MTA announces grand opening of new entrance to Grand Central from One Vanderbilt Avenue

New entrances to Grand Central from the newly built tower, One Vanderbilt Avenue, have been completed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

The entrances are part of the ongoing expansion and renovations at Grand Central, which will provide seamless transfers to the subway mezzanine with connections to Metro-North Railroad, 4, 5, 6, 7, S subway service and Long Island Rail Road service upon completion of the East Side Access project.

The spacious new One Vanderbilt entrances will help improve circulation at Grand Central by providing direct and convenient street access to Vanderbilt and Madison Avenues at one of the busiest subway stations in the New York City Transit system. The current 42 St. entrance, leading from the mezzanine of Grand Central Terminal into the subway, is the busiest entry point in the New York City subway system, with approximately 135,800 combined daily entries and exits in pre-pandemic times.

With the entrances and earlier improvements at the station, the Grand Central-42 St mezzanine will have a 37-percent increase in circulation space, new staircases between the mezzanine and platform levels of the 4, 5, 6 subway lines, additional turnstiles and gates and an ADA elevator at 42 Street and Lexington Avenue leading to the subway station. The reduction in platform congestion will allow for at least one additional train per hour.

“This project is a perfect example of how the MTA is leveraging private investment for public improvement,” said Janno Lieber, president of MTA Construction & Development. “With these entrances – including multiple escalators and ADA elevators – New Yorkers returning to Midtown will find it even easier to navigate between Grand Central and their destinations in the neighborhood.”

SL Green fully funded the project, investing $220 million in the new entrances, mezzanine space, staircases and ADA elevator. Additionally, SL Green has completed a 14,000-square-foot, car-free pedestrian plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue adjacent to the transit hall.

Stantec provided the design and engineering of the transit related improvements including preparation of all transit-related designs (including those for meeting ADA compliance), coordination of approvals between multiple MTA agencies, coordination with city code enforcement on fire and life safety measures and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure full integration between the new tower, Grand Central Terminal, the 42nd Street subway station, and the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel.

SL Green's transit improvements at Grand Central Terminal complement MTA Construction & Development’s 42 St Connection Project. When completed, the 42 St Connection Project will more seamlessly connect the transit corridor underneath 42 Street to make transferring easier, reduce the overall commute time for customers and expand system access for customers with disabilities by making the 42 St Shuttle line accessible. More than 1.1 million people pass through the 42 St corridor every day—a figure higher than the ridership of the entire subway and bus system of Boston in a full day, says MTA.