Grand Central Station

Grand Central Terminal (GCT) is a commuter (and former intercity) railroad terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York... more

by Martin Newman

Title

Grand Central Station

Artist

Martin Newman

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Grand Central Terminal (GCT) is a commuter (and former intercity) railroad terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States.

Built by and named for the New York Central Railroad in the heyday of American long-distance passenger rail travel, it covers 48 acres (19 ha) and has 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station in the world.[3] Its platforms, all below ground, serve 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower, though the total number of tracks along platforms and in rail yards exceeds 100.

The terminal serves commuters traveling on the Metro-North Railroad to Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in New York State, and Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut. Until 1991, the terminal served Amtrak, which moved to nearby Pennsylvania Station upon completion of the Empire Connection. The East Side Access project is underway to bring Long Island Rail Road service to the terminal.

Although the terminal has been officially called "Grand Central Terminal" since the present structure opened, it has "always been more colloquially and affectionately known as Grand Central Station", a name of one of the earlier railroad stations on the same site.[4][5][N 1] "Grand Central Station" is the name of the nearby U.S. Post Office station at 450 Lexington Avenue and the name also refers to the Grand Central – 42nd Street subway station which serves the terminal area.

Grand Central Terminal features both monumental spaces and meticulously crafted detail.[6] In a February 2013 BBC News article, historian David Cannadine described it as one of the most majestic buildings of the twentieth century.[7] In 2013, Grand Central Terminal hosted 21.6 million visitors, rendering it one of the ten most-visited tourist attractions worldwide.[8]

In 2006, Argent Ventures transferred ownership of the station to Midtown TDR Ventures. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that is the parent of Metro-North, holds a lease until 2274

Uploaded

October 8th, 2015