Grand Central Madison Explained

Grand Central Madison
Style:LIRR
Owned:Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Operator:Grand Central Madison Concourse Operating Company[1]
Line:Grand Central Branch
Platform:4 island platforms
Tracks:8
Structure:Underground
Levels:2
Accessible:Yes
Architect:AECOM (structural engineering and architecture design)[2] [3]
Zone:Zone 1
Opened:[4] [5]
Passengers:17.1 million annually[6]
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail
Zoom:14

Grand Central Madison is a commuter rail terminal for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in the Midtown East neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Part of the East Side Access project, the new terminal started construction in 2008 and opened on January 25, 2023.[5] The station sits beneath Grand Central Terminal, which serves the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Metro-North Railroad.[7]

Grand Central Madison was built to reduce travel times to and from Manhattan's East Side and to ease congestion at Penn Station, the West Side station where all Manhattan-bound LIRR trains had terminated since 1910. The new terminal enables passengers to transfer to Metro-North's Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven Lines, as well as the New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street station.

Services

The station serves the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line,[8] which connects to all passenger branches and almost all stations.[9] Service started on January 25, 2023 with a shuttle to Jamaica station.[5] Full service at the station began on February 27, 2023, with trains continuing beyond Jamaica to most branches.[10] [11]

Passengers traveling to and from non-electrified portions of the LIRR system (e.g., the Oyster Bay Branch or the Port Jefferson Branch east of Huntington) must transfer between trains because the bilevel C3 coaches used in non-electrified areas cannot fit through the 63rd Street Tunnel.[12]

Grand Central Madison also provides an alternative route from the east side of Manhattan and from Metro-North lines to John F. Kennedy International Airport, via a connection with the AirTrain JFK people mover at the Jamaica station.[13]

History

See also: East Side Access.

Construction

Formal proposals to bring Long Island Rail Road trains to the east side of Manhattan date to 1963.[14] In 1968, the 63rd Street Tunnel and a LIRR "Metropolitan Transportation Center" at 48th Street and Third Avenue were proposed as part of the Program for Action.[15] After people living near the proposed transportation center objected, the MTA's board of directors voted to route LIRR trains to Grand Central by 1977.[16] However, the LIRR project was postponed indefinitely during the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis.[17]

The East Side Access project was restarted after a study in the 1990s showed that more than half of LIRR riders work closer to Grand Central than to Penn Station.[18] The cost of the project, estimated at $4.4 billion in 2004, jumped to $6.4 billion in 2006 and to $11.1 billion by 2017.[19] [20] In May 2022, the MTA announced that the station would be named Grand Central Madison[21] [22] [23] because it sits under Grand Central Terminal and the "Madison Avenue corridor".[24]

Opening and early years

The LIRR received operational control of Grand Central Madison on December 9, 2022, upon which the station and tracks became subject to Federal Railroad Administration regulations.[25] [26] The Grand Central Madison station's opening was delayed because of a single ventilation fan that could not exhaust enough air.[27] [28] At the end of December 2022, the MTA postponed the station's opening to January 2023.[29] [30] On January 23, an official opening date of January 25 was announced, paired with the first revenue service that morning.[31] [32] The initial service was a shuttle, known as Grand Central Direct, to and from Jamaica station, with some trains running express and others making intermediate stops at Woodside, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens.[5] The MTA then announced on February 8 that it would implement full service on February 27.[33]

The Biltmore Connection to Grand Central Terminal's Biltmore Room opened in May 2023.[34] The MTA upgraded cellular service within the Grand Central Madison station and surrounding tunnels in late 2023.[35] [36] Additionally, at the time of the station's opening, the LIRR did not own a "rescue locomotive" that was small enough to tow disabled passenger trains through the 63rd Street Tunnel; its existing locomotives could only fit the larger dimensions of the East River Tunnels.[37] In early 2024, the MTA board voted to buy a battery-powered locomotive that could fit in the tunnel.[38]

Tracks Raw Bar and Grill became the first commercial tenant to sign a lease at Grand Central Madison in March 2024.[39] That April, the MTA issued a formal request for proposals for the station's retail space.[40] [41] The station was to have separate dining and retail areas; the MTA planned to lease out all of the storefronts by 2026. Parts of the station remained incomplete as late as August 2024, a year and a half after the station opened.[42]

Station layout

The station has an area of, including for passengers and of retail space.[43] [44] There are 22 elevators and 47 escalators in the station; the escalator count exceeds the number of escalators in the remainder of the LIRR system.

Concourse

The retail and dining concourse, called the Madison Concourse, is accessed from street level or the Metro-North terminal via stairwells and elevators. It is located at the same level of the western part of Metro-North's Lower Level, underneath tracks 38 to 42 of Metro-North's Upper Level, and Vanderbilt Avenue.[45] The concourse contains a ticket office, ticketed waiting area, nursing room, and customer service office under 47th Street. It also has restrooms, ticket machines, and retail spaces throughout the concourse.[46] The only seating in the terminal is within the ticketed waiting area, which contains 29 seats; passengers can be fined $50 if they stay in the waiting area for more than 90 minutes. An MTA spokesperson said the rule was an extension of an existing restriction at Grand Central Terminal and that "a customer should not have to wait more than 90 minutes to catch their train, barring a significant service disruption".[47]

The LIRR terminal has entrances from Grand Central Terminal's Dining Concourse and Biltmore Room. Additionally, the MTA built and opened new entrances to the LIRR station at 45th, 46th, and 48th streets.[48], the 45th Street entrance alone was projected to serve 10,000 passengers per day.

Mezzanine

A mezzanine sits on a center level between the LIRR's two track levels.[49] It is more than deep below Park Avenue,[45] and is connected to the Concourse via four banks of escalators up to long and descend more than under 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th Streets,[46] [50] in which one of its largest has more than five escalators. One of these escalators is also the longest escalator in the city.[51] The escalators and elevators are among the few which are privately operated in the entire MTA system. Additionally, the tiling around the sets of escalators and lights in the mezzanine near each set of escalators exhibits a degree of color coordination, with the set under 45th Street’s lighting and tiling in shades of light green, 46th Street’s in shades of blue, 47th Street’s in shades of purple and 48th Street’s in shades of cyan.

Platforms and tracks

LIRR trains arrive and depart from the twin station caverns and through a tunnel located below Park Avenue and more than below the Metro-North tracks.[52]

The LIRR terminal contains four platforms and eight tracks (numbered 201–204 and 301–304) in two bi-level caverns.[53] There are four tracks and two platforms in each of the two caverns, with each cavern containing two tracks on one island platform per level.

Exits

The MTA originally planned to build and open entrances at 44th, 45th, 47th, and 48th Streets. The station connects to existing entrances at Grand Central North. The new LIRR station also contains entrances at 335 Madison Avenue, near the southeast corner with 44th Street; at 270 Park Avenue and 280 Park Avenue near 47th and 48th–49th Streets, respectively; and at 347 Madison Avenue, on the east side of the avenue at 45th Street. An entrance on 46th Street between Lexington and Park Avenue was also built, connecting with Grand Central North. However, the MTA later announced its intent to defer construction of an entrance at 48th Street because the owner of 415 Madison Avenue wanted to undertake a major construction project on the site. The MTA also connected the new station to the existing 47th Street cross-passage.

Art

Like the art in the original Grand Central Terminal, the new station includes permanent site-specific works of art. Among them are five large glass mosaics on natural themes by Kiki Smith. The Madison Concourse level contains River Light, an abstract, largely blue-and-white depiction of sunshine on the East River.[54] The other four, one level down in the LIRR mezzanine, are: The Presence, a landscape with a deer; The Sound, a seascape with a gull; The Spring, featuring four turkeys; and The Water's Way, a beach scene. "I wanted places for people to say, 'Meet you by the deer'," Smith told the New York Times.

The Madison Concourse level also holds an even larger mosaic by Yayoi Kusama: "A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe".

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MTA Grand Central Madison Concourse Operating Company Rules and Regulations . 2024-05-14 . . PDF.
  2. Web site: Grand Central Madison to Set to Open. New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. January 28, 2023. January 18, 2023. Miller. Linda G.. January 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201836/https://www.aiany.org/news/in-the-news-214/. live.
  3. News: Grand Central Madison Opens Today, Featuring New Art From Yayoi Kusama And Kiki Smith. Forbes. January 25, 2023. King. Darryn. January 28, 2023. January 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128201834/https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrynking/2023/01/25/grand-central-madison-opens-today-featuring-new-art-from-yayoi-kusama-and-kiki-smith/?sh=2066d1e9751b. live.
  4. Web site: East Side Access . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . September 24, 2022 . en-US . September 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220928114159/https://new.mta.info/project/east-side-access . live .
  5. Web site: Introducing special Grand Central Direct service . January 23, 2022 . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . January 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124014628/https://new.mta.info/article/introducing-special-grand-central-direct-service . live .
  6. Web site: Governor Hochul Celebrates Grand Central Madison's Inaugural Year . 23 January 2024. New York State. January 23, 2024.
  7. Web site: In "Caves" Below Grand Central, East Side Access Project on Track . The Villager . November 5, 2015 . Rack . Yannic . January 25, 2019 . January 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190125073413/https://www.thevillager.com/2015/11/caves-grand-central-east-side-access-project-track/ . live.
  8. Web site: Capital Programs East Side Access . web.mta.info . . en . February 3, 2018 . February 3, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180203124515/http://web.mta.info/capital/comout_esa_alt.html . live.
  9. Web site: LIRR Map . Metropolitan Transportation Authority . February 2, 2019 . May 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529224056/http://web.mta.info/lirr/Timetable/lirrmap.htm . live.
  10. Web site: LIRR full service begins Monday, 2/27, at Grand Central Madison; train schedules to change . ABC7 New York . February 27, 2023 . February 27, 2023.
  11. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . East Side Access completed, LIRR riders get full service to Grand Central Madison Monday . Newsday . February 26, 2023 . February 27, 2023.
  12. Book: East Side Access Environmental Impact Statement . March 2001 . . . Chapter 28: Comments and Responses on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement . 28.11 . February 2, 2018 . March 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180315133853/http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/feisfiles/28_comments_and_responses.pdf . live.
  13. Web site: Fox . Alison . It Just Got Easier to Get to New York City from JFK Airport . Travel + Leisure . January 26, 2023 . April 3, 2024.
  14. Book: East Side Access Environmental Impact Statement . Chapter 1: Purpose and Need . 17 (PDF p. 20) . . . March 2001 . February 2, 2018 . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073226/http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/feisfiles/01_purpose_and_need.pdf . live.
  15. Web site: $2.9-BILLION TRANSIT PLAN FOR NEW YORK AREA LINKS SUBWAYS, RAILS, AIRPORTS; 2-PHASE PROPOSAL Program by Governor Calls for $1.6-Billion in First 10 Years 2-PHASE PROPOSAL FOR TRANSIT GIVEN . Witkin . Richard . February 29, 1968 . . October 11, 2015 . May 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220507171133/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/02/29/77174644.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false . live.
  16. Web site: GRAND CENTRAL GETS VOTE AS L.I.R.R. SITE . July 9, 1977 . The New York Times . December 24, 2018 . December 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181225031004/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/09/archives/grand-central-gets-vote-as-lirr-site-authority-drops-its-3d-ave.html . live.
  17. News: Tunnel Project, Five Years Old, Won't Be Used . Andelman . David A. . October 11, 1980 . . October 20, 2011 . 25 . July 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180722213649/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/11/archives/tunnel-project-five-years-old-wont-be-used-ravitch-orders-inquiry.html . live.
  18. Web site: Record of Decision (ROD) East Side Access Project . December 16, 2006 . US Department of Transportation . 5 . May 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170520070023/http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/rod.pdf . live.
  19. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . East Side Access price tag now stands at $11.2B . Newsday . April 15, 2018 . April 16, 2018 . April 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180415065109/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/east-side-access-tour-1.18020231 . live.
  20. Web site: As Cost of Train Link Passes $11 Billion, M.T.A.'s Credibility Shrinks . The New York Times . April 25, 2018 . Fitzsimmons . Emma G. . October 4, 2018 . October 4, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181004064121/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/nyregion/mta-east-side-access-11-billion.html . live.
  21. Web site: Siff . Andrew . Vazquez . Jennifer . East Side Access Terminal Gets New Name 'Grand Central Madison' . NBC New York . May 31, 2022 . May 31, 2022 . June 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220601003038/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/east-side-access-terminal-gets-new-name-grand-central-madison/3713456/ . live .
  22. Web site: Duggan . Kevin . East Side Access project, renamed 'Grand Central Madison,' will increase LIRR service by 40%, Hochul says . amNewYork . May 31, 2022 . May 31, 2022 . June 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220603011618/https://www.amny.com/transit/lirr-grand-central-mta-hochul/ . live.
  23. Web site: Siff . Andrew . Vazquez . Jennifer . A Look Inside the New East Side Access Terminal 'Grand Central Madison' . NBC New York . March 29, 2022 . May 31, 2022 . May 23, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220523172151/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/a-look-inside-the-new-east-side-access-terminal-grand-central-madison/3620731/ . live.
  24. Governor Hochul Announces New Long Island Rail Road Terminal in Midtown Manhattan Will Be Named Grand Central Madison . Office of Governor Kathy Hochul . November 7, 2014 . May 31, 2022 . June 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220603012051/https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-new-long-island-rail-road-terminal-midtown-manhattan-will-be-named . live.
  25. Web site: Brachfeld . Ben . LIRR assumes operational control of Grand Central Madison, but still no opening date . amNewYork . December 11, 2022 . December 12, 2022 . December 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221211214627/https://www.amny.com/news/lirr-control-grand-central-madison/ . live .
  26. Web site: Yanes . Darwin . LIRR takes operational control of Grand Central Madison, MTA says . Newsday . December 11, 2022 . December 12, 2022 . December 11, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221211233535/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/grand-central-madison-lirr-mta-operational-control-o9293qc6 . live .
  27. Web site: Sanderson . Bill . Balky ventilation fan last hurdle keeping LIRR trains from Grand Central . New York Daily News . December 21, 2022 . December 25, 2022 . December 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221225014343/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-mta-grand-central-fan-delays-lirr-service-start-20221221-4tvycd7lcnbxbinmnlwhym3bhq-story.html . live .
  28. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . MTA chairman Janno Lieber: East Side Access opening held up by exhaust fan . Newsday . December 21, 2022 . December 25, 2022 . December 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221225014625/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/east-side-access-opening-exhaust-fan-djjj20qa . live .
  29. Web site: Siff . Andrew . Grand Central Madison Won't Open in 2022 - Here's Target Date for NYC's New LIRR Stop . NBC New York . December 29, 2022 . December 30, 2022 . December 30, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221230090311/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/grand-central-madison-wont-open-in-2022-heres-target-date-for-nycs-new-lirr-stop/4020235/ . live .
  30. Web site: Chayes . Matthew . Grand Central Madison will not open in 2022, MTA says . Newsday . December 29, 2022 . December 30, 2022 . December 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221229233527/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/grand-central-madison-opening-plan-yqs17iwg . live .
  31. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . LIRR Grand Central Madison service to begin on Wednesday . Newsday . January 24, 2023 . January 24, 2023 . January 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124015543/https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/grand-central-madison-opening-lirr-h5jtaglk . live .
  32. Web site: Siff . Andrew . NYC's New LIRR Stop at Grand Central Madison Set to Open This Week - What to Know . NBC New York . January 23, 2023 . January 24, 2023 . January 24, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230124034103/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nycs-new-lirr-stop-at-grand-central-madison-set-to-open-this-week-what-to-know/4063632/ . live .
  33. News: Full LIRR service starting at Grand Central Terminal on Feb. 27 . New York Daily News . Evan . Simko-Bednarski . February 8, 2023 . February 8, 2023.
  34. Web site: MTA Announces Opening of Grand Central Madison Escalators and Elevator at 43rd Street into Historic Biltmore Room . City Life Org . May 8, 2023 . July 17, 2023.
  35. Web site: Zou . Dandan . LIRR commuters to get better cell service at Grand Central Madison, Atlantic Terminal, tunnels, MTA says . Newsday . November 21, 2023 . November 26, 2023.
  36. Web site: Wassef . Mira . MTA upgrades cell service in LIRR tunnels, terminals . PIX11 . November 21, 2023 . November 26, 2023.
  37. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . LIRR doesn't have 'rescue locomotive' for East Side Access tunnels if power goes out . Newsday . January 19, 2023 . February 17, 2024.
  38. Web site: Castillo . Alfonso A. . LIRR adding battery-powered 'rescue engine' for Grand Central Madison tunnels . Newsday . February 15, 2024 . February 17, 2024.
  39. Web site: Cook . Lauren . beloved Penn Station haunt . PIX11 . March 25, 2024 . March 30, 2024. none.
    Web site: Khalifeh . Ramsey . LIRR commuter classic Tracks Bar to be MTA's first Grand Central Madison tenant . Gothamist . March 24, 2024 . March 30, 2024.
  40. Web site: April 2, 2024 . Grand Central Madison: MTA eyes future of dining and retail at new LIRR terminal in New York City . April 2, 2024 . ABC7 New York.
  41. Web site: April 2, 2024 . MTA looks to add retail and dining to Grand Central Madison . April 2, 2024 . Spectrum News NY1 . none.
    Web site: Mitchell . Ben . April 2, 2024 . MTA seeks master tenant for Grand Central Madison . April 2, 2024 . PIX11.
  42. Web site: Khalifeh . Ramsey . MTA still finishing 'miscellaneous' work at Grand Central Madison, 18 months after it opened . Gothamist . August 4, 2024 . August 6, 2024.
  43. Web site: Chung . Jen . November 4, 2015 . Photos: Inside the MTA's "Mega" East Side Access Project, Opening in 2022ish . Gothamist . March 14, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161208111232/http://gothamist.com/2015/11/04/east_side_access_photos.php . December 8, 2016 . dead.
  44. Web site: Introducing LIRR service to Grand Central . June 1, 2022 . MTA.
  45. Web site: Assessment of The Upper Level Loop Alternative For the Manhattan Portion Of the East Side Access Project. The Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, Inc.. 2004. January 26, 2023. October 6, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221006043805/http://www.irum.org/delcan_r.pdf. live.
  46. Web site: Everything you need to know about Grand Central Madison. MTA. January 25, 2022. January 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124014648/https://new.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road/grand-central-madison-guide. live.
  47. Web site: Brachfeld . Ben . MTA will fine you up to $50 for sitting too long at Grand Central Madison . amNewYork . March 27, 2023 . March 28, 2023.
  48. Long Island Rail Road Grand Central Service Madison Concourse Map . . en . PDF . June 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220603011635/https://new.mta.info/document/88246 . June 3, 2022 . live.
  49. Web site: East Side Access transforming the LIRR . August 21, 2018 . Brinton . Scott . Herald Community Newspapers . September 23, 2018 . August 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210813054155/https://www.liherald.com/stories/east-side-access-transforming-the-long-island-rail-road,106293 . live.
  50. Web site: Hochul takes test run of delayed LIRR train to Grand Central scheduled to open in 2022 . WSHU . November 2, 2021 . Taku . Julio . June 3, 2022 . August 12, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220812020805/https://www.wshu.org/long-island-news/2021-11-02/hochul-takes-test-run-of-delayed-lirr-train-to-grand-central-scheduled-to-open-in-2022 . live .
  51. Web site: Derick. Waller. Commuters can finally travel on LIRR to Grand Central. January 25, 2023. January 29, 2023. January 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230128083009/https://abc7ny.com/lirr-grand-central-commuter-train-long-island-rail-road/12733638/. live.
  52. Web site: Kabak . Benjamin . April 30, 2012 . A look at the East Side Access escalators . August 16, 2020 . Second Ave. Sagas . en-US . September 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925102130/http://secondavenuesagas.com/2012/04/30/a-look-at-the-east-side-access-escalators/ . live.
  53. Web site: Newman . Philip . February 10, 2016 . MTA OK's contract for East Side Access . TimesLedger . February 17, 2016 . February 14, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160214030830/http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/6/access_2016_02_05_q.html . live.
  54. News: Loos . Ted . November 30, 2022 . Now Arriving: Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith's Grand Central Madison Mosaics . en-US . The New York Times . December 5, 2022 . 0362-4331 . December 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205093047/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/arts/design/grand-central-madison-kiki-smith-yayoi-kusama.html . live .

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