The first round of full-service transit into Grand Central Madison kicked off on Monday, with 30% of the thousands of Manhattan-bound commuters traveling into the newly constructed train station, officials said.
“To be here today in the beautiful new Grand Central Madison concourse is a thrill, LIRR interim President Catherine Rinaldi said in a statement. “This project has been in planning and development since the 1960s and it is revolutionizing travel across the entire region. It has been great to greet so many customers and to see first-hand the benefit to customers who work on, and need to travel to, the East Side of Manhattan.”
The $11.1 billion project came to fruition with an increase of 2% overall ridership increase on Monday, transit officials said. The LIRR’s service is increased by 41% with the addition of the new station, with 271 trains operating each day, officials said.
Grand Central will handle increased capacity from the LIRR’s North Shore train stations produced by express service on the Port Washington line and more commuters from the agency’s 3rd Track Project.
Transit officials initially proposed eliminating some express service for the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch as part of the East Side Access project, but later abandoned plans in the face of strong opposition from elected officials and commuters.
Overall, the branch received an 11% boost in service, with more trains becoming available for commuters on the Port Washington Branch, according to the draft schedules following the agency’s announcement.
A total of 103 trains per day service the branch, 10 more than the current schedule has, officials said. On weekends, a total of five more trains, 81 in total, will be operating along the branch.
The draft morning rush hour schedule includes 15 trains arriving in Manhattan between 6:16 a.m. and 9:51 a.m., a 36% increase from the current 11 that arrive at Penn Station between 6:21 a.m. and 9:34 a.m., according to officials.
The branch’s afternoon and evening rush hour schedule will also see a 43% increase in service, including three express trains. A total of 20 trains will leave Manhattan between 4:06 p.m. and 7:43 p.m., six more than the 14 trains that currently provided that service to commuters on the Port Washington branch, according to officials.
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena echoed the impact and significance of the new terminal, which will bring riders from Long Island directly into Grand Central Station.
“Grand Central Madison represents a transformative project that is the culmination of many years of hard work,” DeSena said. “I thank interim LIRR President Cathy Rinaldi and MTA CEO Janno Lieber for prioritizing the needs of Long Island, and especially the residents of the Town of North Hempstead.”
While Grand Central Madison is a step in the right direction in providing for the needs of commuters from Long Island, DeSena said that the work does not stop here.
“While I am hopeful that this increase in service will be a boon for our residents and businesses, I will continue to push for expanded express train service and station upgrades for residents on the Port Washington line, as the full benefits of Grand Central Madison can only truly be felt once increased service is offered to offset what was lost to accommodate this project,” DeSena said.
Transit historian Larry Penner, who previously served as the director of the Federal Transit Administration’s Region 2 office of operations and project management, said there need to be improvements in the station.
A lack of newsstands, recycling options, seating capacity, restroom facilities and missing escalators, he said, are some areas in need of improvement.