Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Long Island Rail Road has surpassed 1 million paying customers traveling in or out of Grand Central Madison Terminal, which opened with full service on Feb. 27.

The milestone was surpassed on April 7, according to New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's news release.

In addition, the LIRR announced several pandemic-era ridership records achieved since Grand Central Madison opened for full service.

On both Saturday, April 8 and Sunday, April 9, the railroad carried record pandemic-era weekend ridership as New Yorkers used mass transit to get around during the holiday weekend - 108,740 customers traveling on Saturday and 98,030 traveling on Sunday.

On Tuesday, March 21, 213,026 customers took the LIRR, surpassing the previous pandemic-era record from November 2022. 

"We have made historic investments in transit on Long Island, making it easier to connect commuters across the region," Governor Hochul said. "With the millionth rider traveling through Grand Central Madison mere months after the terminal's opening, it shows just how essential this service has already become for New Yorkers over only a short period of time." 

The LIRR also announced milestones achieved since the opening of Grand Central Madison.

This March, the LIRR has sold 358,609 City Tickets - which provides off-peak travel within New York City for $5 - a 118.5% increase over the previous March. The Combo Ticket has been used by over 4,000 customers since its launch.

Through April 18, 2023, 15,503 LIRR trains have arrived at or departed from Grand Central Madison. The MTA's TrainTime app has seen over 370,000 tickets purchased for trips to or from Grand Central Madison. 

"One million customers represent a major milestone in the rollout of Grand Central Madison. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have had their lives improved since GCM opened - some by more convenient connections to world-renowned hospitals, others by first-time reverse commuting connecting city residents to Long Island jobs, and still others just by saving as much as 40 minutes on their daily commute," said Janno Lieber, MTA CEO. "Little by little, Grand Central Madison is fundamentally transforming the fabric of New York." 

To mark the milestone of one million rides being surpassed, the LIRR welcomed two Grand Central Madison customers to join the celebration: Ray Ragunauth and Karen Hamilton.