How far underground is Grand Central Madison?

Comprising a 350,000 sq ft concourse, a mezzanine level, and upper and lower platform levels, Grand Central Madison also includes eight tracks and four platforms, the lowest section of which is roughly 150 ft below street level.



Grand Central Madison, the massive Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) terminal located beneath the historic Grand Central Terminal in New York City, is situated approximately 150 feet (46 meters) below street level. This is roughly equivalent to a 15-story building standing upside down. To reach the tracks, commuters must use a series of massive escalators, including one that is 182 feet long, making it the longest escalator in the entire MTA system. The station was carved out of the solid Manhattan schist bedrock as part of the "East Side Access" project, which cost over $11 billion and was one of the largest transportation expansions in the city's history since the 1950s. The station's extreme depth was necessary to navigate beneath the existing subway lines and the basement levels of the historic terminal above. For travelers, the descent takes about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, adding a significant subterranean "trek" to their daily commute into Midtown Manhattan.

People Also Ask

The Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The system covers over 800 m (2,600 ft) in distance and traverses an elevation of over 135 m (443 ft) from bottom to top.

MORE DETAILS

GCT is the largest train station in the world in terms of area occupied and number of platforms. The terminal is spread over 49 acres and has 44 platforms.

MORE DETAILS

VIPs who want to avoid the public gaze have used a top-secret track, known as Track 61, to get around. It connects to an elevator that goes directly into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. One such VIP, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is believed to have used it to hide his polio from the public.

MORE DETAILS

Liverpool Road Station, Manchester, England, is the world's oldest station.

MORE DETAILS

While Waterloo may have been stripped of previous titles, it still holds a major accolade. With 24 platforms in use, it's the largest train station in the UK.

MORE DETAILS

The MTA's ownership of Grand Central Terminal will further give MTA Long Island Rail Road clear control of the East Side Access terminal being built beneath Grand Central Terminal.

MORE DETAILS

The Shanghai Metro is the metro system with the longest route length, and the highest annual ridership. The New York City Subway (middle) has the most stations in the world. The London Underground (bottom) is the oldest metro system.

MORE DETAILS

With a vertical rise of 90 feet (27 m) and a length of 200 feet (61 m), the escalators at Angel station are the longest on the Underground, and in the United Kingdom.

MORE DETAILS

If you go to Kawasaki, Japan, stop at the JR Kawasaki station, go out the Southern Exit, cross the street to the More's Department store, then make your way down into the basement you'll see it: The World's Shortest Escalator.

MORE DETAILS