Meet "Grand Central Madison": LIRR East Side Access Is Here!

You might not have realized it but quietly, diligently, for the last fifteen years, roughly the lifespan of this blog, tunnels have been dug under the East River and East Side of Manhattan. Also, a brand new train terminal has been built underneath Grand Central Central that, in December, will open and be known as Grand Central Madison.

Grand Central Madison (I assume it'll become known as GCM), will connect all 11 lines of the Long Island Railroad to Grand Central Station. This means that commuters from Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island who work or want to visit the East Side of Manhattan, now won't be forced to go to Penn Station on West 34th Street and then tack east. 

Instead ... they'll be right there, able to get out and walk to their desired location or hope on the 4/5/6 subway lines. 

This is, in a word, huuuugggeee -- this is the most massive transformation of NYC transportation in the last century. It's a bigger deal than any of the bridges that Robert Moses built because it will greatly reduce commuting times in and out of Manhattan and will, no doubt, transform the economy of the city. 

I can't wait to see it!