East Side Access

East Side Access
Interactive map   Red and   blue: new tunnels.   Green: existing 63rd Street Tunnel. Points denote new stations.
Overview
Status	Full service
Owner	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Locale	New York City
Termini	Sunnyside Yard/Harold Interlocking (Queens) Grand Central Madison (Manhattan)
Stations	2
Website	Official website
Service
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Services	City Terminal Zone
Operator(s)	MTA Long Island Rail Road
Ridership	162,000 daily (projected)
History
Commenced	September 2007 (2007-09)
Opened	January 25, 2023 (2023-01-25)[1]
Technical
Line length	2 mi (3.2 km)
Track length	6.1 mi (9.8 km)
Number of tracks	2–8
Character	Underground
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 750 V DC
Route map Legend East River  Northeast Corridor to Boston LIRR Main Line to Greenport 63rd Street Subway Sunnyside Yard Metro-North main line Harold Interlocking 63rd Street Subway 63rd Street Tunnel Midday Storage Yard Sunnyside Arch Street Yard Hunterspoint Avenue Grand Central Montauk Branch to Montauk Long Island City NEC & LIRR to Penn Station East River Tunnels East Side Access route Other routes This diagram: view talk edit

East Side Access (ESA) is a public works project in New York City that extended the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) two miles from its Main Line in Queens to the new Grand Central Madison station under Grand Central Terminal on Manhattan's East Side. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) project was originally scheduled to open in 2009 but was delayed by more than a decade. The new station and tunnels opened with limited service to Jamaica station in Queens on January 25, 2023, before full service began on February 27, 2023. The estimated cost of the project rose over threefold from US$3.5 billion to US$11.1 billion as of April 2018^[update], making it one of the world's most expensive underground rail-construction projects.

The new LIRR terminal contains eight tracks and four platforms in a two-level station 100 feet (30.5 m) below street level. It was built in conjunction with several other LIRR expansion projects, including an additional track along parts of the Main Line. The project was intended to remove or reduce the need for subway transfers for a large number of riders with jobs on the east side of Manhattan. Previously, the only Manhattan stop for trains from Long Island was Penn Station, on the west side of the island.

East Side Access was based on transit plans from the 1950s, though an LIRR terminal on Manhattan's East Side was first proposed in 1963. The planned LIRR line was included in the 1968 Program for Action of transit improvements in the New York City area. Lack of funds prevented the construction of any part of the connection other than the 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River. Plans for the LIRR connection were revived in the late 1990s. The project received federal funding in 2006, and construction began the following year. The tunnels on the Manhattan side were dug from 2007 to 2011, and the connecting tunnels on the Queens side were completed in 2012. Afterward, work began on other facilities related to the line, such as new platforms at Grand Central, ventilation and ancillary buildings, communication and utility systems, and supporting rail infrastructure in Queens. The project's completion was delayed several times during construction.