MTA opens new Grand Central Madison street entrance

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week opened a new street entrance to Grand Central Madison at 45th Street and Madison Avenue. The station provides access to the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA New York City Transit subway lines.

An elevator, three escalators and a staircase improve accessibility for the more than 72,000 riders who use Grand Central Madison daily. 

“This additional capacity is going to be a huge help during the World Cup,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in an MTA press release. “Regular commuters who use Penn Station are going to be encouraged to switch over to Grand Central Madison, just to avoid the crowds. What they're going to find here is a first-class, world-class terminal with easier access to the center of Midtown, right here at 45th and Madison.”

The project is part of a partnership with BXP, a private developer. In 2020, BXP was selected to redevelop the site, which formerly housed the MTA’s headquarters, as an office building. Demolition began in February 2021. BXP then built the new station entrance in advance of constructing the office building. MTA retains ownership of the underlying site; the redevelopment plan is projected to generate more than $1 billion in rent and tax revenues, which will be dedicated to the MTA capital program. 

"It’s a great example of how public-private partnerships help us build the system New Yorkers deserve better, faster, and cheaper," said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer.