At Last, Direct Train Access to JFK Airport From New York’s Grand Central

Travelers heading to or from New York can now enjoy a game-changing rail service. A new Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) terminal at Grand Central Terminal opened Wednesday, offering direct access to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in Queens.

Previously, Penn Station was the only LIRR link to JFK from Manhattan. Now, the newly launched 700,000-square-foot annex, Grand Central Madison, provides a convenient option for city residents and commuters traveling into Manhattan from the north.

This long-awaited, multibillion-dollar project—initially estimated at $ billion two decades ago—has ballooned to over $11 billion. The new terminal, featuring a two-level concourse with four platforms and eight tracks, includes shops and restaurants, though many are still to open. It's the largest new railway station in the U.S. in nearly 70 years and marks the most significant expansion of the LIRR, North America's busiest commuter rail, in a century, according to the Associated Press.

The new LIRR service operates daily between Grand Central Madison and the Jamaica station in Queens, where travelers can catch the AirTrain to all JFK terminals. Trains run approximately every 30 minutes, with some making local stops and others running express. Weekday service is from 6:15 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Ticket prices range from $7.75 to $10.75, depending on peak or off-peak hours, and the AirTrain fare from Jamaica is $8.

The terminal opens amid a drop in train ridership due to the pandemic. Last week, LIRR saw about 1 million passengers—around two-thirds of what it carried in the same period in 2019, per the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs LIRR, Metro-North, and NYC Transit.

Reporting from the Associated Press contributed.