NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — In a major move for Long Island commuters, full Long Island Rail Road service into Grand Central Madison began Monday.
Most people were thrilled about their new commute.
"I think it's great. I just have to figure my way around," one rider said. "That's all."
The first day of full service was also a bit confusing and definitely a change for commuter Annie.
"It's just a different ride, right, when you've been doing the same one for 12 years," she said.
While the schedule changes will increase daily trains by 41%, they will eliminate some direct trains to Penn Station, like on the Port Washington Branch.
"We're gonna see whose taking what trains and we're gonna adjust as we go," Interim LIRR President Catherine Renaldi said. "It's gonna take a little while, I think, for those patterns to emerge."
The 700,000-square-foot terminal, adorned with colorful mosaics and replete with storefronts and restaurants — most still empty — is the country’s largest new railway station in nearly seven decades and the most significant expansion over the last century of the Long Island Rail Road, the busiest commuter railroad in North America. The two-level concourse supports four platforms and eight tracks.
For decades, the project kept chugging along, even amid concerns about ballooning costs. Construction began in the 1960s, but was abandoned for a time because of a series of economic crises.
Renaldi noted that now that the terminal is open, it will provide commuters with "flexibility and resilience" that they did not previously have.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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