NEW YORK — The New York City terminal for Long Island Rail Road’s East Side Access project has a new name: Grand Central Madison.
The long-delayed, $11.2 billion project to build a new LIRR station in midtown Manhattan, deep beneath Grand Central Terminal, received the new name in a Tuesday press conference featuring New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. It is meant to evoke both the Grand Central location and the Madison Avenue corridor it helps serve.
Hochul said the new service will be “a game-changer for Long Island, allowing the LIRR to dramatically expand service and operate more reliably for commuters, and reducing overcrowding at Penn Station.
Major construction on the East Side Access project was finished a year ago [see “Major construction complete …,” Trains News Wire, May 28, 2021], with the first test trains running in October [see “Officials’ test train marks milestone …,” News Wire, Nov. 1, 2021].
The project — once slated for completion in 2009 — is scheduled to open this year. While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has yet to set a date, the LIRR plans to release draft timetables including service to the new terminal this week.
“Our service planners used the opportunity of the opening of service to Grand Central Madison to take a completely fresh look at the schedules, something that has not been done in more than 30 years,” LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi said in a press release. “We want the public to be able to see these draft timetables months before service starts, and plan to share final timetables this fall.”
It IS named for a politician, James Madison of Virginia. He was president from 1809 to 1817, including the War of 1812. He then returned to his plantation in Virginia.
Uh oh, better change that name. He may have had slaves.
Why do the folks pictured at that ceremony always have to go for the glitzy, the glamorous, and the showy? Just leave it at what it is: Grand Central. I can only imagine what these folks will name Penn Station when (or maybe if) they get Metro North New Haven Line trains access to it via Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line.Oh, I forgot. Gov. Hochul plans to rename the station anyway to score political points.
If I were to name it, I’d borrow a name from Chicago METRA’s vastly over-rated northern terminal of the Metra Electric: Millenium Station. Because it took New York a millenium to get this built.
Well Charles, if you are not impressed with the “upgrades” at Millennium (to me it will always be Randolph Street Station same as it will always be Lake Shore Drive, Triborough Bridge, and Queensborough Bridge) do a walk through of Van Buren Street Station next time you are in town. At least back pre-Covid, from personal observations, Van Buren had the greater number of boardings/detraining than Randolph Street. But in all my time at Chicago nothing was ever accomplished to make it appreciably nicer to reflect its ridership levels.
I hope what AL is what happens. But I will be pleasantly surprised if it does.
I assume that MTA wanted to have the rail infrastructure fully tested and de-bugged before beginning service. In addition, crew training is not a “quickie” job; real-time running to familiarize engineers and conductors with the curves and gradients is needed so that train handling can be optimized. This way, when the “cosmetics” are completed and MTA cuts the ribbon, all systems will be fully operational in all respects.
It does sound like its implementation [like its construction] is happening at a snail’s pace. But everything involved is government including the LIRR so I guess that’s to be expected.
I am confused by the timing. Construction finished in May 2021, test trains don’t start until October 2021, and now in June 2022, over a year after construction has finished it isn’t operational?
Title too wordy. New Yorkers might just shorten it to Madison station. Or maybe for ticking just NYM.
I agree Neil, at least it’s not named for a politician.
Not the most inspiring name but a lot better than what it might have been (Andrew Cuomo Train Hall).