Manhattan's Grand Central Madison Station opened today
The new station will connect central New York and the entire island of Long Island. The new terminal became part of Grand Central Station on 42nd Street. From here, trains will travel to Queens, through Jamaica Station and on to Long Island. New York authorities believe that this will relieve pressure on the Jamaica station, and passengers will save 40 minutes on daily trips. In general, this is one of the most ambitious, expensive and at the same time scandalous projects. There were plans to adapt Central Station for the Long Island Rail Road back in the 50s. But for various reasons the project was postponed. The current project was approved in 95.
Initially, the estimate was for $3 billion, but eventually the cost of the project increased to $11 billion. Critics point out several weaknesses in the project:
- To get to the terminal you will have to use the green metro line, and this is already one of the busiest lines.
- After the pandemic, many are still working remotely and passenger traffic on Long Island is too low to cover the cost.
As a result, the MTA will have to raise fares for all passengers. In addition, some believe that this project is just a cunning ploy by the Democrats. Supposedly they want to appease Long Island voters. Recently, people there are increasingly voting for Republican candidates.
Author Denis Cheredov
