Governor Hochul rides the first LIRR train to Grand Central Madison

Governor Katy Hochul and MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber rode the first Long Island today Railway train to Grand Central Madison, which arrived at the final platform at 11:07. The train was the first of the Grand Central Direct trains that now run between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison from 6:15 am to 8:00 pm on weekdays and between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm on weekends. Trains run every 30 minutes in both directions at noon on weekdays, as well as on weekends and once an hour during peak hours – arrive at Central Station from 6:30 to 10:00 and depart from 16:30 to 7. :30 evenings

“Grand Central Madison is a game changer for New Yorkers and I look forward to welcoming Long Island passengers to our stunning new terminal.” Governor Hochul said. “Infrastructure is connectivity, and this project is an outstanding step forward to better connect millions of New Yorkers to their homes, their families, and their work.”

During this initial period, LIRR has customer representatives in the Grand Central Madison lobby to greet customers and offer information about the new space. LIRR customers to Grand Central Madison can use their Pennsylvania Station tickets as Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Madison are in the same fare zone. The special Grand Central Direct service will culminate with the launch of a full train operation reflecting what was proposed in the draft timetables published last June. To support travel planning, the MTA will provide at least three weekly notice before the new, full schedules come into effect.

Grand Central Madison doubles LIRR’s capacity to Manhattan. With the completion of a third track on the LIRR main line, the new terminal provides return traffic that was previously not possible. For LIRR customers operating on the east side of Manhattan, this new terminal is expected to save 40 minutes per day on round trips.

The terminal also provides seamless connectivity across the MTA region: for the first time, both commuter rail and New York City subways are located in the same building. Extension City ticket will provide an additional travel option to LIRR-served communities in Queens, facilitating access to employment opportunities. The upcoming introduction of a combo ticket will provide New Yorkers and those visiting New York with more travel options than ever to get to Long Island, the Hudson Valley or Connecticut from the five boroughs. Customers in the territory of the Metro-Northern Railway, for example, will now have en single-ticket trip to John F. Kennedy Airport.

Chairman and CEO of MTA Janno Lieber said“What we’re revealing today is truly breathtaking. Eight tracks, four platforms and 714,000 square feet of Grand Central Madison are just the most notable part of the project, which also includes 40 miles of new track, 96 new switches, 550 miles of cables, bridges, 296 new poles, 51 signal towers, 2 million cubic yards of stone, earth and manure dredged, 1 million cubic yards of poured concrete, and tunnel ventilation units with emergency exits every few blocks. Together with the successful Third Track project and the refurbishment of the L Train, what has been done since the 2018 East Side Access overhaul proves that the MTA is a mega project leader.“

This was stated by the acting president of LIRR and president of Metro-North Catherine Rinaldi.“We are thrilled to welcome the first generation of LIRR customers who will now have the choice of whether to go West Side or East Side. This is the dawn of a new era for railroads, no less important than the then opening of LIRR service to Pennsylvania Station in 1910. So much work has gone into making this discovery happen that I would like to thank every LIRR employee who has worked tirelessly to make this a reality. This would not have been possible without their dedication.”

Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction and Development, stated this.“Opening Grand Central Madison — a 714,000-square-foot terminal beneath the now iconic Grand Central Terminal — required both a broad vision and attention to detail. Our project teams had both as they supported the project and worked on issues big and small, including final system testing to make sure we were ready to service revenue. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, today we are bringing a new, transformative space and service to LIRR riders.”

Grand Central Madison is the first major new central U.S. rail station in 67 years and the first LIRR expansion in 112 years. years since service began at Pennsylvania Station on September 8, 1910. The terminal provides Long Island with service to both sides of Manhattan for the first time. The space includes two outstanding permanent works of art by internationally renowned artists. An 875-square-foot abstract and figurative glass mosaic by Yayoi Kusama titled A message of love, straight from my heart to the universe located in Madison Concourse, in the main ticketing area, between 46th and 47th streets. Four of Kiki Smith’s glass mosaics, totaling approximately 600 square feet, will bring Long Island-inspired nature to the mezzanine level, while Smith’s fifth mosaic at Madison Concourse, totaling 800 square feet, was inspired by the way sunlight gleams on the surface of the Orient. River.

The start of service now allows transfers directly between the LIRR and the Metro-Northern Railway. To encourage passengers on each railroad to try the other, when full LIRR service goes live to Grand Central Madison, the MTA will introduce a “Combo Ticket,” a single ticket that allows customers to travel between Long Island, Manhattan’s northern suburbs, and Connecticut. one rate.

The combo ticket will allow passengers to buy a LIRR ticket at Huntington for travel to White Plains or a Metro-North ticket at Poughkeepsie for travel to Montauk. Passengers choose an origin station with Grand Central Station as their destination and pay the regular fare plus a flat rate of eight dollars for an ongoing trip to any destination on another railroad. The combined ticket will take effect after the introduction of the Grand Central Madison timetable.

Grand Central Madison’s system-wide timetable is expected to include 274 more trains per weekday than currently. act, a historic 41 percent increase in service was made possible in part by the completion on October 3 of a new 9.8-mile turnpike, a third line between Floral Park and Hicksville. The schedules represent the first comprehensive LIRR schedule change in decades, and the MTA encourages all riders, no matter when or where they travel, to rethink their route options. train time app or browse the LIRR Services Overview to see new opportunities for their travels.

Grand Central Madison and Main Line Third Track are part of an unprecedented $17.7 billion investment to transform and upgrade the Long Island Railroad with 100 projects across the system, including the construction of a larger LIRR concourse at Penn Station with a new entrance at 33 1st Street and Seventh Avenue, upgrade and upgrade 36 stations and 17 bridges, remove eight one-level railroad crossings, activate Positive Train Control security system, lay 13 miles of second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, upgrade up to 15 electrical substations, increase parking capacity and expand yard.

Additionally, with the opening of Moynihan Train Hall in 2021, the MTA is working with Empire State Development, NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak to transform Penn Station into a world-class single-level terminal with abundant natural light, high ceilings and improved accessibility. to platforms and improved pathfinding.

LIRR published draft timetables On June 2, the Grand Central Madison service was shown to the public, and from June 23 to August 11, six virtual information sessions and public meetings were held to collect public feedback.