There’s a New $13 Way to Get from Downtown Manhattan to JFK

Savvy, budget travelers know that one of the cheapest ways to get to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is via the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station. However, for those who live or work on the East Side of Manhattan, getting to Penn Station and then to JFK can be a hassle.

Fortunately, that trip will soon disappear for some: The Metropolitan Transit Authority plans to roll out LIRR service from the new Grand Central Madison terminal, located below Grand Central Terminal, to Jamaica, Queens, January 25. The stop in Jamaica is about 15 minutes away from JFK via AirTrain.

This new service will complement existing trains from Penn Station.

The first train is scheduled to depart Jamaica at 10:45 a.m. and arrive at Grand Central Madison at 11:07 a.m. For at least the next three weeks, the MTA said it plans to operate limited service between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison so passengers can get used to the new terminal.

During this pilot period, the MTA says customers can use Penn Station tickets to take LIRR from Grand Central Madison.

Trains will initially operate from 6:15 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. Trains will run every 30 minutes between Grand Central Madison and Jamaica between noon and weekday weekends. Trains will also run once per hour during peak times. The MTA said it will likely increase the frequency after launch, although it did not reveal any further details.

TPG’s Scott Mayerowitz found you can get to Jamaica Station from central Manhattan in just 21 minutes.

The MTA eventually plans to start full LIRR service from Grand Central Madison to Jamaica, hoping to increase overall LIRR service by 41%.

The new route can be as cheap as $13 one way.

An “off-peak” city ticket on LIRR from Grand Central to Jamaica is $5 and an AirTrain from Jamaica to airport terminals is another $8, if you already have a MetroCard MTA. It costs you an extra $1 to buy a refillable MetroCard for those who don’t have one.

During peak hours, the LIRR fare increases to $10.75, bringing the price of the entire journey to $18.75.

LIRR service from Grand Central Madison provides an affordable alternative to commuting to JFK for those who live in or near the East Side of Manhattan.

To save time, many New Yorkers use Uber or Lyft to get to JFK, but these services can cost $100 or more.

Taxis start at $74 with flat rates; however, when you add in tips and tolls, you can easily increase the price to $100.

The other problem with traveling by car is traffic. On a clear day, you can get to JFK in just 35-40 minutes, but given NYC’s notorious traffic situation, it could take you up to an hour and a half.

Before the new option, you would have to take the subway or bus to Penn Station and then catch the LIRR to Jamaica — a journey that takes time and arduousness depending on where you’re going. Such a route could easily add more than half an hour to the journey.

The long-awaited announcement comes amid stalled construction and financial problems that have plagued the project for decades. Originally called East access stationconstruction of Grand Central Madison began in the 1960s. However, rising costs and a rapidly citywide financial crisis caused New York City to halt construction.

Construction then resumed in the 1990s, but construction was delayed, mismanaged, and cost overrun. stalled project. Original MTA aim to open the new terminal was due at the end of 2022, but when an area of ​​the station needed “additional work”, it was delayed.

Last week, the MTA tested 40 empty trains to and from the brand new station, according to Gothamist.

There is also a Private entrance to the new station. As the name suggests, you can enter the building through separate entrances off Madison Avenue. (Actually, the actual entrances are on Vanderbilt Avenue and East 43rd, East 44th, East 45th, East 46th, East 47th and East 48th streets.)

The vast Grand Central Madison station Price a whopping $11.6 billion to build and is one of the largest transport infrastructure projects in the US in recent years. Grand Central Madison also represents LIRR’s first expansion in 100 years.