A developer would make the upgrades, including a new entrance on 42nd street to the Times Square shuttle platform; knocking out a wall to create a larger mezzanine near the Lexington Avenue line; and thinner columns that would let people slip more easily from the subway to the staircases, in exchange for city approval to build a 1.6 million-square-foot office building.
NEW YORK CITY — The developer of a proposed, 65-story tower near Grand Central Terminal on Monday unveiled more than $200 million of renovations it said would ease the flow of people through the busy transit hub, the Wall Street Journal reported.
An image of proposed transit renovations. Rendering by KPF
SL Green Realty Corp. said it would make the upgrades to Grand Central in exchange for city approval to build a 1.6 million-square-foot office building on the block bounded by Vanderbilt and Madison avenues and by East 42nd and East 43rd streets, WSJ reported.
Improvements evident to riders would include three new staircases; a new entrance on 42nd street to the Times Square shuttle platform; knocking out a wall to create a larger mezzanine near the Lexington Avenue line; and thinner columns that would let people slip more easily from the subway to the staircases, according to the report.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
