MTA crews relocate LIRR tracks to make way for Grand Central entrance

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) crews have begun relocating hundreds of feet of track in Sunnyside, Queens, by several yards to create space for an entrance to a newly built tunnel to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Built underneath the Sunnyside Yard, the new tunnel will carry eastbound and westbound LIRR trains that connect with the railroad's Main Line at the Harold Interlocking.

The tracks are being relocated as part of the East Side Access project, which calls for brining LIRR service into a new eight-track terminal and concourse below Grand Central in Manhattan.

To give crews space to work, LIRR is implementing temporary schedule changes that began July 21 and will remain in effect through Sept. 3.

"This track relocation reflects real, tangible progress at East Side Access — bringing us another step closer to starting LIRR service to Grand Central," said MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber in a press release. "After this step is completed, the contract to build the tunnel entrance, which will begin active construction this fall, is the last major contract needed for the start of service."

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that it finished upgrading the signal system in the Harold Interlocking to make way for the start of final East Side Access construction.