By james art Photo: Mark A. Herman / MTA
Seats will be for LIRR ticketed passengers
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has opened a new customer seating area on the mezzanine level of Grand Central Madison, near 47th Street, closer to trains and platforms than existing terminal seating options.
The zone will host 14 two-seat pairs for a total of 28 seats, which will be available to LIRR ticket customers with a 90-minute time limit. It is located near the escalators that take customers to Runways 301 and 302 and to Runways 201 and 202.
The Long Island Railroad launched Grand Central Direct shuttle service between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison on January 25, 2023, and began full service on February 27 as the first major new rail terminal in the United States to open in nearly 70 years. Features an even larger seating area located on the upper level of the LIRR concourse near the main ticket office.
Grand Central Madison’s opening coincided with a 41 percent systemwide increase in LIRR service, or nearly 300 trains per weekday.
The cast aluminum seats in the new seating area were built by Forms + Surfaces from its Tecno RS collection, designed specifically for high-use areas such as public transport stops.