Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal
Logo of Grand Central Terminal, with interlocking letters "G", "C", and "T"

Metro-North Railroad terminal

Exterior of the terminal building
Train shed platform and tracks
Central Main Concourse clock
Main Concourse, facing east
Clockwise from top left: 42nd Street facade; underground Metro-North platform and tracks; Main Concourse; iconic clock atop the information booth
General information
Location89 East 42nd Street
Manhattan, New York City
Owned by
Operated by
Managed byGeorge Monasterio (director)
Line(s)Park Avenue main line
Platforms44: 43 island platforms, 1 side platform
(6 tracks with Spanish solution)
Tracks67: 56 passenger tracks (30 on upper level, 26 on lower level)
43 in use for passenger service
11 sidings
ConnectionsRailway transportation Long Island Rail Road
at Grand Central Madison
New York City Subway:
"4" train"5" train"6" train"6" express train"7" train"7" express train​​42nd Street Shuttle
at Grand Central–42nd Street
Bus transport NYCT Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M42, M101, M102, M103, Q32
Bus transport NYCT Bus, MTA Bus, Academy Bus: express services
Construction
Platform levels2
AccessibleAccessible[N 1]
Other information
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Key dates
Construction1903–1913
Opened February 2, 1913; 111 years ago (February 2, 1913)
Passengers
FY 201867 million annually, based on weekly estimate[2]Increase 0.6% (Metro-North)
Services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Terminus Harlem Line Harlem–125th Street
Hudson Line Harlem–125th Street
New Haven Line Harlem–125th Street
New Canaan Branch
select weekday service
Harlem–125th Street
toward New Canaan
Danbury Branch
select weekday service
Harlem–125th Street
toward Danbury
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
125th Street
toward Chicago
Main Line Terminus
125th Street
toward Peekskill
Hudson Division
125th Street
toward Chatham
Harlem Division
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Terminus Main Line Harlem–125th Street
toward New Haven
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Croton-Harmon
toward Chicago
Lake Shore Terminus
Croton-Harmon Niagara Rainbow
Yonkers
toward Montreal
Adirondack
Yonkers Empire Service
Yonkers
toward Toronto
Maple Leaf
Former services (pre-1913)
Preceding station New York Central & Hudson River Railroad Following station
110th Street
Until 1906
toward Peekskill
Hudson Division Terminus
86th Street
Until 1901
toward Chatham
Harlem Division
72nd Street
Limited
toward Chatham
Interactive map
Map
Coordinates40°45′10″N 73°58′38″W / 40.75278°N 73.97722°W / 40.75278; -73.97722
ArchitectReed and Stem;
Warren and Wetmore
Architectural style(s)Beaux-Arts
Visitors21.6 million (in 2018)[3]
DesignatedDecember 8, 1976
Reference no.75001206
DesignatedJanuary 17, 1975
August 11, 1983 (increase)
Reference no.75001206, 83001726
DesignatedJune 23, 1980[4]
Reference no.06101.000365
DesignatedAugust 2, 1967 (facade)
September 23, 1980 (interior)
Reference no.0266 (facade)
1099 (interior)

Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus of the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Lines, serving the northern parts of the New York metropolitan area. It also contains a connection to the Long Island Rail Road through the Grand Central Madison station, a 16-acre (65,000 m2) rail terminal underneath the Metro-North station, built from 2007 to 2023. The terminal also connects to the New York City Subway at Grand Central–42nd Street station. The terminal is the third-busiest train station in North America, after New York Penn Station and Toronto Union Station.

The distinctive architecture and interior design of Grand Central Terminal's station house have earned it several landmark designations, including as a National Historic Landmark. Its Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art. Grand Central Terminal is one of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions,[5] with 21.6 million visitors in 2018, excluding train and subway passengers.[3] The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place, and is especially featured in films and television. Grand Central Terminal contains a variety of stores and food vendors, including upscale restaurants and bars, a food hall, and a grocery marketplace. The building is also noted for its library, event hall, tennis club, control center and offices for the railroad, and sub-basement power station.

Grand Central Terminal was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad; it also served the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and, later, successors to the New York Central. Opened in 1913, the terminal was built on the site of two similarly named predecessor stations, the first of which dated to 1871. Grand Central Terminal served intercity trains until 1991, when Amtrak began routing its trains through nearby Penn Station.

Grand Central covers 48 acres (19 ha) and has 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station in the world. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower. In total, there are 67 tracks, including a rail yard and sidings; of these, 43 tracks are in use for passenger service, while the remaining two dozen are used to store trains.[N 2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MTA-GCT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ridership was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference tourists was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Shields, Ann (November 10, 2014). "The World's 50 Most Visited Tourist Attractions – No. 3: Times Square, New York City – Annual Visitors: 50,000,000". Travel+Leisure. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2018. No. 3 Times Square,...No. 4 (tie) Central Park,...No. 10 Grand Central Terminal, New York City


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