Unless you pay attention to these things, you may be surprised the next time you visit New York City. In the last few years, there have been major improvements to the transportation system. Besides the transformation of LaGuardia Airport from an embarrassment to one of the best airports around, there have also been massive changes to NYC’s rail system. The newly opened Moynihan Train Hall provides a world-class station for Amtrak and LIRR trains, and there are plans to completely redo the aging Penn Station.
If you’re flying into JFK airport, the quickest way to get to Manhattan is to take the AirTrain to Jamaica station and then hop on the LIRR to Penn Station. That’s fine if you’re headed downtown. But if you’re staying on the East Side or uptown, you’d have to take a taxi/rideshare or subway ride from Penn Station, and then you’ve lost some of the time advantages of taking the train instead of taking a subway from JFK.
That is, until now.
The MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) has completed “the most transformative change to the LIRR in over a century” with the opening of the Grand Central Madison station. Located under Grand Central Station, the new stop provides a direct link from Jamaica Station to Grand Central.
This is a huge advantage if you’re staying in Midtown or north as it’s only a quick hop on a subway or a nice walk to anywhere in the area.
The 4,5,6,7 & S subway lines serve Grand Central. The LIRR platforms are at the lower level of the new station. Be sure to allow enough time to safely get downstairs and to your track.
Here’s how long it may take you to get to the LIRR platforms:
- 47th Street or 48th Street: 4-5 minutes
- 42nd Street, 43rd Street, or: 6-8 minutes
- or Metro-North: 10-12 minutes
The station and service are new, so they’re breaking things in with service to/from Jamaica station.
Weekdays: During the AM and PM rush, trains will run hourly in the peak direction (westbound in the morning, eastbound in the evening). These peak trains will stop at Woodside to provide service for Port Washington customers. At midday, trains will run every half hour, with one train running express between Jamaica and Grand Central, and one train making all local stops at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside. The first train will depart Jamaica at 6:17 a.m., and the final train will depart Grand Central at 8:04 p.m.
Weekends: Between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., trains will run every half hour, with one train running express between Jamaica and Grand Central, and one train making all local stops at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside.
For now, pricing to Grand Central Madison station will be the same as a trip to Penn Station.
Not to mention, the new station looks amazing.
For more information on the Grand Central Madison station, check out the MTA website at https://new.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road/grand-central-madison-guide
I’m looking forward to checking it out the next time we fly into JFK.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
4 comments
Is there a barrier (plexiglass wall) between the edge of the platform and the drop off to the tracks? If not, thugs will continue to push people onto the tracks.
Nice!!So how much does it cost? “pricing to Grand Central Madison station will be the same as a trip to Penn Station.”
Train tickets vary in price depending on when you’re traveling. Peak weekday prices are the most expensive and weekends and off hours get reduced pricing. Figure between $4 to $13 per person.
14 years late , way over budget and still not running trains to Long Island. What a boondoggle.