Grand Central Madison - Navigating The New Complex

[@eltonsalvador7620]

They should have added one those Airport flat escalators going both ways to make walking a lot more convenient and faster

[@paulbowler2760]

Or a separate shuttle train like the one in the main terminal at Hong Kong Airport!

[@SkySpiritFan]

Grand Central - Madison is a total waste of money! I was so mad when I had to do all that walking from the #6 exit all the way to the LIRR, like f*ck! I thought they brought it to the main terminal. Who wants to do all that walking? MTA didn’t know to create moving walkways?

[@mood4eva98]

@@SkySpiritFan just because it’s not convenient for you doesn’t mean it’s a waste of money. Many people are going to benefit from the station and knowing how to navigate the station is going to cut the time to travel out the station

[@aerodevelopments]

And add another $2 billion and two years?

[@51pogo]

@@SkySpiritFan Walking is a good way to stay heart healthy in the otherwise sedentary life of an office worker. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, the MTA removed the moving sidewalks in the subway system at Court Square circa 2018. Maintenance of them costs money, and most people walked along them anyway!

[@johnleddy7218]

Great video, Jeremy. I would note that folks wanting to get to the Grand Central Concourse would be wise to sit in the front of the train and take the 45th street escalator. It would shorten this walk by a number of minutes. You arrived at 48th street, the farthest point from GCT.

[@customnyctours]

Yes, I did so on purpose to show the fullest possible walk, and to show the length of the space.

[@dannaandrea7502]

Are there any elevators to get to 45th street?

[@customnyctours]

@@dannaandrea7502 Not 45th, but there is one for 44 and another for 47 or 48 (can't remember which).

[@marrkzulunuz]

They need to install moving sidewalks, like any major airport would have. But the Mezzanine walk is vigorous and healthy. Cheers.

[@hirampriggott1689]

I thought the same thing.

[@BrianAddams]

Thanks for showing the different way to get to the new LIRR station. This is the most informative video yet!

[@mood4eva98]

Thanks for the navigation on transferring to MNRR and the Subway. There's another hidden entrance to the lower level tracks at the 45th St segment

[@matthewgarcia1499]

Thank You for your thorough tour of the new Grand Central Madison terminal... it's surely a gigantic city underneath your feet for real!

[@patformicola850]

I’m from Florida. I love trains. Thursday 3/2 I’m going to Long Island. Monday 3/13 I’m going to see my aunt and my uncle in Westchester County. I need to keep studying this video to get to Main Metro-North. It’s going to a big help.

[@СолнечныйПарус-р7щ]

Modern, beautiful, concise subway. Lots of exits and connections. It's a pleasure to be there. The eyes don't get tired at all; besides, are afraidings of the deep subway will get used to it over time. It's time to equal your metro to world standards & instances.🤩🤩🤩🥰

[@JackArkitekt]

But this white elephant built over 25 years with 9 billion over original budget of 2 billion... for what, save 20 min train ride to Penn Station, while walk another 11 minutes to train platform??? Only dumbocrats can do this. LIRR is not an subway, this is commuter railroad, yes party electrified by third rail, and trains are looks like Subway but longer, can run to 80 mph maximum service speed, up to 120 miles from Manhattan... again this is not an subway, also run Double Levels pulled by diesel electric. Not all tracks of LIRR are electrified, by ridership this was busiest commuter railroad in USA, with over 250,000 passengers trips per day. But now after pandemic is back to just 70% of ridership of 2019.

[@eventtrading]

That's an excellent vid. So pleased that NYC is opening new infrastructure. The sign of a healthy city. Both the photography and narration are first rate.

[@steveember8972]

Thanks, Jeremy, for this engaging and highly informative video. I'd only visited Grand Central Madison once and was hugely impressed at what an engineering feat this was, especially considering the lowest track levels are an amazing 14 or 15 stories bneath the street grid, with multiple levels between them and the streets, as well as the spacious and attractive design scheme - truly world class. That one visit, with lots of still photography, left me a bit disoriented as to the mezzanine and concourse levels' relation to the rest of GCT, but your video puts it all in great perspective. I particularly like your treatment of the connections between Metro North platforms and GC-M involving the extensive subterranean passageways designed into the original GCT that actually run between the track levels - pretty impressive in their own era! The signage, of course, is excellent, so even the casual user can find their way; but for those like myself who are fascinated not only by trains but by such complexes of underground concourses, passageways, etc, your video becomes a wonderful guide for future visits, providing the "geography" behind where one is actually going. I plan to watch it again - at least once! - before my next visit!

[@anthonysnyder1152]

SF has an unused train station at the basement of the Salesforce Transit Center. Hoping in the next 15 years we'll see a train pull into it! Either HSPR, Caltrain or BART could have tracks. Either way it's exciting the see the developments in NY for Grand Central!

[@TuanNguyen-uq8gz]

That Transit Center is designed to be a hub for Caltrain, BART, and HSR as well. It has a 3 underground level mainly designed for caltrain and HSR., but the above levels are for buses only and retails only.

[@sudatkhan]

If you got off at 45th Street (front of the train) the walk is around 7 minutes and if you speed walk (like most New Yorkers do during rush hour) you can shave it off to a 5-6 minute walk which is pretty good.

[@elecsheep9]

I timed myself this morning. From gettin goff the train at the 3rd from the front car, it took me 7:03 to Bourke Street Bakery. I was not speedalking, nor was I lollygagging. So you are correct.

[@295g295]

Walking through this concourse is faster than walking through the streets ?

[@elecsheep9]

@@295g295 For me, exiting the concourse would take me out of the way. It exits onto Vanderbilt, which is away from the direction I am going. Plus, I stop for coffee on my way in. It really depends on where your ultimate destination is.

[@dougall1687]

Thanks for the guided tour. Deep as a 17 story building ... someone needs to let Geoff Marshall know about that ;)

[@huncho1057]

Awww man let him start counting the steps lol

[@jamesbarry1673]

In 5 years people will be at such a point they couldn't imagine life without all this every penny spent on the improvement of mass transit is a penny well spent.

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

I agree. My belief is that public transit is the best investment that could possibly be put not just into big cities but any city or town. It’s not just a means for people to get to point A or point B, it’s the backbone of economies, it attracts people and business, it literally shapes how cities function and the quality of life for the people in them. This includes mental health. My wild take is that it’s no coincidence that mass shootings happen much more often in sprawling suburbs, where people feel more isolated, stuck, and less connected to their communities.

[@mysticmetfan]

Im actually pretty excited that this has finally opened and is running! I've been following this project since my last year of high school (99) and can't wait to get into the city and check this out for myself!

[@lowrybt1]

This feels like the pace of a tourist. Most determined commuters walk up escalators and they don't stop to look around as you did

[@matthewgarcia1499]

We appreciate the pace he was going at....not everyone lives in NYC!

[@elecsheep9]

@@matthewgarcia1499 But it is not an accurate depiction of how long it would take a commuter. Which is the point.

[@matthewgarcia1499]

@@elecsheep9 he did say that… There’s no need to highlight the same It’s redundant… I appreciated the time he took to gave other ppl a tour… that’s my point

[@elecsheep9]

@@matthewgarcia1499 It would be one thing if the video did not make a point of repeatedly saying how much time had lapsed and how long it took to get to the main hall. What is the point of the video? Is it a travelogue about the new terminal, or is it meant to depict what an average commute using the concourse is like. It cannot accurately be both.

[@matthewgarcia1499]

@@elecsheep9 bro jus stop going back and forth about this petty shit - and quit msgn me back n forth wdf

[@DinoCon]

I have to go to NYC tomorrow, and I arrive in GCT, so this is super exciting!

[@pettahify]

The design of this new station is just awesome!

[@Mike-wt7jq]

They should auction off those infamous ventilation doors one day. It would be a cool conversation piece in the house for sure.

[@kittgarrett]

Great job! Thank you. Would love to see another version from the train to 42nd street for wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to know where the elevators are located before arriving at the top of the long escalators.

[@customnyctours]

Good idea. I'll make a video for that next time I'm in the terminal.

[@fredashay]

Why didn't they put the new platforms directly under Grand Central and not have that long corridor? I bet they expect to line that corridor with shops, and wanted to force those millions of people past all the shops! At least one nice thing about NYC is there's always "secret" shortcuts through buildings...

[@frogger1952]

Great tip toward the end of the video on transferring from MNR to LIRR, which I will be doing. So it looks like I should get on at the end of my train which is the northern most part of the train when parked at GCT. Note that there is a bank of 3 elevators to the left of the ticket window near the 47th St escalator. Those elevators are fast (including doors that open and close quickly) and you can avoid that 90+ second escalator trip.

[@51pogo]

One salient point is that many LIRR commuters will not be walking from Grand Central Terminal from Grand Central Madison as mass transit fans are doing. Many commuters will exit along the way to 48th, 47th, 46th, 45th Sts. etc. and Vanderbilt Ave., closer to where their offices are. So the "Ten Minute Walk" is an innacurate measure of the effectiveness of the new facility. That is why the mezzanine, escalator and stairway capacity gets smaller the closer one gets to the old GCT from GCM.

[@295g295]

Will this new Grand Central Madison lead more crowds to the 'Lexington-4-5-6' Subway service?

[@edwinroman7272]

Great video ! I love how you ended the video going into grand central and outside. Gives people an idea where in GCT you can take LIRR.

[@DeanStephen]

It’s inside, bright, clean, functional, and not embarrassing like the rest of the existing system. Who cares about the walk. If they do, put in a moving walkway.

[@295g295]

3:48 - This long view of the concourse is under Maddison Avenue?

[@u1zha]

Thanks for nerdy walkthrough video! 5:45 on the left there are more LIRR escalators you don't mention... Edit: ah, 13:20 you finally get to exploring those

[@rpvitiello]

The biggest advantage of building this, is it gives a place for commuters to go during the years of construction redoing Penn stain will take. Now most services have stations other than the mess that is under Madison square garden to go to as penn itself gets redone.

[@marblehillpjs]

It's saves 2 train rides which can be crowded AND 2 fares both ways

[@GIJew]

AND having to deal with deranged N-Persons

[@J21822]

Probably will take 5 minutes if you’re just walking to work normally (not filming or taking your time). Even less if you take the other exits or elevators.

[@aufstiegundfall]

I'm from Brussels and am in awe at this successful project... you pay less income tax to get way better public infrastructure than we do

[@snapperhead273]

i wish i could say the same for the rest of the infrastructure in nyc.

[@pettahify]

They actually don't pay that much less in tax compared to European countries, although it varies a lot between different states. They do however spend their tax dollars complete different from Europe. They spend A LOT more on the military for example.

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

Lol don’t flatter yourself, this is just because we have higher taxes in NY, and most of this money is coming from the NY metro area. Upstate NY is hardly contributing. Also there’s plenty of infrastructure that needs improvement.

[@jpp7783]

@@pettahify you’re right. I’ve analyzed this and once you add the health care costs that Americans pay for privately, their tax load is about the same as mine (Canada) or most of the western world. The US just spends a LOT more on military, and also runs bigger deficits than most countries.

[@ericli2936]

Nice, can't wait to see it

[@jamesotto478]

Love how everyone has a phone and they got reception 17 stories down and at all levels. It is like the Verizon commercial: Can you hear me now. Vanderbilt new building and the top view area would be nice to see the summit. 1-2 years later all stores will be open, and traffic would be dense.

[@snapperhead273]

there are cell phone antenna everywhere down there.

[@MoniaNewYork]

great job my friend!

[@geniferteal4178]

If your goal is the main area of Grand Central station you will have the long walk. I believe those people will get out at the closest Street exit to wherever they're going. Then it will be much quicker.

[@TheKewlPerson]

A few other things could affect your time. Of course in this video you were walking faster, that could shorten your time. Also being towards the front of the train and walking up the escalators would massively speed things up.

[@jaimerosado3896]

Let’s see. The main escalators are under 48 Street. And the escalators used to get from Grand Central Madison to the lower concourse at GCT is under 43 Street. That’s a 1/4 mile. Airplane terminals have shorter corridors. Heck if they made a walkway from the 59 Street station on the 4/5/6 line to the Lexington Avenue/63 Street station on the F/Q line it would be shorter. And speaking of the 6 train, if that’s your connection, then you’re better off using the 51 Street station instead of 42 Street. Frankly I wonder how many people using the station right now will continue to use it once the novelty wears off.

[@51pogo]

The point of the new Grand Central Madison is NOT to get LIRR passengers into the old Grand Central Terminal. It is to get the commuters to their East Side office buildings where they work, many of which are along the way from GCM to GCT.

[@elecsheep9]

There are three bays of ecalators from the platform level to the concourse. One at 48th Street, one of 45th Street, and one in between (not sure if it is 46th or 47th). So you need to choose a car on the train that is appropriate where you work. I work on 40th street, so I take one of the front most cars and go up the 45th Street escalators. The first time, I made the mistake of taking a back car and had to do the walk from 48th to 45th. That added 3-4 minutes to the walk. Any experienced commuter will know how to position themselves for the shortest walk if they care.

[@295g295]

@@51pogo Do any 'office buildings' have entry-doors at the underground-level of this concourse, or only at the street-level?

[@51pogo]

@@295g295 I'm not sure about any others, but One Vanderbilt does. Will check the rest on my next trip there.

[@esciteach7997]

absolutely agree from Penn Station is a 20 minute walk to east side where your office for work may be. Right now question is; rather do that or change at Jamaica to here. Many many of us on Long Island take Ronkonkoma (no change) to Penn Station. At 7am, just want to get in my train seat and get off in Manhattan. No way do we want to "change at Jamaica" on the way to work; specially in cold, rainy, snowy weather. Some of us take 42nd street shuttle to east side subways (A-C-1-2 etc.) to office buildings.

[@rv6914]

One of the few cleanest stations otherwise it's nasty( I live in NYC). NYC is so behind when it comes to infrastructure compared to Euro/Asia.

[@mmrw]

There are several elevators that go directly to the street from the concourse level in about 20 seconds, if you use those to get to the street it undoubtedly saves time

[@joevalentine2048]

10 minutes walking with no crush of fellow commuters to slow you down. Ditto the other commenters regarding moving sidewalks as used in airports. Helpful for seniors and disabled.

[@fortythreenorth2518]

New York is quite an impressive place. I'd love to explore one day if I can scrounge together some pennies.

[@redsox1935]

I live here. It is a very impressive place

[@steve-o5600]

Next priority...clean-up the trash and trash-heaps along the Metro North and LIRR railbeds.

[@stevenj2380]

Update to anyone reading. LIRR services added to CCM starting FEB 27.

[@NOATSFilms]

I used the bathrooms and can confirm they are the nicest ones at the station... for now.

[@295g295]

> 7:15

[@jamallhayden2512]

Cars aren’t as efficient at moving a large amount of people around dense populations like big cities e.t.c in the same way trains are, 2 train tracks can move the same of people of a 6 car lanes!

[@mrblack6439]

I know now what to expect , leave plenty of time to get down to the track, it’s about 4-5 levels down from street level.

[@northscale7563]

When i came into GC from Ronkonkoma in late spring, all the escalators from the platform were going DOWN only... there were people with kids and luggage walking for ever looking for a way out. 😔🙄

[@thefareplayer2254]

In terms of walking time, when walking without stopping, at a slightly brisk pace (as in, walking to get to work in the morning), I’ve timed it from the 7 to the closest platform in 7 minutes. This includes, crucially, walking on escalators. So without running, it can be done in 7 minutes, thus invalidating the naysayers who call it “equal” to the time from Penn Station.

[@Ferdinand_FE]

Those escalators are so long it actually looks like it's going down

[@blifx]

So many other cities that deserve metro upgrades besides NYC 😕 also wondering how long until people trash the place

[@TarmacElite10]

Thanks for this informative video! I'm just wondering is it possible to exit directly to 44th street? The MTA's map is sort of unclear.

[@customnyctours]

Yes, there is a direct exit that goes to 44th St, between Madison and Vanderbilt.

[@TarmacElite10]

@@customnyctours Thanks so much, your Part 2 video explains that beautifully!

[@samtrak1204]

Thank you.

[@je19662008]

From 48th Street, it's only three blocks uptown to the 51st Street subway station on the Lexington Ave. line. If someone built a link to that, commuters could take the number 6 train back to 42nd Street or the E train crosstown to the 8th Avenue line on the west side.

[@Neville60001]

10:09-If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that this is Union Station here in Toronto.

[@gigteevee6118]

Those doors at 08:53 😂😂😂 So ugly and a stupid planning failure!

[@Colortiniz]

They "fixed" it 😄

[@geniferteal4178]

This is a temporary fix for the airflow issue. Something more permanent will be designed should it stay

[@TheRealWai2Fast]

Are there actually entrances at street level? I work in the area and walked up and down 47th and 48th yesterday and didn't see any entrances.

[@customnyctours]

Yes, there are a few. I can't remember others, but I personally rode an elevator on 44th St.

[@Jay-nk6dm]

You would think that after all of that construction that they wouldve had the foresight to install platform screen doors. it really wouldnt be that much more of an effort

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

I’d like to see them but I think it’s just a mess with commuters rushing.

[@Jay-nk6dm]

@@Ryan-cb1ei all the commuters in Tokyo and other places would beg to differ :/

[@celbuod]

There's no point having them, no one waits on the station platforms. People wait on the concourse or the mezzanine to see the track assignment of their trains first then head to the corresponding platforms, at which point the train is already there, open, and waiting for departure.

[@Jay-nk6dm]

@@celbuod i guess thats true generally for more regional distance trains. i just also think it would have been good practice for the MTA for when they install it on the subway.

[@cliffspencer]

Shouldn't you factor in the time from LIRR platform to street at Penn?

[@snapperhead273]

id say its about 3 to 4 minutes tops.

[@Modsnake98]

So where should i sit of i need to get to 47th & Park? Thanks

[@customnyctours]

I think you will want to be near the back of the train.

[@wyldebill4178]

So the LIRR goes to Grand Central now instead of Penn Station?

[@customnyctours]

Some trains go to Penn. Others go to Grand Central.

[@kevinhurley3699]

Wow

[@khwistal]

This is new right? It looks like it was built in the 90s…

[@customnyctours]

First planned in the late '90s, and took 2 decades, so yes it's brand new, but looks dated.

[@Toneclark-kk6kt]

looks really good but a a native new yorker i have seen alot lol good job

[@Winecone]

I walk threw in seconds not minutes like this lol, most of the time speed walking really fast.

[@mactastic144]

Oh my gawd. It looks like an airport.

[@sofialorenza5617]

How to get to this place?

[@customnyctours]

It's part of Grand Central Terminal.

[@williamrubinstein3442]

Is there an elevator?

[@customnyctours]

Yes. I covered the elevators in a follow-up video.

[@suzannerickles6169]

Are there elevators?

[@suzannerickles6169]

I saw elevators after coming up from the train for the LIRR. Would make it very difficult for me.

[@customnyctours]

Yes, there are.

[@tonylarussa4046]

Is Metro North going to Penn Station??

[@customnyctours]

No, tunnels don't exist to make that possible.

[@fcny1218]

Actually, there are plans to have four stations in the east Bronx (Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester-Van Nest, and Hunts Point) served by the New Haven Line. That section of track branches off south of New Rochelle Station and is owned and used mostly by Amtrak on its NEC section between Boston and NYP.. Traveling southbound, the New Haven Line would cross over the Hell Gate Bridge into Queens and continue into the East River Tunnels and into Penn Station. This project is in the review stages now, so there won't be any New Haven trains going to Penn Station on a regular or peak travel basis anytime soon.

[@aerodevelopments]

It’s a modern marvel mess of tunnels, maybe useful for 50th Street north, east side. For 43rd and South, easier to walk or go to Penn, and take the Shuttle. What a waste of dynamite.

[@TristouMTL]

Wow, all those instructions on how to use an escalator and what not to do. That got irritating pretty fast, and I'm only watching it on my computer!

[@johnlundkeller]

It's even worse in real life. It's all you hear when down there.

[@lonsworth]

Talk about racking up your daily STEP COUNT...

[@DWilliam1]

It’s like Mario Bros…

[@Ares__]

“Pace of ur average commuter”, ya bro pretty sure ur average commuter would be b lining it at like 10 mph

[@jgodfrey546]

Awful lot of lonely corridors & blind corners...

[@paulj6138]

#VertigoEscalator needs barf bags

[@JackArkitekt]

So 11 billion for extra 11 minutes of walk, good money spent over last 25 years of construction...

[@crw31399]

Should put up safety barriers so psychos cant push you on the tracks

[@HamzaTheeKing]

it looks so empty

[@customnyctours]

It just opened with limited initial service. It'll be bustling in a month.

[@davidcousins5493]

Pity anyone hard of walking or in a wheelchair...

[@bestamerica]

' where are many security videocameras in the train G C M

[@mitchsterling3266]

Get on the train already and leave the station. We want to see zombies

[@tobygoodguy4032]

$11.8B. And a train can't even travel directly from Jamaica to White Plains . (This is why New York is in my rearview mirror.) 🤠

[@Ghost-tc2gj]

They could’ve used this terminal decades ago there’s no real need for it now everyone is working from home bad investment

[@celbuod]

A lot of us don't have that luxury of working from home, let's not make assumptions.

[@Ryan-cb1ei]

Oh that’s funny because the trains are still crowded…

[@toddtaylor3384]

Nice video. It's all Greek to me not being from the region at all. I'll pass it all on to my railroad junkie friends. 🚂🚃🚃🚃🗽