LIRR makes maiden trip to Grand Central Terminal – Telemundo New York (47)

NEW YORK – The anticipated and delayed rail route from Long Island to Grand Central Terminal is closing in on reality.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials took a 27-minute test ride on the train Sunday morning from Jamaica Station to Grand Central.

The project East Side Access from the MTA links Long Island Rail Road with Grand Central. Currently, the LIRR ends at Penn Station on the west side of Manhattan, forcing Long Island commuters who work on the east side of the city to take other modes of transportation to get to work.

More than 150,000 customers a day are expected to use the service when it begins next year. There had been talk of opening access to Grand Central since the 1950s, and construction finally began more than a decade ago.

The project was initially estimated at around $ 2 billion, but ended up costing more than $ 11 billion. Crews have flown eight miles of tunnels through prehistoric-era bedrock and built a 350,000-square-foot concourse beneath the terminal.

Hochul spoke Sunday about how the new service would address quality of life issues. The Democrat also spoke about the need to upgrade Penn Station to match the adjacent Moynihan train hall, a project championed by her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.

“Now you get to Penn Station and you kind of hang your head,” Hochul said. “I want people to look up. Everyone deserves to have that kind of experience. “

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