Thoughts of the first trip to Grand Central “Madison” Feb 3, 2023
This was an event I had been looking forward to for quite some time, only to be delayed by the now famous ventilation problem at the new station. I finally had the opportunity to go this past Friday, and of course it was to be an extremely cold and windy day (temperatures dropping into the single numbers later in the day). But I’d be inside, so what the heck! I purchased my tickets at the Mineola TVM, and noticed that instead of three machines there were now two. And as my tickets came out, along with two $1.00 coins, they were printed as going to “Grand Central” without the Madison. Arrived on track 1 at Jamaica and the “shuttle” train to Grand Central was waiting on track 5. A train of 8 M7’s, and it was to be an express train. Ridership was very light, only 4-5 passengers on the car I was on. All verbal announcements were to “Grand Central”. Trip through the East River tunnel was very quick and smooth, and as we arrived near GCM we were held for an outbound train for about 1”. We arrived on track 304 on the lower level of the new Grand Central (Madison) terminal, and all I can say is “Magnificent!” To summarize several hours of wandering around the facility, and purposely trying to get lost, it is a trip well worth the effort! As I stated before, ridership was very light, and now is a great time to visit, as the facility is very empty and you can roam around at leisure, and do whatever photographic work you want without people in the way. It is also perhaps the safest place to be in New York City, as there are uniformed MTA police in abundance, in fact you will never be out of sight of one. Also there are numerous MTA/LIRR employees and “Ambassadors” around to ask for assistance. Architecturally the facility is both simple and modern, yet is highly functional, and contains some very colorful and pleasant art work. Even though you are way below ground (some 150’ from street level) there is no feeling of claustrophobia as the areas are spacious and well lite throughout. Also there are excellent views of arriving and departing trains at the train rooms. Along the upper corridors are many empty vendor locations, which in my opinion will most likely remain empty for quite some time to come, as I simply do not think there will be a demand for anything more than a place to pick up a few cans of beer for the trip home. Also the logistics of bringing product into the station will be difficult at best. About the only criticism I might have is with the very long escalators from the Madison Ave corridor to the track levels. They are long, very, very, long! And when you look down (which you really don’t want to do), it’s a bit unnerving (182’ long and 90’ in depth, the ride takes almost two minutes). If you have a tendency towards Acrophobia & Vertigo, beware! To make matters worse the rubber hand rail belt moves slightly faster than the stairs (not uncommon) and as you hold on for dear life you will find your upper body being pulled forward and down. You’ll need to release your “death” grasp of the railing and move your hand back several times. Perhaps this will be less of a problem when the escalators are more crowded in the future, as sight distances will be less. The upper Madison Ave corridor also contains state of the art ticket, & police areas, and there is plenty of signage to direct you into GCT. It can be said that the new facility does not in any way detract from the magnificence of Grand Central as we all knew it. It is separate and apart from the terminal, but certainly does provide a wonderful and weatherproof connection between the LIRR and MNRR. It really makes going to JFK airport simple for the MNRR rider, while providing the rider from Long Island an access to the East Side. In retrospect it seems as though the “soft start” to the Grand Central service was a wise decision so that operational bugs could be sorted out before regular operations begins. This is an unusual luxury, as this is a service of “addition” rather than a replacement. The return trip was with a train of 8 M9 cars, and the electronic signage was functional. I changed trains at Jamaica, and had considerable time to explore Jamaica station for the first in a long time.
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