U.S. DOT Announces $73.8 Million for New York City East Side Access Project

U.S. Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced a $73.8 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to extend Long Island Rail Road Services to the historic Grand Central Station Terminal in New York City. The East Side Access Project extension will reduce commuting times by nearly 30 minutes each day.

“The Bush Administration is committed to public transportation as an economic catalyst, connecting workers to jobs and customers to businesses,” said Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. “This regional rail project will help facilitate commuter access to Manhattan’s East Side, one of the largest employment centers in the nation.”

The grant awarded today brings the total federal funding for this project to $155.3 million. The funding will be used by the Metropolitan Transit Authority to support final design activities, engineering, and project management for the proposed East Side Access project.

More than 100,000 riders take LIRR to Penn Station in New York each day, half of whom traveling to destinations on Manhattan’s East Side. The East Side Access project will give Long Island commuters direct rail access to eastern Manhattan for the first time.

It will connect LIRR’s main line and the Port Washington line in Queens to a new terminal beneath Grand Central Station. In addition, the project calls for a new passenger station in Sunnyside Queens, to provide rail access to the growing Long Island City business district.

The project is estimated to result in a total saving of 139,600 hours in travel-time each week by 2025. It will also relieve overcrowded conditions in Penn Station, one of the busiest railroad stations in the country.