Grand Central Madison opening delayed

Grand Central Madison opening delayed

The Long Island Rail Road logo is shown on the side of a LIRR commuter train, Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at Long Beach branch in Long Beach, N.Y. Speaking to a meeting of the Long Island Association Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said $5.6 billion in upgrades will transform the Long Island Rail Road and help make up for decades of neglect. The work will involve laying 10 miles of new track to ease congestion along the busiest part of the rail road, along with the replacement of 20 miles of aging track. Stations will be renovated, parking will be added and signal switches and other equipment will be upgraded. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The MTA announced on Monday that Grand Central Madison — the new Long Island Rail Road terminal that’s nearing completion under Grand Central Terminal and opening up East Side access to commuters — will not be fully operational until 2023.

No opening date in 2023 has yet been announced. Previous the MTA had said the plan was to unveil the new service before the end of 2022.

In the interim, however, special shuttle trains will begin operating between the LIRR’s Jamaica staton and Grand Central Madison, beginning when facility systems testing is complete, to enable the public to begin exploring the new terminal and its route while the LIRR continues to maintain full existing schedules to Penn Station, the MTA said.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)