Grand Central
The Grand Central Shuttle station only received relatively minor renovations, compared to the complete rebuild at Times Square, as part of the 42 Street Shuttle ADA accessibility project from 2019 through 2021. This is because the station when it opened in 1904 was originally an Express station with two island platforms for the four track line that were relatively straight, so the station has simply gotten its two original express tracks filled in first Track 2 filled in in 1918 (originally wooden boards), followed by Track 3 between 2020 and 2021.
The biggest change (clearly visible in the floor tiles having a different color shade) was the filling in of the former platform area for Track 3. This created one super wide island platform instead of the two platforms (connected together beyond the bumper blocks) that existed before the Shuttle’s renovations. Trains on the two tracks now stop about a car offset from each other.
Trains on Track 1 stop a bit farther east, closer to the connecting passageway to 4,5,6 and 7 trains and entrance into Grand Central. The fence that used to be along the start of this track (by the track connection to the Downtown 6 train) has been removed with trains stopping close to the staircases up to the small mezzanine, the opposite end of the platform has been extended some closer to Madison Avenue to accommodate 6 instead of 3 to 4 (the platform was shared with Track 3) cars.
Trains on Track 4 must stop at a bumper block about a car length farther west and to allow passengers to exit trains 6 car trains on Track 4 (instead of 3 car trains than ran on this track before the rebuilding) this platform was extended into the previous employee only areas under the Madison Avenue entrance. When I visited in September 2023 there were a bunch of what looked like locked storage cabinents. along the wall of this strange platform extension. The original two staircases to the Weekdays only Madison Avenue exit were re-configured into a single wider staircase closer to Track 1.
The other changes are more to do with the construction of the new One Vanderbilt office building and its Transit Center around the same time as the Shuttle renovation. At the eastern end of the platform, new doors just beyond the bumper block of Track 4, before the staircases up to the main mezzanine, these doors lead into the main lower-level fare control area within level B2 of the new One Vanderbilt Office building. This exit is fully ADA accessible and the closest accessible exit for shuttle passengers to the street.
Finally, on the main shuttle mezzanine just beyond the end of where trains stop, the former glassed-in area at the NW corner of the mezzanine is open, allowing for what feels like “balcony” views of the subway system and another entrance to Level B1 at One Vanderbilt, which replaced the former two entrances to now demolished office buildings originally along the north side of 42 Street between Madison Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue.
1-28: September 3, 2023; 29 & 30: September 24, 2023; 31-36: November 27, 2023;
Arts For Transit at Grand Central-42 Street
