Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority completed a brand-new staircase and passageway to the Flushing Line platform and widened staircases at Grand Central Terminal. This is part of the larger Grand Central-42 Street Circulations Improvement Project, that will improve passenger flow and minimize congestion for 480,000 daily customers on the 7 train line.
Crews built a new staircase to the Flushing Line platform and widened existing staircases 25 percent to connect the Lexington Passageway to the existing passageway to improve customer flow. The project also included work to keep the existing infrastructure in a state of good repair, including repairing visible concrete, steel, and paint defects on the Flushing Line cavern roof arch and walls and upgrades to fire alarms and other utilities at the Flushing, Lexington and Shuttle. The project created more than 250 jobs and took advantage of weekend outages along the 7 line to minimize impact to customers.
“New York is home to an incredibly advanced and innovative transit system — and we’re always looking to push the bounds even further,” Governor Hochul said. “The new passageway will improve the connectivity and flow of traffic through Grand Central, and I am dedicated to bettering our riders’ transit experience and keeping New York moving.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “A thousand tons of dirt and 140 feet of Manhattan Schist couldn’t get in the way of another on-time and under-budget MTA capital project. We are blasting through bedrock and red tape to deliver more for New Yorkers, no matter what’s happening in Washington.”
MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said, “The new passageway and widened staircases will greatly improve passenger circulation for hundreds of thousands of daily riders at one of the busiest transfer points in our system. Our team delivered this project on time and under budget, all while minimizing impact on the customers who rely on it. It’s a huge achievement and we’re proud to share it with our customers today.”
New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “Critical station upgrades, security updates, and state of good repair work will only improve the already well performing 7 Line. When this project is completed, customers will benefit from better service and a safer experience at Grand Central.”
The project was made possible by the East Midtown Rezoning that was adopted by the City Council a few years ago, which allowed property rent revenues to fund transit improvements.
Last year, crews descended a 55-foot shaft to begin removing 1,000 tons of dirt and performed controlled blasts through the bedrock to create the new passageway beneath 42 St — all while service still operated safely elsewhere in the terminal. Video of the project’s work can be seen here.
As part of the station improvements, which totaled $74.2 million, artwork along the length of the platform was cleaned, re-lit and received a retrofit to accommodate the new stairs. Artist Christopher Sproat’s functional sculpture titled “V-Beam” was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design and installed in 2000. The artwork is suspended from the ceiling with a cantilevered design.
“V-Beam” is made up of large linear stainless-steel assemblages that contain standard station lighting, signage, air circulation, and safety equipment. Sproat explains, "Rather than make an artistic or decorative statement and add it to the station so that the viewer knows 'this is art,' I chose to make the entire space exuberant and unique." “V-Beam” includes a stand-alone “chandelier” sculpture on the east platform mezzanine.
The entire Grand Central-42 Street Circulations Improvement Project, which will be completed later this year, includes replacement of eight escalators, a new fare control area, new wayfinding, lighting, signage, and architectural improvements on the mezzanine, along with additional work to keep existing infrastructure in a state of good repair. Ongoing improvements at the 42 St Connection include making the 42 St-Bryant Park BDFM station fully accessible to all in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), retail upgrades, state of good repair work and upgrades to fire alarms and other utilities.
Grand Central Partnership President and CEO Fred Cerullo said, “The much-anticipated completion of this new Flushing Line passageway and staircase is welcome news for the half million subway riders who travel daily on the 7 — many of whom begin or end their daily commute at Grand Central-42 St. We appreciate all of the recent and continuing public and private initiatives to dramatically improve the customer experience of commuters, residents, and visitors in the Midtown East community.”