![]() And it’s a tribute to the MTA that they were able to overcome what I would say was some delays of bureaucracy, delays of engineering,” said Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban policy and planning at New York University.ĭespite the setbacks, Tom Wright, the president of the Regional Plan Association, hailed Wednesday's opening as a “driver of economic growth and prosperity,” even as the region “still faces urgent transportation, housing and resiliency challenges.” ![]() This is one of the greatest engineering feats. Officials have acknowledged that engineering costs and the high price of New York City labor contributed to spiraling expenses. The money, he argues, could have been used for other transportation projects, including improving capacity for existing railway lines. But for $11 billion, it would be better not to have built it,” said Alon Levy, transportation fellow at New York University’s Marron Institute, who has been compiling railway cost data from around the world. When Is Grand Central Madison Expected to Open? What to Know About NYC's New LIRR Stop The project bore through two miles of bedrock per mile, it would be one of the world’s most expensive rail projects ever completed. Spending on the massive construction project has grown to more than $11 billion - more than triple the initial estimate of $3.5 billion two decades ago. Construction began in the 1960s, but was abandoned for a time because of a series of economic crises. The new tunnels built for the project will also allow Amtrak to temporarily divert its trains to the new tunnels so it can begin refurbishing aging eastside tunnels and tracks.įor decades, the project kept chugging along, even amid concerns about ballooning costs. Many of the subterranean tunnels that carry rail passengers below the Hudson River are more than a century old, some of which are in need of deeper maintenance. Passenger Alexander Rodriguez, a 15-year-old Queens resident, described the inaugural ride as “nice and smooth.” “I don't have to take the subways anymore.” “I've been waiting for 30 years," said John Cannon, a Long Island man who was on the inaugural 21-minute ride from Jamaica to Manhattan. For Long Island commuters headed for Manhattan, the terminal's key benefit is the ability to take a train directly to the East Side, where previously the only option was to go to Pennsylvania Station on the West Side, then travel back by subway or bus. The station was to have opened by the end of 2022 but was delayed slightly by issues with heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Tracie Strahan reporting on LIRR Grand Central Madison service begins today
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