MTA Completes 5-Year Revamp Of Grand Central-42nd Street Station

NEW YORK CITY — The MTA has completed a five-year project aimed at upgrading the Grand Central–42nd Street subway station in Manhattan.

The station complex was revamped with new and widen staircases,10 more escalators and increased mezzanine floor space by 20 percent.

In addition, one new street-to-mezzanine elevator was installed, one street-to-mezzanine elevator was replaced, and three elevators were replaced that run from the mezzanine to the uptown and downtown Lexington Avenue 4, 5, and 6 lines, as well as the Queens-bound 7 line platforms.

The MTA also installed 30 new turnstiles throughout the station, bringing the total number up to 92. These features will improve foot traffic circulation, significantly reduce congestion, and strengthen overall transit accessibility, allowing for faster, easier entry to the subway system as well as commuter trains and retail locations within Grand Central Terminal, officials said.

“This massive five-year project to completely rehabilitate the second-busiest train station in America was completed on time and nearly $46.5 million under budget,” MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer said. “We’ve made generational improvements to the region’s crown jewel of public transportation, all while keeping subway service fast and reliable.”

The project also included work as part of the MTA’s “Revive” program and featured upgrades to the fire prevention system, 214 new smoke detectors and 470 fire alarms. 61 new CCTV cameras were also installed.

New wayfinding signs and 143 new public address speakers were also installed.

A new passageway from Grand Central Terminal to the 7 line platform opened in February 2025. Crews built a new staircase to the Flushing Line 7 platform and widened existing staircases by 25 percent to connect the Lexington Passageway to the existing passageway.

The project began in 2020 and was completed on time and $46.5 million under budget, according to the MTA.