Record On-Time Performance and Service Reliability Bring Back More Riders
Two New Seating Areas Available at Grand Central Madison
View Video of Press Conference
View Photos of the New Waiting Areas
View Video of Seating Areas and LIRR President Free Greeting Customers
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) today announced Grand Central Madison is expanding seating at the majestic station as it has surged in popularity as the railroad’s ridership, on-time performance, and service reliability reach post-pandemic record highs. Grand Central Madison is a major destination with LIRR customers reporting record satisfaction in the most recent Customers Count survey. Overall satisfaction with the station is at 95% and cleanliness of the station is up one point from the Fall 2024 survey to 96%.
Following customer feedback, the MTA installed 28 seats on the mezzanine level of GCM near 47th Street in October 2024. This was in addition to the LIRR seating area on the Madison Concourse near ticket windows. Fourteen seats at 45th Street and 28 seats at 46th Street were installed this month for a total of 70 seats on the mezzanine level of Grand Central Madison, close to platforms and trains.
“LIRR’s commitment to great service is evidenced by surging ridership and rising customer satisfaction,” said LIRR President Rob Free. “The LIRR customer experience keeps getting better and better as riders enter Manhattan on time, on a clean train and walk through a beautiful terminal with added seating to further enhance the customer experience and accommodate ridership growth.”
“LIRR customers are voting with their feet thanks to the great service and on-time performance that the railroad has experienced this year,” said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. “As Grand Central Madison has become a major destination, we listened to customer feedback and have added new seating options in three locations on the mezzanine level as well as the customer waiting area on the Madison Concourse to ensure the most comfortable experience while riding the rails.”
The die-cast aluminum seats in the new seating area are built by Forms + Surfaces from its Tecno RS collection made specifically for high use areas such as public transit stations.
The 70 seats are available to ticketed LIRR customers with a 90-minute limit.
The new seating has been added at the same time that LIRR shattered its post-pandemic daily ridership record twice in the same week in July, carrying 298,419 passengers on Wednesday, July 23, and 295,419 passengers on Tuesday, July 22. Both milestones contributed to the railroad’s busiest seven-day period since the pandemic, with a total of 1.72 million passengers riding between Thursday, July 17, and Wednesday, July 23. Before that week, the previous post-pandemic ridership high was 287,437 on June 19. The pre-pandemic 2019 average weekday ridership of 316,692 was the highest since 1949.
In the latest Customers Count survey, 94% of customers said they were satisfied with safety at Grand Central Madison and 97% of riders reported being satisfied with lighting on platforms. Additionally, 90% of customers said signs and wayfinding were comprehensive, 94% are satisfied with screens and digital displays. 70,000 people pass through GCM each weekday.
Overall customer satisfaction with LIRR stations is growing, up to 86% in the Spring 2025 Customers Count survey.