East Side Access (ESA) is a public works project in New York City that extended the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) two miles from its Main Line in Queens to the new Grand Central Madison station under Grand Central Terminal on Manhattan's East Side. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) project was originally scheduled to open in 2009 but was delayed by more than a decade. The new station and tunnels opened with limited service to Jamaica station in Queens on January 25, 2023, and full service began on February 27, 2023. The estimated cost of the project rose over threefold from US$3.5 billion to US$11.1 billion as of April 2018, making it one of the world's most expensive underground rail-construction projects.
A ventilation tower for the 63rd Street Tunnel
East Side Access Project Information Center
A tunnel cavern deep under Park Avenue, to the north of the new LIRR station, which now houses a switch
Construction of the station's upper concourse in the Grand Central Terminal's Madison Yard in May 2014. Two of the yard's tracks were kept in service during construction to bring in equipment and remove debris.
Main Line (Long Island Rail Road)
The Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. It begins as a two-track line at Long Island City station in Long Island City, Queens, and runs along the middle of Long Island about 95 miles (153 km) to Greenport station in Greenport, Suffolk County. At Harold Interlocking approximately one mile east of Long Island City, the tracks from the East River Tunnels and 63rd Street Tunnel into Manhattan intersect with the Main Line, which most trains use rather than using the Long Island City station.
The Main Line near Jamaica, which is visible in the foreground.
Power station at NASSAU Interlocking in Mineola
Groundbreaking for Phase 1
The completed second track, as viewed from the reconstructed Wyandanch station
