The LIRR's Manhattan East Side terminal, opened January 2023 deep beneath Grand Central Terminal. Where the entrances are, how long the trip down to the trains really takes, and how to ride from here to JFK.
Grand Central Madison is a separate LIRR station below Grand Central Terminal, not a track inside the famous Main Concourse. It has its own concourse just below street level, a mezzanine, and two levels of platforms (four platforms, eight tracks) about 140 feet below Park Avenue. Metro-North stays upstairs in Grand Central Terminal.
Source: MTA Grand Central Madison guide · MTA Away · Verified September 2026
Grand Central Madison has street entrances from 42nd Street up to 48th Street along Madison and Vanderbilt Avenues, so the best way in depends on where you're coming from. If you're walking in from the street, the MTA says the 47th Street entrance at 383 Madison is the most direct way to the trains.
Main street entrance. Most direct route to the LIRR tracks.
Newest entrance: elevator, three escalators and stairs.
South end of the station, closest to 42nd St.
South end of the station, on the Vanderbilt side.
Step-free entry. No stairs or escalators here.
Step-free entry at the north end of the station.
Already inside Grand Central Terminal? You don't need to go outside. The MTA lists four inside connections: the west side of the Dining Concourse (lower level, where stairs and escalators lead down), the Track 112 platform, and the 45th and 47th Street cross passages in Grand Central North. Follow the "Grand Central Madison" / LIRR signs. Grand Central North keeps shorter hours than the rest of the Terminal (see the Grand Central guide), so if it's closed, go through the Dining Concourse. If you're eating first, the Grand Central food guide covers the Dining Concourse.
Source: MTA Grand Central Madison guide; 45th St entrance: MTA press release · Verified September 2026
This is the part that catches people out. The LIRR platforms are about 140 feet below Park Avenue. From the concourse you ride down to a mezzanine, then take another set of escalators down to your track. The long escalators are 182 feet, which the MTA calls the longest in the city, and one trip takes about 90 seconds.
4–5 minutes to the LIRR platforms.
6–8 minutes to the LIRR platforms.
10–12 minutes to the LIRR platforms. Budget this much if you're coming off a Metro-North train or out of the subway.
Source: MTA Grand Central Madison guide (walk times) · MTA Away (escalators) · Verified September 2026
Wait upstairs, not on the platform. There are no waiting areas or restrooms on the platform levels, and there are no restrooms on the mezzanine. Wait on the concourse, watch the boards for your track, and head down with the times above in mind.
LIRR service to Manhattan is split between Grand Central Madison and Penn Station. On the busier branches, trains alternate between the two terminals, so the next train to your stop may leave from either one. Some branches only have a direct train to one terminal at a given time, and you change at Jamaica to reach the other. There's no direct Montauk Branch service here. Since the pattern changes with each timetable, check your exact train in the MTA TrainTime app before you pick a terminal.
Same fare as Penn Station. The MTA says tickets to Penn Station are valid to Grand Central and vice versa, so pick whichever terminal is closer to you.
CityTicket within NYC: $5.25 off-peak / $7.25 peak. Any LIRR trip that starts and ends inside New York City, such as Grand Central Madison to Jamaica or Woodside, is a CityTicket. It isn't valid to or from Belmont Park, Elmont-UBS Arena, or Far Rockaway.
Peak hours: weekday trains scheduled to arrive at NYC terminals between 6 and 10 AM, or depart them between 4 and 8 PM. Everything else is off-peak.
Buy before you board. Use the TrainTime app or a ticket machine. Buying on the train adds a $7.75–$8.50 surcharge (waived for seniors, riders with disabilities, and a few other groups).
Source: MTA LIRR & Metro-North fares · MTA LIRR schedule guide · Verified September 2026
For JFK, the LIRR is the easy option from Midtown East. You ride to Jamaica, go upstairs, and take the AirTrain to your terminal.
CityTicket to Jamaica ($5.25 off-peak / $7.25 peak) plus the AirTrain ($8.75). Pay the AirTrain fare with OMNY, a contactless card, or your phone when you enter at Jamaica.
Subway ($3.00) plus AirTrain ($8.75). From Grand Central, take the 6 uptown to 51 St and transfer to the E at Lexington Av/53 St, then ride the E to Sutphin Blvd–Archer Av–JFK Airport for the AirTrain. It's slower and more crowded than the LIRR, so it's not great with big bags. The 7 train does not go to Jamaica.
Step 1: Pick a train that stops at Jamaica. The MTA says every LIRR branch except Port Washington runs through Jamaica, but not every train stops there. Check the stops in TrainTime or on the departure board.
Step 2: Leave time for the trip down. Give yourself up to 12 minutes to get from Grand Central Terminal to the platform (see above). With luggage, plan for the longer end.
Step 3: At Jamaica, go up to the AirTrain. Take the stairs, elevators, or escalators to the upper level and tap in for the AirTrain. Trains run every 5–15 minutes and serve all terminals. Rides between terminals are free.
Leaving between 2 and 5:30 AM? Grand Central Madison is closed then, and all LIRR service to Manhattan uses Penn Station. For a very early flight, start from Penn Station or book a car.
Source: MTA: getting to JFK · AirTrain JFK (Port Authority) · Verified September 2026
Going to LaGuardia instead? The MTA suggests the LIRR from Grand Central to Woodside (CityTicket, $5.25 off-peak / $7.25 peak), then the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to Terminals B and C (shuttle to Terminal A from B). Make sure your train stops at Woodside. LaGuardia guide →
Source: MTA: getting to LaGuardia · Verified September 2026
Metro-North: Metro-North runs from Grand Central Terminal upstairs (Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines). Go up from the Grand Central Madison concourse into the Terminal through the Dining Concourse or the 45th/47th Street cross passages. Going the other way, from a Metro-North train to an LIRR platform, the MTA says to allow 10–12 minutes. Metro-North guide →
Subway: The 4, 5, 6, 7, and S (42 St Shuttle to Times Square) all stop at 42 St–Grand Central, which you reach through Grand Central Terminal. Allow the same 10–12 minutes from the subway to your LIRR train. NYC subway guide →
Buses: The MTA lists the M1, M2, M3, M4, M42, M101, M102, and M103 as nearby connections.
Source: MTA Grand Central Madison station page · Verified September 2026
Fares are the same and many branches serve both terminals, so go with whichever one is closer to where you're starting or ending.
Madison, Park, and Lexington Avenues in the 40s and 50s. Connections to Metro-North and the 4/5/6/7/S. Offices near Grand Central.
Chelsea, Hudson Yards, Herald Square. NJ Transit and Amtrak connections. Any trip between 2 and 5:30 AM.
Check the next train from both. If your branch alternates between the two terminals, the next Grand Central train might be 30 minutes after the next Penn train, or the reverse. Check both in TrainTime before you choose. From Grand Central to Penn it's the S to Times Square, then the 1/2/3 to 34 St–Penn Station.
Don't forget the trip down. Penn's LIRR platforms aren't nearly as deep. At Grand Central Madison, a close connection can come down to the escalators. Give yourself 5 to 12 minutes to get to the platform.
Hours: Closed every day from 2 AM to 5:30 AM. The ticket office (concourse level, 47th St) is open 6:10 AM–1:15 AM daily.
Ticket machines: On the concourse at the Biltmore Room entrance, 45th St, and 47th St, and on the mezzanine at 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th Sts. The TrainTime app is faster.
Waiting area & nursing room: A ticketed waiting area and a nursing room are on the concourse level at 47th St. There's also a customer service office, and LIRR customer ambassadors and LIRR Care representatives are on hand to help.
Restrooms: Three sets, all on the concourse level: between 44th and 45th Sts, between 46th and 47th Sts (near the ticket office and MTA Police), and next to the 47th St entrance. None on the mezzanine or platforms.
Food & shops: Shopping and dining on the Grand Central Madison concourse are still limited, and the MTA lists more retail and dining as planned. For a real meal, go up to the Dining Concourse in Grand Central Terminal. Where to eat →
Accessibility: The MTA lists Grand Central Madison as an accessible station with elevators, tactile warning strips, and audio and visual train information. For step-free entry from the street, use the elevator-only entrances on 44th St (Madison–Vanderbilt) and 48th St (Madison–Park), or the 45th St & Madison entrance, which has an elevator. NYC transit accessibility guide →
Look up: The concourse has permanent artwork, including murals by Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith, plus digital installations.
Source: MTA Grand Central Madison station page · MTA guide · Verified September 2026
Neither Grand Central Terminal nor Grand Central Madison has on-site luggage storage. If you have a few hours before your train or after you check out, these services use shops and hotels within minutes of the terminal. Book on your phone, drop off, and come back for your train. (Affiliate links — disclosure.)
Compare locations and hours in the luggage storage guide.
Enter from the street, not from the Main Concourse. If you're coming from outside, the 47th St entrance at 383 Madison gets you to the tracks in 4–5 minutes. Walking in through Grand Central Terminal can take 10–12.
"Grand Central" on the LIRR means Grand Central Madison. LIRR trains never use the Main Concourse tracks. Those are Metro-North. If someone points you to a Metro-North track for a Long Island train, head down to the LIRR concourse instead.
Elevators are easier with luggage. If you're carrying heavy bags or pushing a stroller, the elevator-only entrances on 44th and 48th Sts and the 45th St entrance let you skip the long escalator ride.
After 1:15 AM, start thinking about Penn. The ticket office closes at 1:15 AM and the whole station closes at 2 AM. After that, trains to and from Long Island use Penn Station until 5:30 AM.
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