Full LIRR service to Midtown's Grand Central Madison set to begin

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) — Full Long Island Rail Road service will come to Grand Central Madison in Midtown starting Monday.

The larger rollout comes after service to the sprawling transit hub began on a limited trial basis late last month, linking Long Island to Manhattan’s East Side.

The $11.1 billion project — the first expansion of LIRR service in more than a century — connects all 11 LIRR lines to the brand new, 700,000-square-foot station below Grand Central Terminal.

The terminal will now allow Manhattan-bound travelers to go directly to the East Side, where previously the only option was heading to the West Side’s Pennsylvania Station, then traveling back east.

Grand Central Madison, built inside a massive man-made cavern and served by rail tunnels carved through bedrock, is being heralded as a key addition to the nation’s busiest railway network. Its two-level concourse accommodates four platforms and eight tracks.

The station was previously scheduled to open by the end of 2022 but was delayed by issues with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

View the full Grand Central Madison schedule for all 11 LIRR branches here.