Grand Central Terminal Awaits Its Entrance

Commuters will soon have a new way to access New York’s Grand Central Terminal. (And by the way, “terminal" is the correct word—Grand Central Station refers to the nearby post office, as well as a previous rail station on the site. It also sometimes refers to a subway station at the same site.) The project is part of the larger East Side Access plan that will allow Long Island Railroad Trains to enter Grand Central. It will also be available to Metro-North riders.
The plan is expected to cost 6.3 billion and will add four two-train platforms. The new connection should shorten travel time for commuters going to Manhattan’s East Side.
A new entrance is being constructed on East 47th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. It will be inside the lobby of 245 Park Avenue and is set to open in September 2011. The new entrance will feature an escalator from the street to the 47th Street cross passageway, and a staircase from the street to the platform shared by Tracks 11 and 13. At the moment, the end of the 47th Street cross passageway has no outlet.
Ground was broken this past Monday for the $14 million entrance. The new platforms should be completed by the end of 2016.
Going by number of platforms, Grand Central Terminal is the largest railway station in the world. The original Grand Central opened in 1871.