Trains to and from New York City
Two mainline stations, three blocks apart, and an Amtrak train has never called at the famous one. Knowing which is which saves a frantic walk.
New York’s rail geography confuses people because the building everyone pictures is not the one most intercity trains use. No Amtrak train serves Grand Central. Amtrak’s timetables list New York as Moynihan Train Hall only. Grand Central is Metro-North’s terminal, with the LIRR far below it at Grand Central Madison.
Get that right and the rest is straightforward. Below is what each station actually is, what it costs, and the two rules that quietly cost people money.
Penn Station and Moynihan are one place, split by operator
They are a single complex rather than two stations. Amtrak puts it plainly: “Moynihan Train Hall houses the main Amtrak and LIRR boarding concourse, while Penn Station houses the NJ TRANSIT concourse.” Between them they handle more than 1,000 daily train movements across 21 tracks and 11 platforms, with tracks 5–16 reached from the Moynihan concourse and tracks 1–4 from Penn Station.
So: Amtrak or LIRR, go to Moynihan at 421 Eighth Avenue. NJ Transit, go to Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue side. The subway follows the same split — A/C/E under Eighth, 1/2/3 under Seventh.
The overnight rule matters. Moynihan is open 5:00am–1:00am. Between 1:00am and 5:00am Amtrak and LIRR passengers use Penn Station across Eighth Avenue instead, which Amtrak describes as accessible around the clock but “self-service… with minimal staff support”. An early flight connection through Moynihan at 4am does not work.
The long-promised overhaul has not begun: Amtrak says the project breaks ground by the end of 2027, with public comment running through 2026 and 2027.
Grand Central Madison, and the fifteen storeys underneath it
The LIRR reached Grand Central on 25 January 2023, with full service from 27 February. In its first year the new terminal saw 17.1 million trips and 289 weekday trains.
What the maps do not convey is the depth. The platforms sit around 150 feet down in the Midtown bedrock, roughly fifteen storeys below street level, reached by the longest escalators in the MTA system at 182 feet. The MTA publishes walking times rather than leaving you to guess: 4–5 minutes from the 47th or 48th Street entrances, 6–8 from 42nd or 43rd, and 10–12 if you are coming off Metro-North. The most direct entrance is 383 Madison Avenue at the southeast corner of 47th Street.
Build that in. A connection that looks like a cross-platform change is a quarter of an hour on foot and three escalators. Grand Central Madison also closes daily from 2:00am to 5:30am, when all LIRR service to Manhattan goes to Penn Station instead.
The 2026 fares, and the two rules that cost people money
LIRR fares from Zone 1 — the Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals — effective 4 January 2026, one way: Zone 3 $7.25 peak / $5.25 off-peak; Zone 4 $13.50 / $10.00; Zone 7 $15.25 / $11.25; Zone 9 $18.25 / $13.50; Zone 12 $25.50 / $18.75; Zone 14 $33.00 / $24.50.
Rule one: peak is about the train, not about you. Peak fares apply to weekday trains scheduled to arrive at a New York terminal between 6am and 10am, or to depart one between 4pm and 8pm. On Metro-North they also apply to weekday trains leaving Grand Central between 6am and 9am. Everything else — other weekday times, all weekends, holidays — is off-peak. Shifting a departure by twenty minutes can change the price.
Rule two: never buy from the conductor. The MTA charges a “$7.75-8.50 surcharge for on-board sales”. A Zone 1 LIRR hop is $7.25 at the machine and $15.00 on the train. Metro-North to Stamford is $17.75 against $26.00. NJ Transit does the same thing at $5. Buy before you board, every time.
Within the city, CityTicket is the flat fare: $5.25 off-peak and $7.25 peak on one railroad within New York City without changing direction, or a day pass at $14.50 on weekdays and $10.50 at weekends. It is not valid to or from Belmont Park, Elmont–UBS Arena or Far Rockaway.
When the train beats flying out of New York
This is the site’s usual argument and New York is where it is strongest. Penn Station is in Midtown. A flight to Washington or Boston means getting to JFK, LGA or EWR, clearing security, a gate closing 20–40 minutes early and then a transfer at the far end — and both those cities put their stations downtown too. On the Northeast Corridor the rail journey replaces the whole chain rather than just the middle of it.
The same logic runs the other way for regional trips. Metro-North and NJ Transit reach most of the commuter belt from the middle of town, which is the part a hire car cannot match once you price parking — see whether a car is worth it here.
For how to think about this generally, the trains page covers booking horizons and fare tiers, and London to Paris works the same comparison end to end.
Paying in 2026
MetroCard sales and refills ended after 31 December 2025. Existing cards are still accepted into 2026 and the MTA has said it will announce the final date later. For the subway the base fare is now $3.00, capped at $35 a week on one payment method after twelve rides. Mainline rail tickets are separate — buy them in the TrainTime app or at a machine, not on board.
Where to book
We take no bookings and hold no reservations. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Does Amtrak go to Grand Central?
No. Amtrak lists New York City only as Moynihan Train Hall, next to Penn Station on Eighth Avenue. Grand Central is Metro-North’s terminal, with the LIRR beneath it at Grand Central Madison. Going to the wrong one is a fifteen-minute problem at best.
What is the difference between Penn Station and Moynihan Train Hall?
They are one complex with the operators split between two buildings. Amtrak and the LIRR board from Moynihan at 421 Eighth Avenue; NJ Transit uses Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue side. Moynihan is open 5:00am–1:00am, and outside those hours Amtrak and LIRR passengers use Penn Station instead.
How long does it take to get to the LIRR at Grand Central Madison?
Longer than you would think: the platforms are about 150 feet down. The MTA publishes 4–5 minutes from the 47th or 48th Street entrances, 6–8 minutes from 42nd or 43rd, and 10–12 minutes if you are transferring from Metro-North. The quickest way in is 383 Madison Avenue at 47th Street.
Is it cheaper to buy a train ticket on board?
It is considerably more expensive. The MTA adds a surcharge of $7.75–$8.50 for buying from the conductor — a Zone 1 LIRR trip is $7.25 bought beforehand and $15.00 on the train. NJ Transit adds $5 where a machine or agent was available. Always buy before boarding.
What is CityTicket?
A flat MTA fare for LIRR or Metro-North journeys entirely within New York City, on one railroad and without changing direction: $5.25 off-peak, $7.25 peak, or a day pass at $14.50 on weekdays and $10.50 at weekends. It is not valid to or from Belmont Park, Elmont–UBS Arena or Far Rockaway.
When do peak fares apply?
They are set by the train, not by when you buy. Peak means weekday trains scheduled to arrive at a New York terminal between 6am and 10am or depart between 4pm and 8pm; on Metro-North, also weekday departures from Grand Central between 6am and 9am. Weekends and holidays are off-peak throughout.
Sources
Fares, journey times and operating rules on this page were checked against these sources on 11 September 2026. Authorities change fares and timetables without notice — confirm anything time-critical on the operator’s own site.