The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) service to Grand Central Madison on Jan. 25. The first train is scheduled to originate at Jamaica at 10:45 a.m. and run express to Grand Central Madison where it is scheduled to arrive at 11:07 a.m. For at least three weeks, LIRR will operate limited shuttle service between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison, so customers can acquaint themselves with the new terminal as existing schedules continue.
The train will be the first of regularly scheduled Grand Central Direct trains to operate between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison. Trains will operate between 6:15 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. Trains will run every 30 minutes in both directions during weekday midday periods and on weekends and once per hour during peak periods (arriving in Grand Central between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and departing between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.).
During this initial period, the LIRR will have customer ambassadors on the Grand Central Madison concourse to greet customers and offer information about the new space. LIRR customers looking to travel to Grand Central Madison can use Penn Station tickets, as Penn Station and Grand Central Madison are in the same fare zone.
The special Grand Central Direct service will conclude with the initiation of full train service mirroring what was previewed in draft schedules published in June. To enable travel planning, the MTA will provide notice when full schedules, increasing overall LIRR service by 41 percent, are scheduled to go into effect.
