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Overcast E.M., Westbury LIRR commuters weigh in on new terminal
After years of planning, construction, and deadline changes, Grand Central Madison finally opened to the public on Jan. 25.
The 700,000-square-foot modern, sleek and clean station is expected to save Long Island Rail Road passengers 40 minutes on their trips, according to the MTA website.
The terminal runs along Madison Avenue between 43rd and 48th streets and accommodates all 11 LIRR lines. The benefits include less crowding at Penn Station and the nearby subway stations, and easier access to the East side of Manhattan.
East Meadow residents have mixed opinions on whether or not the new terminal will benefit their commute.
Limited shuttle service will be operating between Grand Central and Jamaica until mid-February. Trains will run hourly during peak periods and every 30 minutes during middays and weekends. Riders looking to go to Grand Central Madison can use their Penn Station tickets, which are the same price.
“This is a trial period that’s why it’s only departing from Jamaica and taking longer,” Roselle Koutsogiannis, a Westbury resident, wrote to the Herald. “I took a look at the schedule. I think my commute from Westbury will be a few minutes quicker. The only good thing for me is it’s a much more doable walk from (Grand Central) and I can avoid the subway.”
The first ride from Jamaica to Grand Central Madison was a big event with. Gov. Kathy Hochul was joined by train-enthusiasts, railway commuters, and MTA representatives for the first ride to the new station.
With new terminals, comes plenty of trial and error. With limited train schedules, some East Meadow and Westbury riders had differing opinions about whether the new station will have a positive impact on their ride to and from work.
Alexandra Munoz from East Meadow, who took a train out of Grand Central Madison back to the Bellmore station, wrote that she liked it because, “I don’t have to get in the subway. It works for me. It’s a big station, very nice. There were a lot of LIRR employees around assisting customers.”
Regina Isakova from East Meadow said that the commute in the mornings from Bellmore or Merrick makes the trip longer. “The wait between the trains to GCM can be up to 30 minutes. Who has that kind of time to waste?” Isakova wrote. “There are several express trains to Penn Station in the morning that are more convenient to take.”
Some riders wrote about a lack of signage in the terminal guiding people where to go. Others commented about the length of the station’s escalators.
“The signs in GCM are very vague. My first time it took me a while to find the tracks.” Isakova wrote. “Yes, the folks were there to help, but when you walk, the signs were a bit confusing. Now the famous escalators are very steep. One can really get hurt there if in a rush. My advice is to just not run through them and just stand to take you all the way down.”
Wendy Chan from Westbury said more signs are needed because she was “totally lost.”
“Had to leave work earlier and added extra 20 minutes to my commute back home,” Chan wrote. “At the moment not beneficial. Will wait for direct trains and no transfer at Jamaica. And the escalator to the station was like terror especially if you are trying to catch the train at the last minute.”
Tunneling began for this project in 2007. With a price tag of over $11 billion, the project features 13 miles of tunnels and 40 miles of new track.
“Big waste of billions,” East Meadow resident Jeffrey Rosen wrote. “It’s too close to Penn Station for it to make much of a difference. If they were going to add another line to Manhattan they should have went to lower Manhattan.”
