MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) — Grand Central Madison will launch into full Long Island Rail Road service starting at the end of February.
The full slate of trains will come to the new Midtown transportation hub starting Feb. 27, MTA CEO Janno Lieber said at an unrelated event on Wednesday.
This follows a trial run of limited service that began late last month, on top of years of development and delays on the massive transit project linking Long Island to Manhattan’s East Side.
The $11.1 billion project — the first expansion of LIRR service in more than a century — will connect all 11 LIRR lines to the brand new, 700,000-square-foot station below Grand Central Terminal.
For Long Island commuters headed for Manhattan, the terminal’s key benefit is the ability to take a train directly to the East Side, where previously the only option was to go to Pennsylvania Station on the West Side, then travel back by subway or bus. To view the full Grand Central Madison schedule for all 11 LIRR branches, click here.
The new transit center, built inside a massive man-made cavern and served by rail tunnels carved through bedrock, is being heralded as an important addition to the nation’s busiest railway network. The two-level concourse supports four platforms and eight tracks.
Much of the construction of the terminal has been completed for months, though some finishing touches won’t be complete for another few weeks, officials previously said.
The station was supposed to open by the end of 2022 but was delayed slightly by issues with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
