Editing Grand Central Terminal (section)

== Interior ==
[[File:Historical Photos of Grand Central Terminal (52663238267).jpg|thumb|alt=Wide view of the station's Main Concourse in bright daylight|Morning pedestrian traffic in the Main Concourse]]
Grand Central Terminal was designed and built with two main levels for passengers: an upper for intercity trains and a lower for commuter trains. This configuration, devised by New York Central vice president [[William J. Wilgus]], separated intercity and commuter-rail passengers, smoothing the flow of people in and through the station.<ref name="Schlichting pp. 62-63" />
The original plan for Grand Central's interior was designed by [[Reed and Stem]], with some work by [[Whitney Warren]] of [[Warren and Wetmore]].<ref name="Schlichting p. 125" /><ref name="Langmead p. 174" />

=== Main Concourse ===
{{main|Main Concourse}}

The Main Concourse is located on the upper platform level of Grand Central, in the geographical center of the station building. The {{convert|35000|sqft|adj=on}} concourse<ref name="Susman" /> leads directly to most of the terminal's upper-level tracks, although some are accessed from passageways near the concourse.<ref name="directory" /> The Main Concourse is usually filled with bustling crowds and is often used as a meeting place.<ref name="latimes 19851124" /> At the center of the concourse is an information booth topped with a four-sided brass clock, one of Grand Central's most recognizable icons.<ref name="RN p. 84" /> The terminal's main departure boards are located at the south end of the space. The boards have been replaced numerous times since their initial installation in 1967.<ref name="nyt19670113"/><ref>{{cite web | last=Alexa | first=Alexandra | title=Grand Central Terminal's departure boards are going digital | website=6sqft | date=April 30, 2019 | url=https://www.6sqft.com/grand-central-terminals-departure-boards-are-going-digital/ | access-date=April 30, 2019 | archive-date=April 30, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430183343/https://www.6sqft.com/grand-central-terminals-departure-boards-are-going-digital/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Eye on the Future|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/capital/pdf/eotf_1216_1117.pdf|date=February 2, 2017|access-date=September 26, 2019|archive-date=September 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926150954/http://web.mta.info/mta/capital/pdf/eotf_1216_1117.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear}}
[[File:Grand Central map.png|center|thumb|upright=2.75|alt=A diagram of the terminal's main level rooms|Floor plan of the main level of the terminal]]

=== Passageways and ramps ===
[[File:Graybar Passage.jpg|thumb|left|The Graybar Passage|alt=Wide interior corridor with a vaulted ceiling]]

In their design for the station's interior, Reed & Stem created a circulation system that allowed passengers alighting from trains to enter the Main Concourse, then leave through various passages that branch from it.<ref name="Langmead p. 175" /> Among these are the north–south 42nd Street Passage and Shuttle Passage, which run south to 42nd Street; and three east–west passageways—the Grand Central Market, the Graybar Passage, and the Lexington Passage—that run about {{Convert|240|feet|meters|abbr=}} east to Lexington Avenue by 43rd Street.<ref name="directory" /><ref name="nyt19980802" /> Several passages run north of the terminal, including the north–south 45th Street Passage, which leads to 45th Street and Madison Avenue,<ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Betsy |url=https://www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/things-to-do/grand-central-terminal-tour |title=Grand Central Terminal tour |work=Time Out |date=January 14, 2010 |access-date=February 14, 2019 |archive-date=February 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020009/https://www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/things-to-do/grand-central-terminal-tour |url-status=live }}</ref> and the network of tunnels in Grand Central North, which lead to exits at every street from 45th to 48th Street.<ref name="directory" />

Each of the east–west passageways runs through a different building. The northernmost is the Graybar Passage,<ref name="directory" /> built on the [[Storey#North American schemes|first floor]] of the [[Graybar Building]] in 1926.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 19, 1926 |title=New Passageway into Terminal is Part of Building |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-new-passageway-into-termi/161350150/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241222070301/https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-new-passageway-into-termi/161350150/ |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |access-date=December 22, 2024 |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |page=8B |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Its walls and seven large [[transverse arch]]es are made of coursed ashlar [[travertine]], and the floor is [[terrazzo]]. [[Main Concourse#Ceiling|The ceiling]] is composed of seven [[groin vault]]s, each of which has an ornamental bronze chandelier. The first two vaults, as viewed from leaving Grand Central, are painted with [[cumulus cloud]]s, while the third contains a [[Grand Central Terminal art#Graybar Passage mural|1927 mural]] by Edward Trumbull depicting American transportation.<ref name="Restore" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bookwormhistory.com/2017/04/23/the-story-of-grand-centrals-other-ceiling-mural/|title=The Story of Grand Central's Other Ceiling Mural|last=Thurber|first=Dan|date=April 23, 2017|publisher=Bookworm History|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222402/https://bookwormhistory.com/2017/04/23/the-story-of-grand-centrals-other-ceiling-mural/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{multiple image|footer=Grand Central Market's interior and its Lexington Avenue facade between the [[Grand Hyatt New York]] and [[Graybar Building]]|total_width=400
|image1=GCM 2019.jpg|alt1=A long hall with food vendors on either side
|image2=GCT Market 3.jpg|alt2=Exterior of the market building from the street
}}

The middle passageway houses Grand Central Market, a cluster of food shops.<ref name="directory" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/grand-central-market/|title=Grand Central Market|website=Grand Central Terminal|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215070039/https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/grand-central-market/|url-status=live}}</ref> The site was originally a segment of 43rd Street which became the terminal's first service dock in 1913.<ref name="BL p. 155">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Leighton|2000|p=155}}</ref> In 1975, a [[Greenwich Savings Bank]] branch was built in the space,<ref>{{cite web|title=152 A.D.2d 216 – Greenwich Assocs. v. MTA., Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Department.|url=https://www.leagle.com/decision/1989368152ad2d2161332|access-date=February 1, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202042120/https://www.leagle.com/decision/1989368152ad2d2161332|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Changes Among Operating Banks and Branches|publisher=Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JullTrIbFYC&pg=RA2-PA189|date=1973|access-date=December 12, 2020|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124054807/https://books.google.com/books?id=9JullTrIbFYC&pg=RA2-PA189#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> which was converted into the marketplace in 1998, and involved installing a new limestone façade on the building.<ref name="nyt19950129" /> The building's second story, whose balcony overlooks the market and 43rd Street, was to house a restaurant, but is instead used for storage.<ref name="nyt19980802" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120520/REAL_ESTATE/305209981/the-dish-on-grand-central|title=The dish on Grand Central|date=May 20, 2012|work=Crain's New York Business|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225030848/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120520/REAL_ESTATE/305209981/the-dish-on-grand-central|url-status=live}}</ref>

The southernmost of the three, the Lexington Passage, was originally known as the Commodore Passage after the [[Grand Hyatt New York#Commodore Hotel|Commodore Hotel]], which it ran through.<ref name="nyt19980802" /> When the hotel was renamed the Grand Hyatt, the passage was likewise renamed. The passage acquired its current name during the terminal's renovation in the 1990s.<ref name="nyt19950129" />

The Shuttle Passage, on the west side of the terminal, connects the Main Concourse to Grand Central's subway station. The terminal was originally configured with two parallel passages, later simplified into one wide passageway.<ref name="BL p. 155" />

[[File:Incline from subway to suburban concourse, Grand Central Terminal.jpg|thumb|alt=Wide ramps in the terminal, seen empty c. 1913|The Oyster Bar ramps shown {{circa|1913}}. They were completely restored in 1998 with one change {{ndash}} lower walls on the pedestrian overpass.]]
Ramps include the Vanderbilt Avenue ramp and the Oyster Bar ramps. The Vanderbilt Avenue or Kitty Kelly ramp leads from the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street down into the Shuttle Passage. Most of the space above the ramp was built upon in the 20th century, becoming the Kitty Kelly women's shoe store, and later operating as Federal Express. The ramp was returned to its original two-story volume during the terminal's 1998 restoration.<ref name="BL p. 150-154">{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Leighton|2000|pp=150–154}}</ref>

The Oyster Bar ramps lead down from the Main Concourse to the [[Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant|Oyster Bar]] and Dining Concourse.<ref name="directory" /> They span a total of {{cvt|302|ft|m}} from east to west under an {{cvt|84|ft|m||adj=mid}} ceiling.<ref name="nyt20150716" /> A pedestrian bridge passes over the ramps, connecting Vanderbilt Hall and the Main Concourse. In 1927, the ramps were partially covered over by expanded main-floor ticket offices; these were removed in the 1998 renovation, which restored the ramps' original appearance with one minor change: the bridge now has a low balustrade, replacing an eight-foot-high solid wall that blocked views between the two levels.<ref name="BL p. 150-154" /> The underside of the bridge is covered with [[Guastavino tile|Guastavino tiling]].<ref name="RN p. 89" /> The bridge's arches create a [[whispering gallery]] in the landing beneath it: a person standing in one corner can hear another speaking softly in the diagonally opposite corner.<ref name="Roberts2013" /><ref name="CBS New York 2013" />

==== Grand Central North ====
{{mapframe
|text=Interactive map: Grand Central North tunnels and entrances<br /><div align="left" style="font-size:88%;">{{colorbull|#f00}} Northwest Passage<br />{{colorbull|#ffb732}} Northeast Passage<br />{{colorbull|#0c0}} 45th Street Cross-Passage<br />{{colorbull|#00c}} 47th Street Cross-Passage<br />{{colorbull|#454545}} Headhouse and train shed</div>
|type=line|frame=y|zoom=15
|frame-align=right
|frame-width=230|frame-height=230|frame-lat=40.7552|frame-long=-73.9754
|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Grand Central Terminal}}
}}
Grand Central North is a network of four tunnels that allow people to walk between the station building (which sits between 42nd and 44th Street) and exits at 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48th Street.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/19/nyregion/passageway-easing-exit-is-opened-at-terminal.html|title=Passageway Easing Exit Is Opened At Terminal|last=Finkelstein|first=Katherine E.|date=August 19, 1999|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 2, 2011|archive-date=May 1, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501033206/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/19/nyregion/passageway-easing-exit-is-opened-at-terminal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The {{convert|1000|ft|adj=on}} Northwest Passage and {{convert|1200|ft|adj=on}} Northeast Passage run parallel to the tracks on the upper level, while two shorter cross-passages run perpendicular to the tracks.<ref name="Shorter"/><ref name="Ames 1999" /> The 47th Street cross-passage runs between the upper and lower tracks, {{convert|30|ft|m}} below street level; it provides access to upper-level tracks. The 45th Street cross-passage runs under the lower tracks, {{convert|50|ft|m}} below street level. Converted from a corridor built to transport luggage and mail,<ref name="Ames 1999" /> it provides access to lower-level tracks. The cross-passages are connected to the platforms via 37 stairs, six elevators, and five escalators.<ref name=n80839684/>

[[File:Grand Central 45th St.jpg|thumb|45th Street cross-passage]]
The tunnels' street-level entrances, each enclosed by a freestanding glass structure,<ref name="Ames 1999" /> sit at the northeast corner of East 47th Street and [[Madison Avenue]] (Northwest Passage), the northeast corner of East 48th Street and [[Park Avenue]] (Northeast Passage), in the two pedestrian walkways underneath the [[Helmsley Building]] between 45th and 46th streets, and (since 2012) on the south side of 47th Street between Park and Lexington avenues.<ref>{{cite press release|title=New Entrance to the Grand Central North Being Built On 47th Street Between Park and Lexington Avenues|date=January 11, 2010|publisher=Metro-North Railroad|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/new-entrance-grand-central-north-being-built-47th-street-between-park-and|access-date=June 29, 2010|archive-date=October 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020202938/http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/new-entrance-grand-central-north-being-built-47th-street-between-park-and|url-status=live}}</ref> Pedestrians can also take an elevator to the 47th Street passage from the north side of East 47th Street, between Madison and Vanderbilt avenues; this entrance adjoined the former [[270 Park Avenue (1960–2021)|270 Park Avenue]].<ref>{{cite sign|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianweinberg/8902049267/|title=Map of Grand Central North|date=December 6, 2018|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=December 6, 2018|medium=brochure (scan)|via=Brian Weinberg, from Flickr|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802090902/https://www.flickr.com/photos/brianweinberg/8902049267/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Proposals for these tunnels had been discussed since at least the 1970s. The MTA approved preliminary plans in 1983,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/30/nyregion/more-exits-at-grand-central-planned-to-ease-bottleneck.html|title=More Exits at Grand Central Planned to Ease Bottleneck|last=Joyce|first=Fay S.|date=April 30, 1983|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225125953/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/30/nyregion/more-exits-at-grand-central-planned-to-ease-bottleneck.html|url-status=live}}</ref> gave final approval in 1991,<ref name="WPJournalNews-NoLight-1999" /> and began construction in 1994.<ref name="Shorter"/> Dubbed the North End Access Project, the work was to be completed in 1997 at a cost of $64.5 million,<ref name="WPJournalNews-NoLight-1999" /> but it was slowed by the incomplete nature of the building's original blueprints and by previously undiscovered groundwater beneath East 45th Street.<ref name="Shorter"/> During construction, [[MTA Arts & Design]] mosaics were installed; each work was part of ''[[Grand Central Terminal art#As Above, So Below|As Above, So Below]]'', by Brooklyn artist [[Ellen Driscoll]].<ref name="Shorter"/> The passageways opened on August 18, 1999, at a final cost of $75 million.<ref name="Shorter"/>

In spring 2000, construction began on a project to enclose the Northeast and Northwest passages with ceilings and walls. Work on each passage was expected to take 7.5 months, with the entire project wrapping up by summer 2001. As part of the project, the walls of the passages were covered with glazed [[terrazzo]]; the Northeast Passage's walls have blue-green accents while the Northwest Passage's walls have red ones. The ceilings are {{convert|8|to|10|ft}} high; the cross-passages' ceilings are blue-green, the same color as the Main Concourse, and have recessed lights arranged to resemble the Main Concourse's constellations. The passages were to be heated in winter and ventilated.<ref>{{cite web | title=MTA Metro-North Railroad Service Updates | publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority | url=http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us:80/mnr/html/serviceupdates.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000510224520/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mnr/html/serviceupdates.htm | archive-date=May 10, 2000 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 5, 2021 }}</ref> Originally, Grand Central North had no restrooms or air-conditioning.<ref name=n80839684/>

The entrances to Grand Central North were originally open from 6:30&nbsp;a.m. to 9:30&nbsp;p.m. Monday through Friday. During weekends and holidays, the 47th and 48th Street entrances were open from 9:00&nbsp;a.m. to 9:30&nbsp;p.m., while the two entrances to the Helmsley Building were closed.<ref name=n80839684>{{Cite news|date=August 19, 1999|title=Grand Central tunnels ease commuting|pages=4A|work=Poughkeepsie Journal|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80839684/grand-central-tunnels-ease-commuting/|access-date=July 5, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182942/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80839684/grand-central-tunnels-ease-commuting/|url-status=live}}</ref> Five years after they opened, the passageways were used by about 30,000 people on a typical weekday.<ref name="mta-budget-2005" /> But they served only about 6,000 people on a typical weekend, so the MTA proposed to close them on weekends to save money as part of the 2005–2008 Financial Plan<!-- starting in January 2005-->.<ref name=mta-budget-2005>{{cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/2-mnr.pdf|title=MTA 2005 Preliminary Budget (7–29–04) – Volume 2 – MNR|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=February 3, 2014|page=43|archive-date=September 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926003905/http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/2-mnr.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=December 17, 2004|title=Drivers, riders to pay more in '05|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80840163/railroad-fares/ 2A]|work=The Journal News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80840047/drivers-riders-to-pay-more-in-05/|access-date=July 5, 2021|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183702/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80840047/drivers-riders-to-pay-more-in-05/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since summer 2006, Grand Central North has been closed on weekends.<ref name="AutoVN-40">{{cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/serviceupdates.htm#322|title=MTA Metro-North Railroad|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=February 3, 2014|archive-date=February 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212210257/http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/serviceupdates.htm?#322|url-status=live}}</ref>

As a precaution during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Grand Central North closed on March 26, 2020.<ref>{{cite web | last=Shay | first=Jim | title=Metro-North announces details of reduced service | website=Connecticut Post | date=March 26, 2020 | url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/article/Metro-North-announces-details-of-reduced-service-15158070.php | access-date=December 22, 2024}}</ref> It reopened in September of that year with hours from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2020 |title=Grand Central Terminal North End Access: Adjusted Hours, Effective Monday, Sept. 28 |url=http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/GCT_NorthEndAccess.htm |access-date=January 24, 2022 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=January 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130033009/http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/GCT_NorthEndAccess.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, its original hours were restored.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2021 |title=Mileposts |url=https://new.mta.info/document/55311 |access-date=January 24, 2022 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |archive-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014125706/https://new.mta.info/document/55311 |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 1, 2021, the entrance to the northeastern corner of Madison Avenue and 47th Street was "closed long-term to accommodate the construction of [[270 Park Avenue (2021–present)|270 Park Avenue]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-10-28 |title=Grand Central Terminal Entrance Closing Nov. 1 |url=https://new2stg.mta.info/article/grand-central-terminal-entrance-closed-47th-st-madison-ave |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |language=en |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124204107/https://new2stg.mta.info/article/grand-central-terminal-entrance-closed-47th-st-madison-ave |url-status=live }}</ref> After Grand Central Madison begins full service, Grand Central North will be open from 5:30&nbsp;a.m. until 2 a.m., seven days a week.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 24, 2023 |title=Everything you need to know about Grand Central Madison |url=https://new.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road/grand-central-madison-guide |access-date=January 24, 2023 |website=mta.info |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |language=en |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126202112/https://new.mta.info/agency/long-island-rail-road/grand-central-madison-guide |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Other spaces on the main floor ===
====Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Foyer====
The main entrance into the terminal, underneath the Park Avenue Viaduct, opens into the [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]] Foyer.<ref name="Press 2014">{{cite web | last=Associated Press | title=Grand Central entrance named for ex-first lady | work=The Journal News | date=June 30, 2014 | url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2014/06/30/grand-central-entrance-named-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/11750701/ | access-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725224000/https://www.lohud.com/story/news/2014/06/30/grand-central-entrance-named-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/11750701/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Johnson 2014">{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Victoria | title=Jackie Kennedy Onassis Foyer opens in Grand Central Terminal | website=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 | date=July 1, 2014 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/jackie-kennedy-onassis-foyer-opens-grand-central-terminal-article-1.1850628 | access-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-date=July 25, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725224042/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/jackie-kennedy-onassis-foyer-opens-grand-central-terminal-article-1.1850628 | url-status=live }}</ref> The room is a short passage with a sloped floor and arched shop windows along its side walls. It is adorned with glass and bronze chandeliers, a classical cornice, and a decorative [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] above the doors leading to Vanderbilt Hall. The tympanum has sculpted bronze garlands and a [[caduceus]] below an inscripted panel that reads: "To all those with head, heart, and hand{{•}}Toiled in the construction of this monument to the public service{{•}}This is inscribed." Above the panel is a clock framed by a pair of carved cornucopias.<ref name="Interior10"/> In 2014, the foyer was named for Onassis, former [[First Lady of the United States]], who in the 1970s helped ward off the demolition of the Main Concourse and the construction of [[Grand Central Tower]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand Central Entrance Named For Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|work=CBS New York|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/grand-central-entrance-to-be-named-for-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/|date=June 30, 2014|access-date=February 15, 2023|archive-date=February 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215154149/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/grand-central-entrance-to-be-named-for-jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=40 Years Rescued, 20 Years Renewed |url=https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/celebrates/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Grand Central Terminal |language=en-US |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215155209/https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/celebrates/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cassidy |first=Tina |date=2013-02-05 |title=The Surprising Role Jackie Kennedy Onassis Played in Saving Grand Central |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-02-05/the-surprising-role-jackie-kennedy-onassis-played-in-saving-grand-central |access-date=2023-02-15 |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215155139/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-02-05/the-surprising-role-jackie-kennedy-onassis-played-in-saving-grand-central |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Vanderbilt Hall ====
{{multiple image|align=left|direction=vertical
|image1=Main waiting room, Grand Central Terminal.jpg|alt1=Old image of the ornate Vanderbilt Hall|caption1=Vanderbilt Hall, {{circa|}} 1913
|image2=Tournament of Champions Squash 2012.jpg|alt2=Glassed-in squash court in the Beaux-Arts-style hall|caption2=The [[Tournament of Champions (squash)|Tournament of Champions]] [[Squash (sport)|squash]] championship in 2012}}

Vanderbilt Hall is an event space on the south side of the terminal, between the main entrance and the Main Concourse to its north.<ref name="directory" /> The rectangular room measures {{convert|65|x|205|ft}}. The north and south walls are divided into five bays, each with large rectangular windows, screened with heavy bronze grills.<ref name="Interior10">{{harvnb|ps=.|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1980|page=10}}</ref> The room is lit by Beaux-Arts chandeliers, each with 132 bulbs on four tiers.<ref name="RN p. 96" /> Vanderbilt Hall was formerly the main waiting room for the terminal, used particularly by intercity travelers. The space featured double-sided oak benches and could seat 700 people.<ref>{{cite web|title=Attention Railroad Buffs and Architecture Aficionados: Artifacts Sought for Grand Central Terminal Centennial Exhibition|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/attention-railroad-buffs-and-architecture-aficionados-artifacts-sought|date=August 2, 2010|access-date=March 25, 2019|archive-date=March 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325190912/http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/attention-railroad-buffs-and-architecture-aficionados-artifacts-sought|url-status=dead}}</ref> As long-distance passenger service waned, the space became favored by the homeless, who began regularly living there in the 1980s. In 1989, the room was boarded up in preparation for its restoration in 1991. During the process, a temporary waiting room was established on an upper level of the terminal.<ref>{{cite news |last=Durkin |first=Barbara J. |date=August 17, 1990 |title=Restoration of Grand Central Waiting Room to Begin Next Year |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-restoration-of-gra/161349872/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241222064906/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-restoration-of-gra/161349872/ |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |access-date=December 22, 2024 |newspaper=The Reporter Dispatch |page=20 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>{{refn|Several of the hall's benches were moved to a smaller waiting room in the Station Master's Office. In 2018, two of the benches were sent on a long-term loan to [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]'s [[Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts)|Union Station]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Goonan|first=Peter|title='A work of art': Springfield unveils restored Grand Central benches at Union Station|newspaper=Mass Live|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/springfield_union_station_unveils_restored_grand_central_terminal_benches.html|date=July 16, 2018|access-date=December 14, 2018|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215121355/https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/springfield_union_station_unveils_restored_grand_central_terminal_benches.html|url-status=live}}</ref>|group=N}}

Around 1998, the renovated hall was renamed in honor of the [[Vanderbilt family]], which built and owned the station.<ref name="nyt19980802" /> It is used for the annual Christmas Market,<ref>{{cite web | title=Grand Central Holiday Fair | website=The official website of the City of New York | date=December 20, 2017 | url=http://www1.nyc.gov/events/grand-central-holiday-fair/160627/37 | access-date=January 1, 2019 | archive-date=February 2, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095417/https://www1.nyc.gov/events/grand-central-holiday-fair/160627/37 | url-status=live }}</ref> as well as for special exhibitions and private events.<ref>{{cite web | title=Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal | website=NYC & Company | date=January 26, 2018 | url=https://business.nycgo.com/listing/vanderbilt-hall-at-grand-central-terminal/46656/ | access-date=January 1, 2019 | archive-date=February 2, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202041658/https://business.nycgo.com/listing/vanderbilt-hall-at-grand-central-terminal/46656/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> From 2016 to 2020, the west half of the hall held the Great Northern Food Hall, an upscale Nordic-themed food court with five pavilions. The food hall was the first long-term tenant of the space; the terminal's landmark status prevents permanent installations.<ref name="nyt20160407"/><ref name="closed">{{cite news|last=Passy|first=Charles|title=Grand Central Oyster Bar Closes After Briefly Opening at Limited Capacity|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/grand-central-oyster-bar-closes-after-briefly-opening-at-limited-capacity-11602538446|date=October 12, 2020|access-date=October 4, 2021|archive-date=October 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004154229/https://www.wsj.com/articles/grand-central-oyster-bar-closes-after-briefly-opening-at-limited-capacity-11602538446|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 1999, Vanderbilt Hall has hosted the annual [[Tournament of Champions (squash)|Tournament of Champions]] [[Squash (sport)|squash]] championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tocsquash.com/toc-history/|title=ToC History|website=Tournament of Champions|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225030706/http://tocsquash.com/toc-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Each January, tournament officials construct a free-standing glass-enclosed {{convert|21|by|32|ft|adj=on}} squash court. Like a [[theatre in the round]], spectators sit on three sides of the court.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lynndouglass/2013/01/23/grand-central-stations-glass-box-amazes-again/|title=Grand Central Station's Glass Box Amazes Again|last=Douglass|first=Lynn|date=January 23, 2013|work=Forbes|access-date=December 24, 2018|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225080841/https://www.forbes.com/sites/lynndouglass/2013/01/23/grand-central-stations-glass-box-amazes-again/#5837a5777467|url-status=live}}</ref>

A men's smoking room and women's waiting room were formerly located on the west and east sides of Vanderbilt Hall, respectively.<ref name="nyt20160407" /> In 2016, the men's room was renovated into [[Agern]], an 85-seat Nordic-themed fine dining and [[Michelin star|Michelin-starred]] restaurant operated by [[Noma (restaurant)|Noma]] co-founder [[Claus Meyer]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurant/New_York-10017-Agern-504291-41102|title=Agern – New York : a Michelin Guide restaurant|website=ViaMichelin|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=August 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808153528/https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurant/New_York-10017-Agern-504291-41102|url-status=dead}}</ref> who also ran the food hall.<ref name="nyt20160407" /> Both venues permanently closed in 2020 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="closed"/> City Winery signed a lease for both the food hall and the Agern space in 2022.<ref name="Orlow 2022">{{cite web | last=Orlow | first=Emma | title=City Winery Is Taking Over the Former Great Northern Food Hall in Grand Central | website=Eater NY | date=April 27, 2022 | url=https://ny.eater.com/2022/4/27/23043515/city-winery-opening-grand-central-terminal | access-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428003144/https://ny.eater.com/2022/4/27/23043515/city-winery-opening-grand-central-terminal | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Yakas 2022">{{cite web | last=Yakas | first=Ben | title=City Winery opening new venue inside Grand Central Terminal | website=Gothamist | date=April 26, 2022 | url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/city-winery-opening-new-venue-grand-central | access-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-date=April 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428003144/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/city-winery-opening-new-venue-grand-central | url-status=live }}</ref> The firm opened a wine bar, a quick-service restaurant named City Jams, and a [[farm-to-table]] restaurant named Cornelius in these spaces that November.<ref name="Food & Wine 2022">{{cite web | title=Grand Central Station Is Getting a Cool New Wine Bar | website=Food & Wine | date=November 9, 2022 | url=https://www.foodandwine.com/city-winery-opens-grand-central-6827240 | access-date=November 16, 2022 | archive-date=November 16, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116140321/https://www.foodandwine.com/city-winery-opens-grand-central-6827240 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sutherland-Namako 2022">{{cite web | last=Sutherland-Namako | first=Amber | title=Get $5 off wine with City Winery's reusable bottle program | website=Time Out New York | date=September 28, 2022 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/city-winerys-latest-location-is-launching-a-reusable-bottle-program-092822 | access-date=November 16, 2022 | archive-date=November 16, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116140313/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/city-winerys-latest-location-is-launching-a-reusable-bottle-program-092822 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Biltmore Room ====
[[File:Biltmore Room at Grand Central Terminal.jpg|thumb|alt=The square marble-clad Biltmore Room|The Biltmore Room at its reopening in 2023]]
The Biltmore Room, originally known simply as the incoming train room, is a {{convert|64|by|80|ft|m|adj=on}} marble hall<ref name="Biltmore2" /> that serves as an entrance to tracks 39 through 42, and connects to Grand Central Madison.<ref name="directory" /> The hall is northwest of the Main Concourse and directly beneath [[New York Biltmore Hotel|22 Vanderbilt]], the former Biltmore Hotel building.<ref name="Biltmore2" /> The room was completed in 1915 as a waiting room for intercity trains, which led to its colloquial name of the "Kissing Room", in reference to the greetings that would take place there.<ref name="Mann 2012" />

As the station's passenger traffic declined in mid-century, the room fell into neglect. In 1982 and 1983, the room was damaged during the construction that converted the Biltmore Hotel into the Bank of America Plaza. In 1985, [[Giorgio Cavaglieri]] was hired to restore the room, which at the time had cracked marble and makeshift lighting. During that era, a series of lockers was still located within the Biltmore Room.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/21/nyregion/waiting-room-at-grand-central-regains-sense-of-grandeur.html|title=Waiting Room at Grand Central Regains Sense of Grandeur|last=Tomasson|first=Robert E.|date=April 21, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 14, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109230122/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/21/nyregion/waiting-room-at-grand-central-regains-sense-of-grandeur.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, the room held a newsstand, flower stand, and shoe shine booths.<ref name="Mann 2012" /><ref name="Biltmore1" /> In 2015, the MTA awarded a contract to refurbish the Biltmore Room into an arrival area for Long Island Rail Road passengers as part of the [[East Side Access]] project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/news-east-side-access-lirr-long-island-rail-road-grand-central-terminal/2015/02/05/mta-awards|title=news – MTA Awards Contract to Build Long Island Rail Road's Future Terminal Under Grand Central Terminal|date=February 5, 2015|website=MTA|access-date=December 15, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216031708/http://www.mta.info/news-east-side-access-lirr-long-island-rail-road-grand-central-terminal/2015/02/05/mta-awards|url-status=dead}}</ref> As part of the project, the room's booths and stands were replaced by a pair of escalators and an elevator to Grand Central Madison's deep-level concourse,<ref name="Mann 2012" /><ref name="Biltmore1" /> which opened in May 2023.<ref name="City Life Org 2023 e384">{{cite web | title=MTA Announces Opening of Grand Central Madison Escalators and Elevator at 43rd Street into Historic Biltmore Room | website=City Life Org | date=May 8, 2023 | url=https://thecitylife.org/2023/05/08/mta-announces-opening-of-grand-central-madison-escalators-and-elevator-at-43rd-street-into-historic-biltmore-room/ | access-date=July 17, 2023 | archive-date=July 17, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717204908/https://thecitylife.org/2023/05/08/mta-announces-opening-of-grand-central-madison-escalators-and-elevator-at-43rd-street-into-historic-biltmore-room/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

The room's blackboard displayed the arrival and departure times of New York Central trains until 1967,<ref name="nyt19670113" /> when a mechanical board was installed in the Main Concourse.<ref name="Biltmore2" />

==== Station Master's Office ====
{{multiple images|total_width=450px|float=right
|image1=GCT SMO 3.jpg|alt1=Glass door entrance into the office|caption1=Doorway and front desk
|image2=GCT SMO.jpg|alt2=Wood benches in the small square waiting room|caption2=Ticketed waiting area
}}
The Station Master's Office, located near Track 36, has Grand Central's only dedicated waiting room. The space has benches, restrooms, and a floral mixed-media mural on three of its walls. The room's benches were previously located in the former waiting room, now known as Vanderbilt Hall. Since 2008, the area has offered free Wi-Fi.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/grand-central-terminals-station-masters-offices-goes-wireless|title=Grand Central Terminal's Station Master's Offices Goes Wireless|date=May 27, 2008|access-date=December 15, 2018|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215222514/http://www.mta.info/press-release/metro-north/grand-central-terminals-station-masters-offices-goes-wireless|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Former theatre ====
[[File:GCT Central Cellars 3.jpg|thumb|alt=Crowded room of a wine and liquor store|Central Cellars interior; the theater projection window is at the top left]]
One of the retail areas of the Graybar Passage, currently occupied by wine-and-liquor store Central Cellars, was formerly the Grand Central Theatre or Terminal Newsreel Theatre.<ref name="Diehl" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://untappedcities.com/2015/04/24/the-lost-movie-theater-of-grand-central-terminal/|title=The Lost Movie Theater of Grand Central Terminal|last=Young|first=Michelle|date=April 24, 2015|website=Untapped Cities|access-date=December 20, 2018|archive-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230857/https://untappedcities.com/2015/04/24/the-lost-movie-theater-of-grand-central-terminal/|url-status=live}}</ref> Opened in 1937 with 25-cent admission, the theater showed short films, cartoons, and [[newsreel]]s<ref name="learn" /> from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.<ref name="RN pp. 177-178" /><ref name="McManus 1937" /> Designed by [[Tony Sarg]], it had 242 stadium-style seats and a standing-room section with armchairs. A small bar sat near the entrance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2015/04/22/gct_theater.php|title=Did You Know There Used To Be A Movie Theater In Grand Central Terminal?|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=April 22, 2015|website=Gothamist|access-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428195629/http://gothamist.com/2015/04/22/gct_theater.php|archive-date=April 28, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The theater's interior had simple pine walls spaced out to eliminate echos, along with an [[inglenook]], a fireplace, and an illuminated clock for the convenience of travelers. The walls of the lobby, dubbed the "appointment lounge", were covered with world maps; the ceiling had an astronomical mural painted by Sarg.<ref name="Diehl" /> ''The New York Times'' reported a cost of $125,000 for the theater's construction, which was attributed to construction of an elevator between the theater and the suburban concourse as well as air conditioning and apparatuses for people hard of hearing.<ref name="McManus 1937" />

The theater stopped showing newsreels by 1968<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|New York Transit Museum|2013|pp=179–180}}</ref> but continued operating until around 1979, when it was gutted for retail space.<ref name="RN pp. 177-178" /> A renovation in the early 2000s removed a false ceiling, revealing the theater's projection window and its astronomical mural, which proved similar in colors and style to the Main Concourse ceiling.<ref name="learn" />

=== Dining Concourse ===
{{multiple image|align=left|total_width=420
|image1=GCT Dining.jpg|alt1=A long hallway with track entrances and food vendors|caption1=Dining Concourse food stalls and track entrances
|image2=Landmark City Photography Exhibit in Grand Central.jpg|alt2=Train car-like public dining area|caption2=One of several public seating areas
}}
Access to the lower-level tracks is provided by the Dining Concourse, located below the Main Concourse and connected to it by numerous stairs, ramps, and escalators. For decades, it was called the Suburban Concourse because it handled commuter rail trains.<ref name="nyt19041224" /> Today, it has central seating and lounge areas, surrounded by restaurants and food vendors.<ref name="directory" /> The shared public seating in the concourse was designed resembling [[Pullman (car or coach)|Pullman traincars]].<ref name="nyt19980802" /> These areas are frequented by the homeless, and as a result, in the mid-2010s the MTA created two areas with private seating for dining customers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Deffenbaugh |first1=Ryan |title=MTA says homeless, stale décor are cutting into Grand Central food sales |url=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/mta-says-homeless-stale-decor-are-cutting-grand-central-food-sales |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 24, 2024 |newspaper=[[Crain Communications|Crain's New York]] |date=July 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725185137/https://www.crainsnewyork.com/real-estate/mta-says-homeless-stale-decor-are-cutting-grand-central-food-sales |archive-date=July 25, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-blames-decor-homeless-for-dip-in-grand-central-terminal-dining-11563912103|title=MTA Blames Décor, Homeless for Dip in Grand Central Terminal Dining|last1=Berger|first1=Paul|last2=St. John|first2=Alexa|date=July 24, 2019|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=July 24, 2019|archive-date=July 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724002844/https://www.wsj.com/articles/mta-blames-decor-homeless-for-dip-in-grand-central-terminal-dining-11563912103|url-status=live}}</ref>

The terminal's late-1990s renovation added stands and restaurants to the concourse, and installed escalators to link it to the main concourse level.<ref name="nyt19980802" /> The MTA also spent $2.2 million to install two circular terrazzo designs by [[David Rockwell]] and [[Beyer Blinder Belle]], each 45 feet in diameter, over the concourse's original terrazzo floor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rohde |first=David S.|author-link=David S. Rohde |title=A Grand Design Takes Shape On the Floor of Grand Central |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331  |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/28/nyregion/a-grand-design-takes-shape-on-the-floor-of-grand-central.html |url-access=subscription |date=December 28, 1997 |access-date=February 2, 2019 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527070521/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/28/nyregion/a-grand-design-takes-shape-on-the-floor-of-grand-central.html}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Since 2015, part of the Dining Concourse has been closed for the construction of stairways and escalators to the new LIRR terminal being built as part of [[East Side Access]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mta.info/news-grand-central-east-side-access/2015/10/26/milestone-east-side-access-workers-break-through|title=Milestone for East Side Access: Workers to Break Through Lower Level Floor To Build Housing for Escalators and Stairways to Future LIRR Concourse|website=mta.info|access-date=February 17, 2016|archive-date=February 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224155456/http://www.mta.info/news-grand-central-east-side-access/2015/10/26/milestone-east-side-access-workers-break-through|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A small square-framed clock is installed in the ceiling near Tracks 108 and 109. It was manufactured at an unknown time by the [[Self Winding Clock Company]], which made several others in the terminal. The clock hung inside the gate at Track 19 until 2011, when it was moved so it would not be blocked by lights added during upper-level platform improvements.<ref name="clocks" />

==== Lost-and-found bureau ====
[[File:GCT Police-LaF.jpg|thumb|alt=Doorways into the offices in the terminal|MTA Police and lost-and-found offices]]
Metro-North's lost-and-found bureau sits near Track 100 at the far east end of the Dining Concourse. Incoming items are sorted according to function and date: for instance, there are separate bins for hats, gloves, belts, and ties.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/04/archives/new-jersey-pages-parcel-room-lost-found-grand-central-finds.html|title=Parcel Room Lost & Found; Grand Central 'Finds Treasure And Trash Left By Commuters; 'What Was In the Bag?'; False Teeth and Crutches; Systematized Cartons; Commuter Goes Hungry|last=Wald|first=Matthew L.|date=April 4, 1978|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106010615/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/04/archives/new-jersey-pages-parcel-room-lost-found-grand-central-finds.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lombardi 1996" /> The sorting system was computerized in the 1990s.<ref name="Santora 2002" /> Lost items are kept for up to 90 days before being donated or auctioned off.<ref name="CBS New York 2013" /><ref name="Belson 2007" />

As early as 1920, the bureau received between 15,000 and 18,000 items a year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/09/19/archives/strange-finds-on-trains-more-than-15000-articles-turned-in-annually.html|title=Strange Finds on Trains – More Than 15,000 Articles Turned in Annually at Grand Central|date=September 19, 1920|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106010354/https://www.nytimes.com/1920/09/19/archives/strange-finds-on-trains-more-than-15000-articles-turned-in-annually.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2002, the bureau was collecting "3,000 coats and jackets; 2,500 cellphones; 2,000 sets of keys; 1,500 wallets, purses and ID's {{sic|expected=IDs}}; and 1,100 umbrellas" a year.<ref name="Santora 2002" /> By 2007, it was collecting 20,000 items a year, 60% of which were eventually claimed.<ref name="Belson 2007" /> In 2013, the bureau reported an 80% return rate, among the highest in the world for a transit agency.<ref name="Carlson 2015" /><ref name="CBS New York 2013" />

Some of the more unusual items collected by the bureau include fake teeth, prosthetic body parts, legal documents, diamond pouches, live animals, and a $100,000 violin.<ref name="Lombardi 1996" /><ref name="Belson 2007" /> One story has it that a woman purposely left her unfaithful husband's ashes on a Metro-North train before collecting them three weeks later.<ref name="CBS New York 2013" /><ref name="Belson 2007" /> In 1996, some of the lost-and-found items were displayed at an art exhibition.<ref name="RN p. 128" />

[[File:Grand Central dining map.png|center|thumb|upright=2.75|alt=A diagram of the terminal's dining level rooms|Floor plan of the Dining Level]]

=== Other food service and retail spaces ===
{{multiple image|align=left|direction=horizontal|total_width=450
|image1=GCT OB 2.jpg|alt1=Restaurant entrance with a vaulted tile ceiling|caption1=Entrance to the [[Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant|Oyster Bar]]
|image2=GCT Campbell 1.jpg|alt2=Interior of the Campbell Bar|caption2=The Campbell Bar
}}
Grand Central Terminal contains restaurants such as the [[Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant]] and various fast food outlets surrounding the Dining Concourse. There are also delis, bakeries, a gourmet and fresh food market, and [[New York Transit Museum#Grand Central Gallery Annex and Store|an annex]] of the [[New York Transit Museum]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/more-crowded-crowds-grand-central-to-welcome-apple-and-shake-shack/|title=More Crowded Crowds: Grand Central to Welcome Apple and Shake Shack|last=Haughney|first=Christine|date=July 25, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 30, 2011|archive-date=January 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121195539/http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/more-crowded-crowds-grand-central-to-welcome-apple-and-shake-shack/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/10/shake-shack-grand-central-terminal.html|title=7 Things You Should Know About Shake Shack Grand Central, Opening Saturday|author=Hugh Merwin|date=October 2, 2013|work=GrubStreet|access-date=October 3, 2014|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006174736/http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/10/shake-shack-grand-central-terminal.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The 40-plus retail stores include newsstands and chain stores, including a [[Starbucks]] coffee shop, a [[Rite Aid]] pharmacy, and an [[Apple Store]].<ref name="directory" /><ref>{{cite press release|title=Apple Store Grand Central Opens Friday, December 9|date=December 7, 2011|publisher=Apple|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/12/07Apple-Store-Grand-Central-Opens-Friday-December-9/|access-date=December 19, 2018|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116075709/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/12/07Apple-Store-Grand-Central-Opens-Friday-December-9/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Oyster Bar, the oldest business in the terminal, sits next to the Dining Concourse and below Vanderbilt Hall.<ref name="directory" /><ref name="nyt20160407" />

An elegantly restored cocktail lounge, the [[Campbell Apartment|Campbell]], sits just south of the 43rd Street/Vanderbilt Avenue entrance. A mix of commuters and tourists access it from the street or the balcony level.<ref name="directory" /> The space was once the office of 1920s tycoon [[John W. Campbell (financier)|John W. Campbell]], who decorated it to resemble the galleried hall of a 13th-century [[Florence|Florentine]] palace.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/new-york/campbell-apartment-new-york.htm|title=Campbell Apartment Bar in New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203134225/http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/new-york/campbell-apartment-new-york.htm|archive-date=February 3, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/09/realestate/streetscapes-grand-central-terminal-forgotten-corner-curious-office-20-s.html|title=Grand Central Terminal; In a Forgotten Corner, a Curious Office of the 20's|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=January 9, 1994|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=July 4, 2011|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|archive-date=March 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302161410/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/09/realestate/streetscapes-grand-central-terminal-forgotten-corner-curious-office-20-s.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1999, it opened as a bar, the Campbell Apartment; a new owner renovated and renamed it the Campbell in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/dining/campbell-apartment-grand-central-terminal-bar.html|title=Return of the Campbell, an Ornate Grand Central Bar|last=Simonson|first=Robert|date=May 15, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 7, 2018|archive-date=December 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165240/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/dining/campbell-apartment-grand-central-terminal-bar.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Vanderbilt Tennis Club and former studios ===
[[File:GCT Tennis.jpg|thumb|alt=Tennis players using the terminal's court|The Vanderbilt Tennis Club's court]]

<!--before that, home to the terminal's Federal Credit Union office - needs source-->From 1939 to 1964, [[CBS]] Television occupied a large portion of the terminal building, particularly in a third-floor space above Vanderbilt Hall.<ref name="nydn20090319" /><ref name="wsj20101123" /> The CBS offices, called "The Annex",<ref name="wsj20101123" /> contained two "program control" facilities (43 and 44); network master control; facilities for local station [[WCBS-TV]];<ref name="nydn20090319" /><ref name="wsj20101123" /><ref name="Wolters 1937" /> and, after World War II, two {{convert|700,000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} production studios (41 and 42).<ref name="RN p. 174" /> The total space measured {{cvt|225 x 60 x 40|ft}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=Seldes Picked As Television Director|newspaper=The Knoxville Journal|page=20|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61375894/the-knoxville-journal/|date=August 29, 1937|access-date=October 18, 2020|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022010050/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/61375894/the-knoxville-journal/|url-status=live}}</ref> Broadcasts were transmitted from an antenna atop the nearby [[Chrysler Building]] installed by order of CBS chief executive [[William S. Paley]],<ref name="Wolters 1937" /><ref name="RN p. 174" /> and were also shown on a large screen in the Main Concourse.<ref name="RN p. 174" /> In 1958, CBS opened the world's first major videotape operations facility in Grand Central. Located in a former rehearsal room on the seventh floor, the facility used 14 [[Ampex]] VR-1000 videotape recorders.<ref name="nydn20090319" /><ref name="wsj20101123" />

''[[CBS Evening News|Douglas Edwards with the News]]'' broadcast from Grand Central for several years, covering [[John Glenn]]'s 1962 [[Mercury-Atlas 6]] space flight and other events. [[Edward R. Murrow]]'s ''[[See It Now]]'' originated there, including his famous broadcasts on Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]], which were recreated in [[George Clooney]]'s movie ''[[Good Night, and Good Luck]]'', although the film incorrectly implies that CBS News and corporate offices were in the same building. The long-running panel show ''[[What's My Line?]]'' was first broadcast from Grand Central, as were ''[[The Goldbergs (broadcast series)|The Goldbergs]]'' and ''[[Mama (American TV series)|Mama]]''. CBS eventually moved its operations to the [[CBS Broadcast Center]] on [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th Street]].<ref name="nydn20090319" /><ref name="wsj20101123" /><ref name="RN p. 174" />

In 1966, the vacated studio space was converted into the Vanderbilt Athletic Club, a sports club named for the hall just below.<ref name="nydn20090319" /><ref name="wsj20101123" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://untappedcities.com/2017/02/09/a-look-at-the-hidden-tennis-courts-of-grand-central-terminal-once-leased-by-trump/|title=A Look at the Hidden Tennis Courts of Grand Central Terminal, Once Leased by Trump|date=February 9, 2017|work=Untapped Cities|access-date=February 10, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=February 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211072150/https://untappedcities.com/2017/02/09/a-look-at-the-hidden-tennis-courts-of-grand-central-terminal-once-leased-by-trump/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RN p. 164" /> Founded by Geza A. Gazdag, an athlete and Olympic coach who fled Hungary amid [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|its 1956 revolution]],<ref name="nyt-1978-01-26">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/26/archives/most-expensive-tennis-club-sheds-status-symbol-tennis-club-sheds.html|title=Most Expensive Tennis Club Sheds Status Symbol|last=Friedman|first=Charles|date=January 26, 1978|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 25, 2019|archive-date=July 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702215010/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/26/archives/most-expensive-tennis-club-sheds-status-symbol-tennis-club-sheds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> its two tennis courts were once deemed the most expensive place to play the game—$58 an hour—until financial recessions forced the club to lower the hourly fee to $40.<ref name="nyt-1978-01-26"/> Club amenities included a {{convert|65 x 30|ft|adj=on}} [[Dry ski slope|nylon ski slope]], a health club facility and sauna, and spaces for golf, fencing, gymnastics, and ballet practice.<ref name="ski1">{{cite news|title=Hungarian Creates Ski Slope in Heart Of New York City|newspaper=The Post-Crescent|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60688873/the-post-crescent/|date=November 8, 2020|access-date=October 7, 2020|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514082325/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/60688873/the-post-crescent/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ski2">{{cite news |last=Hanson |first=Kitty |date=January 16, 1967 |title=Now Skiers Train at Grand Central |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-now-skiers-train-at-grand-cen/161349967/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241222065328/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-now-skiers-train-at-grand-cen/161349967/ |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |access-date=December 22, 2024 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Gazdag's business was evicted from Grand Central in 1976, amid a lease dispute.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lewis |first=John |date=1976-05-14 |title=Evicted Tennis Pro Bounces on Conrail |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-evicted-tennis-pro-bounces-on/161350063/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241222065842/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-evicted-tennis-pro-bounces-on/161350063/ |archive-date=2024-12-22 |access-date=2024-12-22 |work=New York Daily News |issn=2692-1251 |page=7 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1984, the club was purchased by real estate magnate [[Donald Trump]], who discovered it while renovating the terminal's exterior.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/31courts.html|title=Game, Set, Match Above the Roar of the City|last=Schmidt|first=Michael S.|date=August 31, 2006|newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=February 12, 2018|archive-date=February 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213022229/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/sports/tennis/31courts.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, the MTA planned a new conductor lounge in the space, and terminated Trump's lease that year. It divided the space into three floors, with the lounge on the original third floor. A single tennis court was added on the new fourth floor in 2010, along with two practice alleys on the new fifth floor. Trump found the new space too small to release, and so the current Vanderbilt Tennis Club operates independent of Trump.<ref name="wsj20101123" />

=== Basement spaces ===
Grand Central Terminal's {{convert|48|acre|ha|adj=on}} basements are among the largest in the city.<ref name="untapped 20130313" /> Basement spaces include M42, which has [[Rectifier|AC-to-DC converters]] to power the track's [[third rail]]s,<ref name="IEEE-PES" /><ref name="RN p. 157" /> as well as Carey's Hole, a former retail storage space and present-day employee lounge and dormitory.<ref name=Careys-Hole-2010/>

==== Power and heating plants ====
[[File:GCT M42 Basement-Rotary-Untapped New York-Michelle Young.jpg|thumb|alt=A large piece of electrical equipment in the terminal basement|[[Rotary converter]] relics in the [[M42 (sub-basement)|M42 basement]]]]
Grand Central Terminal contains an underground [[sub-basement]] known as [[M42 (sub-basement)|M42]]. Its [[electrical substation]] is divided into substation 1T, which provides {{Convert|16,500|kW|}} for third-rail power, and substation 1L, which provides {{Convert|8000|kW|}} for other lighting and power.<ref name="IEEE-PES" /> The substation—the world's largest at the time—was built about {{Convert|100|ft|m}} under the Graybar Building at a cost of $3 million, and opened February 16, 1930.<ref name="IEEE-PES" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/02/16/archives/huge-power-plant-100-feet-under-city-biggest-substation-in-world.html|title=Huge Power Plant 100 Feet Under City – Biggest Substation in World Moved Into Bedrock Under Grand Central Terminal – Service Never Cut Off – $3,000,000 System Ran Trains While Being Moved to Make Way for New Waldorf|date=February 16, 1930|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 26, 2018|archive-date=December 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227084742/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/02/16/archives/huge-power-plant-100-feet-under-city-biggest-substation-in-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It occupies a four-story space with an area of {{Convert|250|by|50|ft|m}}.<ref name="IEEE-PES" /><ref name="RN p. 157" />

====Carey's Hole====
[[File:Carey's Hole.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Diagram showing rooms and track in the terminal|1913 map showing the space beneath Carey's barbershop]]
Another part of the basement is known as Carey's Hole. The two-story section is directly beneath the Shuttle Passage and adjacent spaces. In 1913, when the terminal opened, J. P. Carey opened a barbershop adjacent to and one level below the terminal's waiting room (now Vanderbilt Hall). Carey's business expanded to include a laundry service, shoe store, and [[haberdashery]]. In 1921, Carey also ran a limousine service using [[Packard]] cars, and in the 1930s, he added regular car and bus service to the city's airports as they opened. Carey would store his merchandise in an unfinished, underground area of the terminal, which railroad employees and maintenance staff began calling "Carey's Hole". The name has remained even as the space has been used for different purposes, including currently as a lounge and dormitory for railroad employees.<ref name=Careys-Hole-2010>{{cite web|title=General Engineering Consulting Feasibility Study for Redevelopment of Carey's Hole: Section 1: History of Carey's Hole|work=Beyer Blinder Belle|url=https://grandcentralterminal.app.box.com/s/z2mlivbdgn/file/750852164|date=November 29, 2010|access-date=January 20, 2018|archive-date=April 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422165247/https://grandcentralterminal.app.box.com/s/z2mlivbdgn/file/750852164|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Platforms and tracks ===
{{multiple image| align = left| total_width = 320| direction = vertical
| footer = {{Circa|}} 1909 layout of the upper-level mainline tracks (''top'') and lower-level suburban tracks (''bottom''), showing [[balloon loop]]s
| image1 = RailUS GCT-upperTracksPlan.gif| alt1 = A diagram of the upper-level tracks and streets above
| image2 = RailUS GCT-lowerTracksPlan.gif| alt2 = A diagram of the lower-level tracks and streets above
}}
The terminal holds the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record]] for having the most platforms of any railroad station:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-railway-station-(no-of-platforms)|title=Largest railway station (no. of platforms)|website=Guinness World Records|access-date=December 11, 2018|archive-date=March 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304083103/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-railway-station-(no-of-platforms)|url-status=live}}</ref> 28, which support 44 platform numbers. All are [[island platform]]s except one [[side platform]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nyctourist.com/grandcentral1.htm|title=Grand Central Terminal|work=nyctourist.com|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=February 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225180856/http://www.nyctourist.com/grandcentral1.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Odd-numbered tracks are usually on the east side of the platform; even-numbered tracks on the west side. {{As of|2016}}, there are 67 tracks, of which 43 are in regular passenger use, serving Metro-North.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-08_Grand_Central_Terminal_by_Grigonis.html|title=Unknown Grand Central Terminal, New York City, New York|work=Interesting America|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801063327/http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-12-08_Grand_Central_Terminal_by_Grigonis.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="RN p. 136" /> At its opening, the train shed contained 123 tracks, including duplicate track numbers and storage tracks,<ref name="RN p. 136" /> with a combined length of {{Convert|19.5|mi|km|abbr=}}.<ref name="RN p. 138" />

The tracks slope down as they exit the station to the north, to help departing trains accelerate and arriving ones slow down.<ref name="Fitch Waite p. 4" /> Because of the size of the rail yards, Park Avenue and its side streets from 43rd to 59th Streets are raised on viaducts, and the surrounding blocks were covered over by various buildings.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|New York Transit Museum|2013|p=63}}</ref>

At its busiest, the terminal is served by an arriving train every 58 seconds.<ref name="Carlson 2015" />

{{clear left}}

==== Track distribution ====
{{GCT track map}}
The upper Metro-North level has 42 numbered tracks.<!-- viewed cross-sectionally at platform level, --> Twenty-nine serve passenger platforms; these are numbered 11 to 42, east to west.<ref name="RN p. 138" /><ref name=":42"/> Tracks 12, 22, and 31 do not exist, and appear to have been removed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Metro-North Railroad Track Charts, Maintenance Program, Interlocking Diagrams, & Yard Diagrams|publisher=Metro-North Railroad|page=84|url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2647944/Operations-Metro-North-Railroad-Track-Charts.pdf|year=2015|access-date=May 12, 2019|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108132506/https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2647944/Operations-Metro-North-Railroad-Track-Charts.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> To the east of the upper platforms sits the East Yard: ten storage tracks numbered 1 through 10 from east to west.<ref name="RN p. 136" /><ref name=":42"/> A [[balloon loop]] runs from Tracks 38–42 on the far west side of the station, around the other tracks, and back to storage Tracks 1–3 at the far east side of the station;<ref name=":42"/> this allows trains to turn around more easily.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=http://www.gricer.com/gct/1-line-a.pdf|title=Grand Central Terminal, Upper Level|year=2004|first=Peter R.|last=Samson|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=April 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417084350/http://www.gricer.com/gct/1-line-a.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fitch Waite p. 5" />

North of the East Yard is the Lex Yard, a secondary storage yard under the [[Waldorf Astoria New York|Waldorf Astoria Hotel]].<ref name=":42"/> The yard formerly served the power plant for Grand Central Terminal.<ref name="RN p. 150" /> Its twelve tracks are numbered 51 through 65 from east to west (track numbers 57, 58, and 62 do not exist). Two private loading platforms, which cannot be used for passenger service, sit between tracks 53 and 54 and between [[Track 61 (New York City)|tracks 61]] and 63.<ref name=":42"/> Track 61 is known for being a private track for United States President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]; part of the original design of the Waldorf Astoria,<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Belle|Leighton|2000|p=67}}</ref> it was mentioned in ''The New York Times'' in 1929 and first used in 1938 by [[John J. Pershing]], a top U.S. general during World War I.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/gct61.html|title=Grand Central Terminal, Waldorf-Astoria platform|access-date=November 18, 2009|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106232528/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/gct61.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Roosevelt would travel into the city using his personal train, pull into Track 61, and take a specially designed elevator to the surface.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7830369.stm|title=The secret below Grand Central Station|date=January 16, 2009|access-date=January 17, 2009|work=BBC News|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813054154/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7830369.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been used occasionally since Roosevelt's death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/gct61.html|title=Grand Central Terminal, Waldorf-Astoria platform|author=Joseph Brennan|year=2002|access-date=May 2, 2014|archive-date=November 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106232528/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/gct61.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/05/01/fdr_secret_subway_in_the_amazing_spider_man_2_the_hidden_train_station_used.html|title=Is the Secret Subway in the New Spider-Man Real? Explained.|author=Forrest Wickman|date=May 1, 2014|magazine=Slate|access-date=May 7, 2015|archive-date=February 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216121850/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/05/01/fdr_secret_subway_in_the_amazing_spider_man_2_the_hidden_train_station_used.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The upper level also contains 22 more storage sidings.<ref name="RN p. 138" /><ref name=":42"/>

[[File:GCT FDR Train Car-Untapped New York-Michelle Young.jpg|thumb|alt=An old windowless baggage car with rusting blue paint|Baggage car mistakenly identified as [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s personal car, on display at the [[Danbury Railway Museum]]]]
Track 63 held MNCW #002, a [[baggage car]], for about 20 to 30 years. The railcar's location near Roosevelt's Track 61 led former tour guide Dan Brucker and others to falsely claim that this was the president's personal train car used for transporting his limousine. The baggage car was moved to the [[Danbury Railway Museum]] in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 12, 2019|title=Secret 'FDR Train Car' No Longer Beneath Grand Central (And Was Never His!)|url=https://untappedcities.com/2019/12/12/secret-fdr-train-car-no-longer-beneath-grand-central-and-was-never-his/|access-date=September 19, 2020|website=Untapped New York|language=en-US|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030192205/https://untappedcities.com/2019/12/12/secret-fdr-train-car-no-longer-beneath-grand-central-and-was-never-his/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The 'FDR Car' Track 61 Myth|url=https://www.nycurbanism.com/blog/2019/9/27/track-61|access-date=October 1, 2020|website=NYC URBANISM|date=September 27, 2019|language=en-US|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514082758/https://www.nycurbanism.com/blog/2019/9/27/track-61|url-status=live}}</ref>

The lower Metro-North level has 27 tracks numbered 100 to 126, east to west.<ref name="RN p. 136" /><ref name=":42"/><ref>{{Cite AV media|url=http://www.gricer.com/gct/1-line-b.pdf|title=Grand Central Terminal, Lower Level|year=2004|first=Peter R.|last=Samson|access-date=March 3, 2015|archive-date=December 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207004341/http://www.gricer.com/gct/1-line-b.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Two were originally intended for mail trains and two were for baggage handling.<ref name="Schlichting pp. 62-63" /><ref name="nyt19041224" /> Today, only Tracks 102–112 and 114–115 are used for passenger service. The lower-level balloon loop, whose curve was much sharper than that of the upper-level loop and could only handle [[electric multiple units]] used on commuter lines<ref name="ENR1920 p. 501" /> was removed at an unknown date.<ref name="RN p. 136" /> Tracks 116–125 were demolished to make room for the [[Long Island Rail Road]] (LIRR) [[Grand Central Madison station|concourse constructed underneath the Metro-North station]] as part of the [[East Side Access]] project.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/eafiles06/01%20Purpose%20and%20Need.pdf|chapter=Chapter 1: Purpose and Need|title=Environmental Impact Statement|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|date=2006|access-date=December 12, 2019|at=PDF p. 3|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001445/http://web.mta.info/capital/esa_docs/eafiles06/01%20Purpose%20and%20Need.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The upper and lower levels have different track layouts and, as such, are supported by different sets of columns. The upper level is supported by ultra-strong columns, some of which can carry over {{Convert|7|e6ftlbf|J|lk=on}}.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Schlichting|2001|pp=77–78}}</ref>

The LIRR terminal constructed as part of East Side Access has four platforms and eight tracks numbered 201–204 and 301–304 in two {{Convert|100|ft|m|-deep|adj=mid}} double-decked caverns below the Metro-North station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/6/access_2016_02_05_q.html|title=MTA OK's contract for East Side Access|website=TimesLedger|date=February 10, 2016 |access-date=February 17, 2016|archive-date=February 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214030830/http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2016/6/access_2016_02_05_q.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It has four tracks and two platforms in each of the two caverns, with each cavern containing two tracks and an island platform on each level. A mezzanine is located on a center level between the LIRR's two track levels.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/MTA-East-Side-Access-Project-Grand-Central-Terminal-Long-Island-Rail-Road-Tour-340356972.html|title=Massive East Side Access Project Rolling On Under Grand Central|last=Dobnik|first=Verena|date=November 4, 2015|access-date=January 19, 2016|website=NBC New York|archive-date=December 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201005016/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/MTA-East-Side-Access-Project-Grand-Central-Terminal-Long-Island-Rail-Road-Tour-340356972.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://liherald.com/stories/east-side-access-transforming-the-long-island-rail-road,106293|title=East Side Access transforming the LIRR|date=August 21, 2018|website=Herald Community Newspapers|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813054155/https://www.liherald.com/stories/east-side-access-transforming-the-long-island-rail-road,106293|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Office spaces and control center ===
Upper floors of the terminal primarily hold MTA offices. These spaces and most others in the terminal are not open to the public, requiring key cards to access.<ref name="Ekstein">{{cite news|last=Ekstein|first=Nikki|title=The Untold Secrets of Grand Central Terminal|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/the-untold-secrets-of-grand-central-terminal|date=February 23, 2017|access-date=February 14, 2023|archive-date=March 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306212123/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-23/the-untold-secrets-of-grand-central-terminal|url-status=live}}</ref> The fifth floor holds the office of the terminal's director, overlooking the Main Concourse.<ref name="Tkaczyk">{{cite news|url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/grand-central-terminal#catwalk|title=Take a Look Inside Grand Central Terminal Where Most People Never Get to Go|last=Tkaczyk|first=Christopher|date=December 20, 2016|work=Travel and Leisure|access-date=December 21, 2018|archive-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230338/https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/landmarks-monuments/grand-central-terminal#catwalk|url-status=live}}</ref> The seventh floor contains Metro-North's situation room (a board room for police and terminal directors to handle emergencies), as well as the offices of the Fleet Department.<ref name="Roberts2013"/><ref name="Ekstein"/>

Grand Central Terminal has an Operations Control Center on its sixth floor,<ref name="Ekstein"/> where controllers monitor the track [[interlocking]]s with computers. Completed in 1993,<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|New York Transit Museum|2013|p=147}}</ref> the center is operated by a crew of about 24 people.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/nyregion/26gct.html|title=The Zoo That Is Grand Central, at Full Gallop|last=Grynbaum|first=Michael M.|date=November 25, 2009|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107021516/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/nyregion/26gct.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The terminal was originally built with five [[Signalling control|signal control centers]], labeled A, B, C, F, and U, that collectively controlled all of the track [[interlocking]]s around the terminal. The interlockings used to be of [[Interlocking#Electro-mechanical interlocking|electro-mechanical type]], supplied by [[General Railway Signal]] (GRS). Each switch was electrically controlled by a lever in one of the signal towers, where lights illuminated on track maps to show which switches were in use.<ref name="ENR1920 p. 501" /><ref name="RN p. 143" /> As trains passed a given tower, the signal controllers reported the train's engine and timetable numbers, direction, track number, and the exact time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/09/10/archives/article-9-no-title.html|title=Taming of the Iron Horse|date=September 10, 1939|website=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107015929/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/09/10/archives/article-9-no-title.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1993, the original interlockings machines were replaced with 17 GRS VPI [[Interlocking#Electronic interlocking|microprocessors]].<ref>{{cite web|title=A Centennial History of Signaling Inc. Formerly General Railway Signal Company)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002122301/http://www.alstomsignalingsolutions.com/Data/Documents/History.pdf|archive-date=2011-10-02|url-status=dead|url=http://www.alstomsignalingsolutions.com/Data/Documents/History.pdf|accessdate=2024-04-09|publisher=Alstom|page=19}}</ref>

Tower U controlled the interlocking between 48th and 58th streets; Tower C, the storage spurs; and Tower F, the turning loops. A four-story underground tower at 49th Street housed the largest of the signal towers: Tower A, which handled the upper-level interlockings via 400 levers, and Tower B, which handled the lower-level interlockings with 362 levers.<ref name="nyt19130202-1" /><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Robins|New York Transit Museum|2013|pp=140, 143}}</ref><ref name="RA1910 p. 620" /><ref name="ENR1920 p. 501" /><ref name="ASCE Metropolitan Section 1902" /> The towers housed offices for the stationmaster, yardmaster, car-maintenance crew, electrical crew, and track-maintenance crew. There were also break rooms for conductors, train engineers, and engine men.<ref name="RN p. 143" /><ref name="RA1910 p. 620" /> After Tower B was destroyed in a fire in 1986, the signal towers were consolidated into the modern control center.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/23/nyregion/grand-central-blaze-damage-to-mean-delays-till-weekend.html|title=Grand Central Blaze Damage to Mean Delays Till Weekend|last=Boorstin|first=Robert O.|date=September 23, 1986|work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331|access-date=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106110003/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/23/nyregion/grand-central-blaze-damage-to-mean-delays-till-weekend.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Hospital ===
[[File:Grand Central hospital.jpg|thumb|alt=Old photograph of a hospital room with medical equipment|Hospital room in the terminal, 1915]]
During the terminal's construction, an "accident room" was set up to treat worker injuries in a wrecking car in the terminal's rail yard. Later on, a small hospital was established in the temporary station building on Lexington Avenue to care for injured workers. The arrangement was satisfactory, leading to the creation of a permanent hospital, the Grand Central Emergency Hospital, in Grand Central Terminal in 1911. The hospital was used for every employee injury as well as for passengers. In 1915, it had two physicians who treated a monthly average of 125 new cases per month and 450 dressings.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Developments at the Grand Central Terminal in New York|magazine=Railway Review|volume=57|number=8|page=231|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jAVCAQAAIAAJ|date=August 21, 1915|access-date=February 9, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124054717/https://books.google.com/books?id=jAVCAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The space had four rooms: Room A (the waiting room), Room B (the operating room), Room C (a private office), and Room D (for resting patients).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Grand Central Emergency Hospital|magazine=Railroad Men|volume=25|number=9|pages=268–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cyc0e1whX1QC|date=June 1912|access-date=February 9, 2019|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124054732/https://books.google.com/books?id=Cyc0e1whX1QC|url-status=live}}</ref> The hospital was open at least until 1963; a ''[[The Journal News|Journal News]]'' article that year noted that the hospital treated minor to moderate ailments and was open every day between 8&nbsp;a.m. and 5&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Journal News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28344493/|title=Grand Central Terminal Builds Legend During its 50 Years|date=November 13, 1963|access-date=February 9, 2019|page=21|via=newspapers.com|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124055231/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-grand-central-terminal/28344493/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Libraries ===
Located on an upper floor above the Apple Store, the Williamson Library is a meeting space and research center for the New York Railroad Enthusiasts.<ref name="BTU-NYC-Library-1937" /><ref name="Moser 2012" /> Upon its founding in 1937, the association was granted use of the space in perpetuity by Frederick Ely Williamson, once president of the New York Central Railroad as well as a rail enthusiast and member of the association.<ref name="BTU-NYC-Library-1937" /> Today, it contains about 3,000 books, newspapers, films, photographs, and other documents about railroads, along with artifacts, including part of a ''[[20th Century Limited]]'' red carpet.<ref name="Moser 2012" /> The library is only accessible through secure areas, making it little known to the public and not included in tours of the terminal's hidden attributes.<ref name="Moser 2012" /> The association holds monthly meetings in the space, open to new visitors for free, and allows research visits by appointment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meeting Information|work=The New York Railroad Enthusiasts|url=http://www.nyrre.org/|access-date=January 29, 2020|archive-date=January 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130004829/http://www.nyrre.org/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt19940417" />

Another library, the [[Frank Julian Sprague]] Memorial Library of the Electric Railroaders Association, existed on the terminal's fourth floor from 1979 to 2014. The library had about 500,000 publications and slides, focusing on electric rail and trolley lines.<ref name="nyt19940417" /> A large amount of these works were donated to the New York Transit Museum in 2013,<ref>{{cite web|title=Friends of the New York Transit Museum 2013 Annual Report|publisher=New York Transit Museum|url=https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2013.AnnualReportforWeb.pdf|year=2013|access-date=January 29, 2020|archive-date=January 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124055218/https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2013.AnnualReportforWeb.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> or placed in storage. The now-8,000-volume library was relocated to the [[Shore Line Trolley Museum]] in Connecticut in 2014, where it could operate with more staff attention and public access.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meeting Notice|work=Electric Railroaders' Association|url=https://erausa.org/pdf/meeting-notices/2014/2014-01-17-meeting-notice.pdf|date=January 17, 2014|access-date=February 24, 2023|archive-date=May 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511195255/https://erausa.org/pdf/meeting-notices/2014/2014-01-17-meeting-notice.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>