See inside Grand Central Station's newly opened Long Island Rail Road terminal — finally open to passengers after 15 years of construction

A construction crew works on the Grand Central Madison terminal providing Long Island Rail Road Access to Manhattan's Grand Central Station.

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

• Construction on Grand Central Madison began in 2006, and cost $12 billion.
• The terminal could cut 40 minutes off of some riders' commutes, according to the New York Times.
• Positioned more than 100 feet underground, it can take up to 12 minutes to travel from the platform to the subway.

The Long Island Rail Road terminal at Grand Central Station in Manhattan is finally open after decades of planning, construction, and delays. 

Shuttle service from Queens to the terminal, called Grand Central Madison, began Wednesday. The first rides marked the completion of a project that began in the 1960s to connect Queens to Manhattan's East Side.

While construction on parts of the tunnel that connects to Grand Central Madison began in the 1960s and was completed in the 1980s, work to connect tunnels to Grand Central Station didn't begin until 2007. Now, 15 years later, Long Island commuters have finally taken their first trips to the East Side. 

Riders have long awaited the $12 billion project, which can cut as much as 40 minutes off of some commutes, the New York Times reported Wednesday. 

Insider dug up photos showing a timeline of construction at the terminal, from a hole underground to a shiny new station. 

In the beginning, there was darkness ...

Construction on the Grand Central Madison terminal 10 years ago in 2013 shows the skeleton of a now-polished train platform.

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Construction at Grand Central Madison was well underway in 2013, as crews worked on the skeleton of a station that wouldn't open for another decade. 

... yet progress continued more than a decade after the project began. By 2018, construction had moved forward significantly, adding rails, a platform and a mezzanine to the once bare bones hole underground.

The terminal, providing Long Island Rail Road access to Manhattan's East Side, showed significant progress by 2018.

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Grand Central Madison's platforms sit well over 100 feet underground. For some commuters, reaching the subway could take up to 12 minutes.

In-progress escalators at the station in 2018. Train platforms at Grand Central Madison are well over 100 feet underground.

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Crunch time came in May 2022, with construction on some parts of the terminal in full swing as commuters anxiously awaited the planned 2022 opening. However, troubles with a fan halted the terminal's opening late last year.

Construction of some parts of the terminal was in full swing as late as May 2022.

AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

Source: New York Post

By the end of last spring, the final product began to materialize. While construction in some parts of the terminal was still underway, platforms were nearly complete.

A Grand Central Madison platform in May 2022, as the project reached its final stages.

AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

A first look at the new terminal last year appeared to include bright screens and a glossy look, as the pieces began to come together.

A platform entrance awaits its first pedestrians.

AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

A photo of the same platform entrance shows the results of the finishing touches just before the terminal opened Wednesday to the public and welcomed its first passengers.

With screens turned on, the platforms are prepared for commuters.

Marc A. Hermann/MTA

The terminal opened Wednesday, welcoming its first passengers. Just before the opening, a photo of the same platform entrance shows the results of finishing touches. 

"Infrastructure is all about connections, and this project is an extraordinary step forward to better connect millions of New Yorkers with their homes, their families and their jobs," New York Gov. Cathy Hochul said, according to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority press release.

Commuters appeared to rejoice on the first day of operation at the terminal, marveling at the architecture and taking their first rides to and from the city.

The station bustles upon its opening on Jan. 25, as commuters observe the result of an $11 billion project.

Marc A. Hermann/MTA

"I thought it was very updated, very nice, very fancy," Kayla Behnen, who would up in the station while sightseeing during a layover, told the New York Times Wednesday. "I actually wasn't expecting it to be this nice when I got off the train because it's been awhile since I've been to Grand Central."

After more than 15 years, the platform is squeaky clean and finally ready to take on the intensity and volume of New York City commuters.

From gray and gloom to sleek and silver, as trains await their first passengers.

Marc A. Hermann/MTA

Travelers trek up and down the long escalator to Grand Central Madison, marking a new era for the LIRR.

LIRR commuters ride the escalator at Grand Central Madison.

Marc A. Hermann/MTA

Some commuters have already called the new terminal life-changing, ABC 7 reported Wednesday.

"Not having to do it, back and forth from the West Side to the East Side and reverse in the afternoon? It's a huge time-saving thing for us,"one Long Island resident told ABC 7.

 

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