Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
Map of the Day: East Side Access
By
Jen Chung
Published May 11, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 11, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This map isn't necessarily brand new, but it is a nice look at the MTA's big East Side Access project, which will connect the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal. amNew York (which has a gallery) and the NY Times visited the tunnel near 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue, where parts for the tunnel boring machine are being delivered. The TBM will then drill through rock to extend an existing tunnel to Grand Central. Fun fact via AMNY: After the TBM eats through stone, the pieces "about the size of 'buffalo chips,' according to one contractor on the site, are pulled out by conveyor belt."
As for the existing tunnel under East 63rd Street, the Times had this look at its past:
For years, the 63rd Street double-decker tunnel started in 1969 has been mocked as the “tunnel to nowhere.” The tunnel’s top level was built for subway trains, but no trains ran there until 1989. But even then service ended after just one stop into Queens, and it was not until 2001 that a connector was built linking the tunnel to the subway lines that run along Queens Boulevard.
Even today, the tunnel’s lower deck still leads nowhere. Built to carry Long Island Rail Road trains to the East Side of Manhattan, the tunnel’s lower portion was never connected to anything, and it has remained a dead-end anomaly, a testament to high aspirations and low finances.
Of course, now the project is up and running, thanks to a chunk of federal money. And the LIRR concourse at Grand Central would be built under the Metro-North one - it'll be pretty modern-looking.
Tagged
amNew York
As
east side
east side access
fun
grand central
grand central terminal
headlines
long island
long island rail road
manhattan
maps
metro
money
MTA
ny times
queens
queens boulevard
running
subway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .