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MTA gives suburban riders $200 million boost as full Grand Central Madison service opens
By
Clayton Guse
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 26, 2023
Modified Feb 26, 2023
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Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images
By
Clayton Guse
and
Bahar Ostadan
Published Feb 26, 2023
Modified Feb 26, 2023
Share
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The MTA is slated to spend more than $200 million this year to run its new Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Madison, a major funding boost for suburban riders.
Gov. Kathy Hochul joined MTA leaders at the new station deep beneath Grand Central Terminal on Sunday to mark the full opening of the new service, which will operate up to 24 trains an hour. Officials said the new trains will increase weekday LIRR service by 41%.
Riders Alliance spokesman Danny Pearlstein said the agency should make similar investments to increase subway and bus service in New York City.
“New Yorkers deserve more transit options that get them to more places, more quickly,” Pearlstein said. “The completion of Grand Central Madison and the opening of new service proves that New York can deliver those options and that we can afford those options.”
MTA leaders have for more than a year warned of service cuts in New York City if lawmakers do not find new revenue streams to fill a budget gap sparked by the pandemic’s hit to transit ridership and fare figures.
Hochul this month pitched a payroll tax increase in the counties served by the MTA as well as using revenues from casinos planned for the city to help plug the hole, which transit officials estimated to be $600 million this year and grow to $1.6 billion by 2026. Hochul also asked for the city to increase its annual funding for the MTA by $500 million, a figure Mayor Eric Adams said he did not support.
Riders Alliance and other transit advocates have called for Hochul to secure an additional $300 million for the MTA in this year’s budget — and said they want the agency to use the extra money to run trains and buses every six minutes during the bulk of the day.
“Now that Governor Hochul has inaugurated the new service for the Long Island suburbs, it's only fair for the millions of riders in the city that we see a measure of equity, that we see more frequent bus and subway service to match,” Pearlstein said.
The cost to run the new LIRR service to Grand Central Madison will grow from just over $200 million this year to an estimated $239 million in 2026, MTA records show. And those expenses come after the project cost more than $11 billion to build, running more than a decade behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
“This is arguably the best day for New York’s commuter railroads in the last century," said MTA spokesperson Aaron Donovan. "We are thrilled that the massive investment in Grand Central service will also serve large sections of Queens and the Bronx and that the MTA can also well serve those who fuel New York City’s economy when they travel to New York City.”
This story has been updated with comment from the MTA.
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Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Bahar Ostadan
Bahar Ostadan covers the NYPD and public safety. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or message Bahar on Signal at 646-740-7335.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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