtrak.

Cuomo said "fifty years of under investment and gross overloading of an old network" had created an “emergency situation” not unlike a natural disaster.

“While this is not a hurricane or flood, it will affect as many people and businesses with dire consequences,” Cuomo wrote in the letter.

He said Amtrak's estimate of a 20 percent reduction in peak train service will affect hundreds of thousands of passengers this summer.

Amtrak operates the station that is also used by the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit commuter lines. In his letter, Cuomo said he knew Trump believed in "privatization where appropriate."

Amtrak did not immediately respond to a call for comment.