60 Years in the Making, New York’s East Side Access is Close to Becoming a Reality

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2024-02-27 16:00:05

May 25, 2022 • Thomas Renner • Bookmark +

The new passenger terminal for the Long Island Rail Road at Grand Central Station in New York includes 53 fire-rated floor access doors manufactured by BILCO.

Frank Sinatra, Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Jay-Z, and others sing songs that celebrate New York. It is quite likely, however, that none of them had to experience the daily migraine associated with commuting to Manhattan from Long Island.

More than 1.4 million Long Island residents commute to New York City every day. While some commutes are relatively short — Great Neck residents can reach midtown in about 45 minutes — other residents farther out on Long Island travel as much as three hours one way daily.

A new project scheduled to open this year will provide faster commutes, fewer delays, greater reliability, and more options. East Side Access is a $12 billion project, which marks the first expansion of the Long Island Rail Road in more than 100 years. Riders on the LIRR will have direct access to the east side of Manhattan, easing overcrowding in and around Penn Station.