Project Begins Boring Tunnels To Connect LIRR To Grand Central
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – As two 640-ton machine began boring four tunnels to connect Long Island Railroad's main line to the Grand Central Terminal, officials did a little celebrating and bragging.
LISTEN: WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports
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MTA chairman Jay Walder said the $7.3 billion project will allow the LIRR to increase the number of trains going into Manhattan by 41 percent and will reduce commuter times by up to 40 minutes for 160,000 people.
"This is the single largest infrastructure project in the United States of America," Walder said. "We should be proud of that."
Railroad President Helena Williams said the project gives commuters another choice.
"We will be able to offer for the first time in 100 years a second Manhattan terminal," she said. "Customers will have a choice: they can go to Penn or Grand Central from their home station. That will shorten people's commute."
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2016.
