Grand Central–42nd Street station

The station has numerous exits into Grand Central Terminal, to the street level at and directly into several buildings along 42nd Street and Park Avenue, including:[7][15]

• The Chrysler Building through a passage immediately to the left of the customer service booth on the station's mezzanine[7]
• The Pershing Square Building, 125 Park Avenue[7]
• 110 East 42nd Street through a passage downtown of the main mezzanine through their own fare control[7]
• The Chanin Building, 122 East 42nd Street, through its own turnstiles directly accessing the escalators to the IRT Flushing Line platform (east of the mezzanine)[7]
• Grand Hyatt New York, west side of Lexington Avenue north of 42nd Street[7]
• Socony–Mobil Building, south side of 42nd Street west of 3rd Avenue[7]
• Grand Central Terminal's exits, by walking through exits uptown and to the west into the terminal[7]

An exit outside of the planned One Vanderbilt is proposed.[16] In October 2016, construction began on the entrance in One Vanderbilt.[17]

Exits directly to the street include:

• One stair on either side of 42nd Street between Madison and 5th Avenues[7]
• One stair/escalator, SW corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street[7]
• Two stairs, SW corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street[7]

• Metro-North Railroad upper level, 20 feet (6.1 m) below street
• 42nd Street Shuttle, 20 feet (6.1 m)
• Lexington Avenue Line, 50 feet (15 m)
• Metro-North Railroad lower level, 60 feet (18 m)
• Flushing Line, 80 feet (24 m)
• Long Island Rail Road upper level (under construction), 130 feet (40 m)
• Long Island Rail Road lower level (under construction), 150 feet (46 m)

In the 1900s and 1910s, it was proposed to extend the Uptown Hudson Tubes of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad (now PATH), which had opened in 1908, from its current terminus of 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue to Grand Central.[18] The H&M platforms would have been directly below the 42nd Street Line's platforms, but above the IRT's Flushing Line platforms. However, by 1909, the IRT had constructed an unauthorized ventilation shaft between the 42nd Street line and the Steinway Tunnel. This would force the H&M to build its station at a very low depth, thus making it harder for any passengers to access the H&M station.[19] As an alternative, it was proposed to connect the Uptown Tubes to the Steinway Tunnel.[20]

A franchise to extend the Uptown Tubes to Grand Central was awarded in June 1909, with the expectation that construction could start within six months and that the new extension would be ready by January 1911.[21] However, by 1914, the H&M had not started construction of the Grand Central extension yet, and it wished to delay the start of construction further.[22] By 1920, the H&M had submitted seventeen applications in which they sought to delay construction of the extensions; in all seventeen instances, the H&M had claimed that it was not an appropriate time to construct the tube.[23] This time, however, the Rapid Transit Commissioners declined this request for a delay, effectively ending the H&M's right to build an extension to Grand Central.[24]

As part of the construction of One Vanderbilt at the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street, developer SL Green Realty is making several upgrades to the station. The improvements entail multiple new entrances and exits, including two staircases to the southeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street, as well as an underground entrance directly from One Vanderbilt to the 42nd Street Shuttle platforms. Three new staircases from the mezzanine to the southbound Lexington Avenue Line platform, and one new staircase to the northbound platform, will be added. The project also involves reconfiguration of columns supporting the nearby Grand Hyatt New York hotel at the southeast corner of the station, destruction of 40% of the Hyatt's basement to expand the subway mezzanine, and the thinning of columns on platforms and mezzanines to increase space. A new elevator is being added within the existing Hyatt entrance, and the existing staircase was replaced.[25][26] This would directly result in additional capacity for the station, since 4,000 to 6,000 more subway passengers per hour would be able to use it.[25] These improvements would cost over $200 million.[27][28][29] The MTA mandated the station improvements in exchange for allowing the tower's construction.[26] In 2015, SL Green gave $220 million toward the building's construction, of which two-thirds of the money would be used for station redesign;[30][31] this marked the largest private investment to date to the New York City Subway system.[25] The upgrades are estimated to be completed by 2021.

A new mezzanine built below the existing mezzanine will provide a direct connection from the subway station to the lower level of Grand Central Terminal and the future Long Island Rail Road concourse built as part of the East Side Access project; this will replace the current escalators from the existing mezzanine directly to the Flushing Line platforms, and is estimated to cost $75–150 million.[32]

As part of the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, a transfer might be included between here and the 42nd Street station on that line. This would provide a transfer to the T train, which is proposed to serve Phase 3 of the Second Avenue Subway (which is currently not funded or scheduled). Currently, the transfer is under evaluation.[33][34] The 900-foot long[35] transfer passageway would run under 42nd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, connecting to the IRT Flushing Line platform. Up to four properties might need to be required for the necessary ancillaries and emergency exits to built.[36] The passageway would run under the northern side of 42nd Street, and the exit at the eastern end would be on the northwestern corner of that street and Second Avenue.[37] Under a plan for the line in the 1990s, a spur to Grand Central Terminal was considered, which would have turned off Second Avenue at 44th Street as a way to divert riders from the 4 and ​5 routes, which run express on the Lexington Avenue Line. Service on this spur could not be as frequent as that on Lexington Avenue as there would not be enough capacity on Second Avenue, and as a result this plan was dropped.[38]

There is no connection between the northbound local track (track 4) and the other two. West of the station, there is a track connection from the northbound express track 3 to the southbound local track 1.

The southbound local track (track 1) merges with the southbound local track of the Lexington Avenue Line. This merge is used to supply rolling stock to shuttle tracks 1 and 3, and occasionally during special railfan excursions. The other three original tracks followed similar paths until the Lexington Avenue Line was extended north, turning this part of the line into a shuttle.[41]

The station opened on October 27, 1904.[39] The opening of the Grand Central shuttle platforms actually predate the terminal itself, as the construction of Grand Central Terminal was completed in 1913.[42]

In 1913, as part of the Dual Contracts, the New York City Public Service Commission planned to split the original IRT system into three segments: two north-south lines, carrying through trains over the Lexington Avenue and Broadway–Seventh Avenue Lines, and a west-east shuttle under 42nd Street. This would form a roughly "H"-shaped system. A new platform for the shuttle would be built close to the current Lexington Avenue Line station.[43] Since there was 400 feet between the eastern end of the original line's station and the new Lexington Avenue Line station, a new shuttle station was to be built near the Lexington Avenue Line station. The construction of the narrow island platform station required building two new trackways extending east under 42nd Street. Although the platform was constructed, it was never used.[44] On August 1, 1918, the Dual Contracts' "H system" was put into service. The station was not ready in time, and therefore wooden flooring was temporarily laid over sections of the trackways at Times Square and Grand Central.[45] The shuttle was heavily used, and the crowding conditions were so bad that the shuttle was ordered closed the next day.[46]

The shuttle reopened September 28, 1918.[47] Track 2 at the Grand Central station was covered over by a wooden platform.[48] A New York Times columnist later said that former southbound express track 2 was still usable for the first few hours of the shuttle's operation, but the wooden platform was placed over that track later the same day to allow shuttles to use former northbound express track 3, due to high demand for the shuttles on the former local tracks, numbered 1 and 4.[49]

On February 12, 1946 work began to double the width of the passageway connecting the shuttle platforms and the main mezzanine over the Lexington Avenue Line platforms. As part of the work the wooden passenger walkway, which had an average width of 15 feet (4.6 m) was replaced by a 37 feet (11 m) wide passageway with concrete flooring. This walkway had been "temporary" when it was put into place in August 1918. The new 350 feet (110 m)-long passageway covered most of the trackways used by downtown trains of the Original Subway prior to 1918. The iron railings along the planked walkway were removed. The project cost $45,800 and was intended to ease congestion. As part of the project, the upper passageway was moved to within fare control to allow passengers to go between the subway mezzanine and the entrance to Grand Central Terminal at the shuttle without paying a fare. This was accomplished by moving the turnstiles at the eastern end of the passageway.[50] In March, members of the Metallic Lathers Union Local 46 sought to halt construction on the project, which was 80 percent complete, as the union objected to having the work done by city employees who made less than union workers.[51] The rebuilt passageway opened on March 18, 1946.[52] Track 2 between this station and Times Square–42nd Street was removed in 1975.[44]

The station suffered a severe fire on April 21, 1964, which destroyed the automated train being tested in the 42nd Street Shuttle at the time.[53][54] The fire began under a shuttle train on track 3, and it became larger, feeding on the wooden platform. The basements of nearby buildings were damaged.[48] Tracks 1 and 4 returned to service on April 23, 1964,[55] while Track 3 returned to service on June 1, 1964.[56] The reinstallation of Track 3 was delayed because of the need to replace 60 beams that were damaged in the fire.[57] From September 19, 1966 to April 1967, service on the shuttle was limited in order to allow for the reconstruction of parts of the line. The entire project cost $419,000 and included the construction of a new mezzanine at Grand Central.[58] As part of the project, the tiles damaged by the smoke from the fire were replaced with tiles in the city's colors of blue, white and orange, with black tiles interspersed. In addition, fluorescent lighting, which was 12 times brighter than the old lighting, was installed.[40]

The Grand Central shuttle platforms are actually wheelchair accessible as the mezzanine elevators are on the same level, but due to the platforms at Times Square being inaccessible, the 42nd Street Shuttle itself is not accessible. As part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program, the 42nd Street Shuttle will become ADA accessible, and the shuttle will be reconfigured from three tracks to two tracks, and the trains will become six cars long. The whole project will cost $235.41 million.[59] The cost of this part of the project is $30 million.[59][25][60] By December 2016, the project was delayed, with construction set to start in December 2019 and be completed by September 2022.[61][62] A construction contract was awarded on March 7, 2019, with an estimated completion date of March 2022.[63]

This section of the complex is frequently used for movie shooting when it is closed. Notable scenes include a famous scene in the 1971 film The French Connection, an episode of Fringe, an episode of Person of Interest, and an episode of 30 Rock (filling in for 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center station).

• 
  Train on track 3
• 
  Entrance from the Grand Central Terminal Main Concourse
• 
  Entering the subway from the new Grand Central Terminal, 1912
• 
  A view of the platform between Track 3 and 4, with the automatic train on the right in 1962.
• 
  Rendering of the widened platform as part of the 42nd Street Shuttle reconstruction project

The southbound local track south of the station merges into the original downtown local track from the 42nd Street Shuttle. The track was part of the original four-track IRT subway. This track is now used for moving trains to and from the shuttle and for launching railfan trips from the shuttle tracks. This was the only track that is preserved.

Just south of the station, the tracks split, with two on each side of the 1870 New York and Harlem Railroad Murray Hill Tunnel which is now used for automobile traffic on Park Avenue.

The uptown tracks are about ten feet below the original grade at the point where they turn off. The old uptown express and local trackways that used to lead to the 42nd Street Shuttle are visible from the uptown local track. As the alignment of the original trackways curves into the old Grand Central station on the 42nd Street Shuttle, it passes through the rebuilt area for the proposed Grand Central station shuttle platform. From the public passageway, none of the original support columns and roof are visible, since they were removed in exactly this area to open the way for the unused shuttle station. The unused ramps leading from the 42nd Street Shuttle are still in place, just south of this station.

The station was first proposed in March 1913 as part of the Dual Contracts.[43] As originally proposed, it ran diagonally under the former Children's Hospital on the north side of 42nd Street east of Park Avenue. The route would connect the original subway under Park Avenue, on the west, to the new line under Lexington Avenue, on the east, at a point between 43rd and 44th Streets. In April 1913 the plan was modified to run diagonally between Park Avenue just south of 42nd Street to Lexington Avenue near 43rd Street.[66] The new alignment also ran under the Grand Union Hotel at the southeast corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue.[67] The Public Service Commission voted on the modification in June 1913.[68] A modified route that instead made an S-curve under 40th Street was adopted that November.[69]

The Commission voted in favor of the original diagonal route in February 1914,[70] at which point the Grand Union Hotel was condemned via eminent domain.[71] The condemnation proceedings for the hotel cost $3.5 million, then a very high sum.[72] To pay the station's construction cost, the Public Service Commission approved the construction of a 25-story building above the station.[73] The station opened on July 17, 1918.[64] The structure was not erected as proposed; it would later become the Pershing Square Building, which opened in 1923.[74]

In 1955, the New York City Transit Authority had a scheme to make a lower level to the station, also of four tracks.[75] It would tap into the express tracks beyond the station and be used as an intermediate terminal stop for certain services. There is room between the station and the Flushing Line for such a new level.

• 
  Tile mosaic
• 
  Close-up
• 
  6 train on one of the local tracks

In 1913, the Public Service Commission planned to connect the Flushing line to the 42nd Street shuttle, just west of the Grand Central station. Some ramp work was built for this purpose, then converted to a passenger walkway that has been in use since 1916.[44] In addition, there are two remaining sections of the old trolley loop that remain intact and are accessible to MTA personnel via the southbound track approximately 200 feet beyond the station.[76] The third is between the tracks and is a pump room. Parts of the loop were converted into CBTC circuit breaker rooms.[77]

On March 2, 1950, a new type of stainless steel portable newsstand was installed at the Flushing Line platform at Grand Central. The newsstand was owned by the Union News Company.[78]

The platforms at Grand Central and all other stations on the Flushing Line with the exception of Queensboro Plaza were extended in 1955–1956 to accommodate 11-car trains.[79]

• 
  Directional sign above the staircase to the Flushing Line platform
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  Metal sign on tunnel wall with 42 St–Grand Central name
• 
  Looking down a staircase toward the IRT Flushing Line platform
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  An R188 7 train at the station