Historic First Rush Hour Train Arrives at 5:48 a.m. From Hempstead
Thousands of LIRR Customers Use Trains to Grand Central as Railroad Adds 271 Trains per Day
View Photos of Morning Rush Hour at Grand Central Madison
MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) today began full service at Grand Central Madison, with the railroad noting an overall uptick in Monday morning rush hour ridership of nearly 2%. By the conclusion of the rush hour, the railroad had recorded 47,413 morning peak passengers. Manhattan-bound customers were split 30% traveling to Grand Central Madison on its first full day, 70% to Penn Station.
With full service now operating to Grand Central Madison, the LIRR is operating 271 trains per day, increasing LIRR systemwide service by 41%, to 936 trains per weekday and creating true reverse-peak service on the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches for the first time.
"To be here today in the beautiful new Grand Central Madison concourse is a thrill,” said LIRR Interim President and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “This project has been in planning and development since the 1960s and it is revolutionizing travel across the entire region. It has been great to greet so many customers and to see first-hand the benefit to customers who work on, and need to travel to, the East Side of Manhattan.”
On January 25, 2023, Grand Central Madison opened with Grand Central Direct shuttle service, which operated between the terminal and Jamaica Station, allowing customers to preview the terminal before today’s implementation of the full schedules.
For branch-by-branch service summaries, see here. For train schedules, check the TrainTime app or visit mta.info, where pdf timetables are available.