Grand Central Madison, photographed Jan. 23, 2023, offers Long Island Railroad customers a direct route to the East Side of Manhattan.
© Seth Harrison/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – Long Island Rail Road commuters have been enjoying East Side access for a year now. As of Tuesday, it’s been 365 days since Grand Central Madison opened its doors. Prior to that point, LIRR riders had to take the train to Penn Station on the West Side, then double back to the East Side if that’s where their job was located.
For some commuters it means close to 40 minutes in time savings. The MTA says Grand Central Madison has been getting good use as well, with more than 70 million riders passing through it over the past year. LIRR’s more robust reverse commute options led to a 40% increase in ridership, per MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber. The new terminal also expanded passengers’ ability to travel by rail between Long Island and the Hudson Valley — with 81,000 combo tickets of that variety sold in 2023.
The MTA says it plans to open a café and bar inside the terminal sometime in 2024.
