Grand Central Terminal
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.
"Grand Central Station" redirects here. For other uses, see Grand Central Station (disambiguation).
Grand Central Terminal
- NYC & Hudson River (1913–1914)
- New York Central (1914–1968)
- Penn Central (1968–1994)
- American Premier Underwriters (1994–2006)
- Midtown Trackage Ventures (2006–2020)
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2020–present)
- NYC & Hudson River (1913–1914)
- New York Central (1914–1968)
- New York, New Haven and Hartford (1913–1968)
- Penn Central (1968–1976)
- Amtrak (1971–1991)
- Conrail (1976–1983)
- Metro-North (1983–present)
George Monasterio (director)
44: 43 island platforms, 1 side platform
(6 tracks with Spanish solution)
67: 56 passenger tracks (30 on upper level, 26 on lower level)
43 in use for passenger service
11 sidings
Long Island Rail Road
at Grand Central Madison
New York City Subway:
at Grand Central–42nd Street
NYCT Bus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M42, M101, M102, M103, Q32 NYCT Bus, MTA Bus, Academy Bus: express services
2
Accessible[N 1]
1903–1913
Opened February 2, 1913
67 million annually, based on weekly estimate[2] 
0.6% (Metro-North)
21.6 million (in 2018)[3]
December 8, 1976
January 17, 1975
August 11, 1983 (increase)
June 23, 1980[4]
06101.000365
August 2, 1967 (facade)
September 23, 1980 (interior)
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]
Name[edit]
Grand Central Terminal was named by and for the New York Central Railroad, which built the station and its two predecessors on the site. It has "always been more colloquially and affectionately known as Grand Central Station", the name of its immediate predecessor[6][7] that operated from 1900 to 1910.[8][9] The name "Grand Central Station" is also shared with the nearby U.S. Post Office station at 450 Lexington Avenue[10] and, colloquially, with the Grand Central–42nd Street subway station next to the terminal.[11]
The station has been named "Grand Central Terminal" since before its completion in 1913; the full title is inscribed on its 42nd Street facade.[12] According to 21st-century sources, it is designated a "terminal" because trains originate and terminate there.[13][14] The CSX Corporation Railroad Dictionary also considers "terminals" as facilities "for the breaking up, making up, forwarding, and servicing of trains" or "where one or more rail yards exist".[15]
