Improves Passenger Flow by Adding and Widening Staircases, Increase in Floor Space, and Addition of New Fare Control Area
Includes 1 New Street to Mezzanine Elevator and 4 Elevator Replacements
New Customer Service Center Open 24/7
Subway Station Features New Paint, Floor Tiling, Lighting and Safety Upgrades
Five-Year Project Completed on Time and $46.5 Million Under Budget
View Photos of News Conference
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that work has been completed on a major upgrade of Grand Central-42 St subway station following five years of improvements. The Grand Central-42 St Circulation Improvement Project, which started in 2020, features significant enhancements designed to improve passenger flow and make the transit hub more accessible for an estimated 400,000 daily riders.
New features at the station complex includes 14 new staircases, 24 widened existing staircases, replacement of 10 escalators and increased mezzanine floor space by 20% in the public area. One new street-to-mezzanine elevator was installed, one street-to-mezzanine elevator was replaced, and three elevators were replaced that run from the mezzanine to the uptown Lexington lines, downtown Lexington lines, and Flushing line platforms.
“We took many different projects and put them together to a single, aggressively managed package,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “We are thrilled to celebrate that all this work was done on time and well ahead of budget.”
“This massive five-year project to completely rehabilitate the second busiest train station in America was completed on time and nearly $46.5 million under budget,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “We’ve made generational improvements to the region’s crown jewel of public transportation, all while keeping subway service fast and reliable.”
“This extraordinary project greatly improves how customers can navigate one of the busiest stations in our system,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “With improvements like a new passageway, a new customer service center, and station enhancements like brighter lighting and updated wayfinding signs, it’s never been better to be a Grand Central rider.”
“Grand Central–42nd Street Subway Station is a vital transit hub in my district and for New Yorkers. The station connects riders to the East and West Sides of Manhattan and to the Metro-North rail network. It’s the second-busiest subway station in New York City and a vital gateway and transfer point for millions of riders, but for too long, accessibility and crowding were real barriers,” said Representative Jerrold Nadler. “Transit should be accessible to everyone, and I0 am proud that with new elevators, wider passageways, and improved circulation, this project delivers the kind of modern, inclusive transit system our city deserves. I commend the MTA for completing this vital project on time and under budget, and for keeping New Yorkers moving.”
“Here in Midtown East, we believe in the slogan – Access to Everything is Everything,” said Grand Central Partnership President and CEO Fred Cerullo. “And today we mark a critical milestone in continuing to make Midtown East one of the city’s most accessible neighborhoods by celebrating the completion of the Grand Central-42 St Circulation Improvement Project. Over the past five years the combination of public and privately financed initiatives have dramatically improved the customer experience for commuters, residents, and visitors in the Grand Central-42 St subway station. The world starts its business day in the Grand Central neighborhood, and now it will be able to do so faster and more conveniently thanks to these improvements.”
The project was completed on time, $46.5 million under budget, and was supported by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including $94.1 million to replace 8 escalators and $8.7 million to replace one hydraulic elevator at the Grand Central-42 St train station. Project cost savings were achieved through several methods including implementation of a design-build contract, which streamlines logistics and ensures a single point of accountability; use of in-house labor; “piggybacking,” which features crews performing work on multiple projects during planned service outages, and consolidation of three projects into one streamlined program, resulting in substantial overhead reductions.
Teams also installed new fare control areas featuring 30 new turnstiles throughout the station, bringing the total number up to 92 – a nearly 50% increase from five years ago. These features will improve foot traffic circulation, significantly reduce congestion, and strengthen overall transit accessibility, allowing for faster, easier entry to the subway system as well as commuter trains and retail locations within Grand Central Terminal.
The Grand Central-42 St Circulation Improvement Project included State of Good Repair work as part of the MTA’s “Revive” program as well as upgrades to fire and security systems. This included more than 266,000 square feet of new paint, 436 square feet of new tiling and concrete, the conversion of 1,377 lightbulbs to brighter and more cost-efficient LED bulbs, structural repairs and new grouting to prevent water leaks. Upgrades to the fire prevention system included the installation of 214 smoke detectors and 470 fire alarms. 61 new CCTV cameras were also installed – a nearly 50% increase from 2020. New wayfinding signs and 143 new public address speakers were also installed.
A new passageway from Grand Central Terminal to the line platform opened in February 2025. Crews built a new staircase to the Flushing Line platform and widened existing staircases by 25 percent to connect the Lexington Passageway to the existing passageway to improve customer flow. Work began in 2024, when crews descended a 55-foot shaft, removed thousands of tons of dirt and performed controlled blasts through the bedrock to create the new passageway beneath 42 St — all while service still operated safely elsewhere in the terminal. Video of the project’s work can be seen here.
A new Customer Service Center opened in September 2025 in the Grand Central–42 St station. These booths are staffed 24/7 by New York City Transit station agents to assist customers with using tap-and-ride, transferring MetroCard funds over to OMNY, signing up for the Fair Fares program, enrolling in Reduced-Fare programs, providing directions during service disruptions or answer general questions about navigating the subway system. More than 620 customers were helped during the first two weeks of operation at the Grand Central station location, including the enrollment of 130 new Reduced-Fare customers in the first week alone. 14 additional Customer Service Centers are slated to open in select stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx by the end of 2025. There are currently 16 customer service centers open throughout the system.
As part of the circulation improvements, MTA Arts & Design commissioned two new artworks and made modifications to three existing artworks, aiding in wayfinding and enhancing the busy transit hub. I dreamed a world and called it Love (2020), an artwork by Jim Hodges, composed of more than 5,000 pieces of mirrored-glass, was installed at the landing and mezzanine level of the stairs and escalator that connect Grand Central Terminal with the subway station at the 42 Street entrance in 2020. The following year, Grand Central: Arches, Towers, Pyramids (2000) by Jackie Ferarra was expanded to wrap new stairs from the mezzanine and span the new six-car length of the 42 St Shuttle. In 2024, Christopher Sproat’s V-Beam (2000), a sculpture suspended from the ceiling above the platform, was cleaned, re-lit, and received a retrofit to accommodate the new stairs.
Earlier this year a 600-square foot glass mosaic by Hilma’s Ghost was unveiled at the 42 St and 3 Av entrance leading directly to the train. The new artwork Abstract Futures (2025) centers around the themes of “portals” and “journeys”. Most recently, Fast Track and Speedwheels (1990) by Dan Sinclair, received a contemporary new look. The mixed-metal sculpture gracing the portal at the mouth of the passage to the 42 St Shuttle is now set against a dramatic black background, above extended signage.
“Grand Central is one of the most recognizable gateways to New York City and these upgrades mark real progress in making our transit system more efficient, accessible and responsive to the people who rely on it every day,” said State Senator Leroy Comrie, Chair of the Senate Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. “Completing this project on time and under budget shows what can happen when the MTA focuses on accountability and public benefit. I commend the team for their steady work to strengthen the system and improve rider experience across our city.”
“I am happy to learn of the completion of this project, which will make navigating Grand Central Terminal easier than ever for the millions of New Yorkers who pass through it each year,” said State Senator Liz Krueger. “Grand Central is the third-busiest railway station in North America, and I look forward as one of them to using the new and improved staircases, elevators and escalators, and entry points that the MTA has installed throughout the complex.”
"I use the Grand Central Terminal subway stop every day and I can personally attest to the improved accessibility, lighting, and maneuverability of the station,” said Assembly Member Alex Bores. “As a taxpayer, I appreciate the MTA's diligence on this project and their continuation of the recent trend of delivering on time and under budget."
“Grand Central is one of New York’s beating hearts, and this project makes it stronger, more accessible, and ready for the future,” said Assembly Member Tony Simone. “Thanks to Governor Hochul and the MTA’s leadership, millions of riders will now enjoy a safer, brighter, and more seamless commute through one of the most iconic transit hubs in the world. These improvements are critical to ensure our system is safe, reliable, clean, and convenient for riders.”