NEW YORK – The Metropolitan Transportation Authority held a station operations exercise No. 13 at Grand Central Madison, the new 700,000 square-foot Long Island Rail Road terminal set to debut this year at Grand Central Terminal. Around 200 volunteers participated in an exercise to navigate the concourse and make notes on travel paths throughout the terminal, signage, and general wayfinding elements.
“As visually impressive as Grand Central Madison is, functionality is always key,” Catherine Rinaldi, Interim Long Island Rail Road President and Metro-North Railroad President said in a new release. Approximately 200 volunteers were asked to locate specific destinations throughout the concourse and were invited to provide feedback and suggestions. The event included finding exits, platforms, elevators, multiple indoor locations such as the ticket office, ticket vending machines, and the MTA Police Department office. It also included external locations, such as subway connections, taxi stands, connections to Metro-North Railroad, Citi Bike locations, and other key destinations.
Grand Central Madison is the largest U.S. passenger rail terminal in 67 years and one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the country in recent years. The two-level caverns support four platforms and eight tracks, and upon opening will provide Long Island commuters direct access to Manhattan’s East Side. The $11.1-billion project to bring commuter rail service to Manhattan’s East Side is on track to start later this year.
Construction of the East Side Access project began in 2006. The new connection will double LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan with up to 24 trains per hour, and cut travel time for some riders by 40 minutes per day.
You mean the Second Avenue Stubway not the subway. It seems that today with all the modern methods to build great projects, it takes years just to build a few miles or two or three stations. While the new Grand Central Station line is a great accomplishment, it pales in comparison to what it took to build the orginal Grand Central Station along with the massive electrification project needed and done. The same goes for the original Penn Station along with the Hudson River and East River tunnels. A bit of history Back in the 1960s plans were drawn up for a separate Long Island Railroad terminal at 47th Street and Second Avenue with an office tower above the station but due to financial issues and lack of funding the plan was scrapped. The office tower was built and stands today but that was it. Enjoy the new Grand Central Terminal project This might be the last major transit project built in New York City for years to come. Even now there is movement to finish off the last segment of the Second Avenue Subway to 125th Street and Park Avenue but nobody can agree or decide if that is where it will terminate or go further west on 125th Street and funding once again is the major issue
Joseph C. Markfelder
Things will get interesting at Jamaica during rush hour. As far as I know there is no connection between this project and the 2nd Ave subway.
And it’s the 2nd Ave Stubway!
All I can think of is the opening of Idlewild, now JFK, airport in 1948.
The last passenger terminal I can think of is 4th and Townsend in San Francisco(mid 1970’s?)
On a smaller scale — but very nice: Every station on the Hiawatha route is new or rebuilt. Architecturally and functionally, Chicago Union Station is an adequate re-do, the others are gorgeous.
We rode up to New Haven for pizza at lunch. GCT was its usual splendiforous self up and even moreso at rush coming back…massive traffic flows on the ramps everywhich way. A testament to high planning.
Can anyone say what was built 67 years ago? (GC Madison being the “largest U.S. passenger rail terminal in 67 years,” according to the article.
67 years is a bit longer this project has taken, if you include the Second Avenue subway as part of the overall plan. Second Avenue Subway has taken about six decades to bring to fruition. It goes the length of a few station stops.
67 years takes you to 1955. New Orleans?
Deepest, not biggest.
This seems like a great plan, if they pay attention to the feedback.