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Electrical fire disrupts LIRR service at Grand Central Madison
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Samir Ferdowsi
Published Jun 10, 2025
Modified Jun 10, 2025
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By
Stephen Nessen
and
Samir Ferdowsi
Published Jun 10, 2025
Modified Jun 10, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
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An electrical fire at Grand Central Madison severely disrupted LIRR service Tuesday morning and injured three firefighters, as well as another person.
FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said more than 100 firefighters were needed to gain control of the fire that began in a substation for the new terminal just after 8 a.m.
He said there was zero visibility on the tracks due to the smoke. Firefighters found the source of the fire after cutting through a roll-down gate.
"Heavy, heavy, smoke condition for the fire department,” Tucker said, adding it took “a lot of water on the fire to get it out."
Ventilation fans blew smoke out of Grand Central Madison, which is 15 stories below-ground and opened just over two years ago.
The Fire Marshal and the MTA are investigating the cause of the fire. By 3 p.m., LIRR service was restored.
Melanie Guzman said police told her to leave her job at Damselfly Flowers in Grand Central shortly after the fire broke out.
" He basically said you shouldn't be here," she said. "There's like toxins that you're smelling, so we put on our masks and then we just started closing up quickly, but it was making us nauseous."
Metro-North Railroad service to Grand Central Terminal was uninterrupted.
Manhattan-bound LIRR trains were being rerouted to Penn Station, diverted to Atlantic Terminal or canceled after arriving at Jamaica, the MTA said.
Gothamist previously reported on the antiquated electrical equipment used to maintain subway service. Information on the substation that caught fire in the new train terminal was not immediately available.
Tagged
Grand Central Madison
manhattan
midtown
public safety
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Samir Ferdowsi
Samir is a day-of reporter on the general assignment and breaking news desk. Previously Samir was a reporter, host and producer at VICE News.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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