Photo of Grand Central Madison in December 2022; Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

After a month-long delay due to vent exhaust problems, Grand Central Madison will officially open this week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday. The first Long Island Rail Road train with service to Manhattan’s east side is scheduled to leave Jamaica at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday and arrive at the new terminal at 11:07 a.m. As part of the initial roll-out, there will be limited shuttle service between the two stations to help commuters get familiar with the new terminal, which cost roughly $12 billion, according to the transit agency.

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Yayoi Kusama, “A Message of Love, Directly from My Heart unto the Universe, 2022.” Photo by Kerry McFate ©YAYOI KUSAMA Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, David Zwirner

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week unveiled new permanent floor-to-ceiling mosaics at the soon-to-open Grand Central Madison terminal, adding to the impressive and expansive public art portfolio found across New York City’s transit system. The glass mosaics designed by renowned contemporary artists Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith animate the new terminal, which when it opens later this month, will bring Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal.

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Yayoi Kusama, 2020 Photo by Yusuke Miyazaki © YAYOI KUSAA Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, David Zwirner

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has tapped two contemporary artists to create permanent artwork for the long-awaited 700,000-square-foot Long Island Rail Road terminal opening at Grand Central this year. MTA Arts & Design, the agency responsible for commissioning public art in subway stations, announced artists Yayoi Kusama and Kiki Smith will design site-specific floor-to-ceiling mosaics for the new terminal, dubbed Grand Central Madison.

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