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Grand Central Terminal (often still called Grand Central Station, although technically that is the name of the nearby post office) is a train station in midtown Manhattan, New York, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue. Presently it serves commuters commuting on the Metro North Railroad to Westchester County, New York, Putnam County, New York, Dutchess County, New York, Fairfield County, Connecticut, and New Haven County, Connecticut. It is also a major station on the New York Subway, serving the 4, 5, 6, and 7 trains along with the 42nd Street Shuttle.
It is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms: 44, with 67 tracks along them. They are situated on two underground levels with 41 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower.
Besides train platforms, Grand Central contains restaurants (the most famous of which is the Oyster Bar), fast food outlets, delis, newsstands, a food market, and over forty retail stores.
The Main Concourse is the center of Grand Central. The space is cavernous and usually filled with bustling crowds. The ticket booths are here, although many now stand unused or repurposed since the introduction of ticket vending machines.
The main information booth is in the center of the Concourse. This is a perennial meeting place, and the four-faced clock on top of the information booth is perhaps the most recognizable icon of Grand Central Terminal.
The upper level tracks are reached from the Grand Concourse or from various hallways and passages branching off from it.
The Dining Concourse is below the Main Concourse. They are connected by numerous stairs, ramps, and escalators.
The Dining Concourse is the home to most of the fast food operations of Grand Central.
The lower level tracks are all accessed from the Dining Concourse.
Vanderbilt Hall is located just off the Main Concourse. It is used and rented out for various events.
The subway platforms at Grand Central are reached from the Main Concourse. The subway areas of the station lack the majesty that is present throughout most of the rest of Grand Central.
Grand Central North is a relatively recent addition that provides access to Grand Central from 47th and 48th streets. It is connected to the Main Concourse through two long hallways, known as the Northwest and Northeast passages, which run parallel to the tracks.
During the 1990's, the station was extensively renovated. These renovations finished in 1998. The most striking effect was the restoration of the Main Concourse ceiling, revealing the painted skyscape and constellations that had been hidden beneath soot and grime.
See also: Pennsylvania StationLayout
Main Concourse
Dining Concourse
Vanderbilt Hall
Subway Station
Grand Central North
History
Three buildings serving essentially the same function have stood on this site.Grand Central Depot
Grand Central Depot, completed in 1871, was designed to bring the trains of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, the Harlem River Railroad, and the New Haven Railroad together in one large station. The headhouse building containing passenger service areas and railroad offices was an "L" shape with a short leg running east-west on 42nd Street and a long leg running north-south on Vanderbilt Avenue. The train shed, north and east of the headhouse, had two innovations in U.S. practice: the platforms were elevated to the height of the cars and the roof was a balloon shed with a clear span over all of the tracks.Grand Central Station
Between 1899 and 1900, the headhouse was essentially demolished (it was expanded from 3 to 6 stories and an entirely new facade put on it) but the train shed was kept. The tracks that had previous continued south of 42nd Street were removed and the train yard reconfigured in an effort to reduce congestion and turn-around time for trains. The reconstructed building was renamed Grand Central Station.Grand Central Terminal
Between 1903 and 1913, the entire building was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal which was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architects Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stern. This work was accompanied by the electrification of the three railroads using the station and the burial of the approach in the Park Avenue tunnel.
The 42nd Street entrance to Grand Central Terminal