Is it possible to transfer directly from NYP to GCT by subway? If so which train?
7th Ave line (1,2 or 3) Express or Local north one stop to Times Square, then the Times Square shuttle (S) east to GCT. Never have to go outside
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
bedell Is it possible to transfer directly from NYP to GCT by subway? If so which train?
Yes! First, I suggest you Google "New York City Subway Map". On it you will see all the subway routes in the City.
You want to take what we used to call the Seventh Avenue line from 34th street to 42nd Street, which is Times Square. The line is shown in red and is the route for the Numbers 1, 2, and 3 trains. It does not matter whether you take a local or an express train since 42nd Street is the first stop for both of them. The local trains run on the outside tracks; the express trains run on the inside tracks. Usually, except during the worst of the rush hour, the local trains are not as crowded.
If you are arriving at Penn Station from the south, exit through the west gates. Walk up the first set of stairs. Don't go around to the east gates. When you get to the first level above the station platforms, turn left and walk to the end of the concourse. If you take the stairs up to the main concourse, which is the second level above the station platforms, don't worry about it. Turn left and walk to the end of the concourse. Go down the stairs. When you get to the end, turn right and follow the signs to the entrance to the Seventh Avenue Line or the 1, 2, and 3 trains. You will be looking for red signs with the train numbers in them. I believe that they are circular. You will know that you are headed in the right direction when you walk by the Long Island Railroad ticket windows. They will be on your right. I assume that they have not been moved since I was in New York last year. You do not want to turn left toward the Eight Avenue Line, which hosts the A,C, and E trains.
If you are arriving at Penn Station from the north, exit through the east gates and go right instead of left and follow the same drill to get to the Long Island concourse. Once you get to the concourse, follow the directions as per arrival from the south. Trains arriving at Penn Station from Washington, Philadelphia, Albany, etc. are heading east when they enter the station. This is the reason that most passengers on trains from these points exit through the west gates. Trains arriving from Boston and other New England Points are arriving from eastern Long Island. This is the reason that passengers arriving from New England points are exiting through the east gates. Or at least these are the closest gates for most arriving passengers.
When you get off the train at 42nd Street, walk north toward 42nd Street. Follow the signs. If I remember correctly, you will go up one flight of stairs. When you get to the top of the stairs, angle off to the right and follow the signs to the Grand Central Shuttle. I believe that it is shown on the map as the gray line above the purple line, which is the Number 7 train to Flushing. If in doubt, ask someone how to get to the GCT Shuttle. Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers are a friendly lot, and they will help you straightaway. Also, there are usually numerous transit cops at 42nd Street, so they can help you as well. NYC cops are the best in the world, but don't tell my brother-in-law. He was on the force for more than 40 years.
The Shuttle takes you to Lexington Avenue and GCT. It is a one stop run so you don't need to figure out when to get off. When you exit the platform at Lexington Avenue and GCT, follow the signs to the station. If you have never seen it, you are in for a real treat.
If you have time, go downstairs and have a bite at the Oyster Bar. It is one of my favorite watering holes in New York.
Some of the folks from the New York area may have a few corrections to my directions, but I think that they together with a copy of the subway map, which you can print off, will serve you well.
In NYC, the cabs are scarier than the subway!
If the subways are to difficult, the walk between the two stations is a nice one and not too long. East on 34th St., past Macy's and the Empire State Building, through Herald Sq to 5th Ave. North on 5th Ave to 42nd St, then East to GCT. One mile, exactly. Easy enough if you have luggage with wheels. (Our family of 4, teens and adults, walked from Penn to 50th St at 8th Ave with our luggage just a few months ago.)
Subway, cab or walking (in nice weather) are all fine. Unless someone is physically infirm, if you can't walk a few hundred yards to subways much less walk a beautiful, easy mile, probably best not go to NYC.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
During non-rush hours, carrying two hand-carried suitcases or briefcases on the subway is not hassle. Rush hours it is a hassle.
An alternative is use the most eastern exit from the upper level of the station, on to 7th Avenue and 32nd Street, which dead-ends directly in front of the station. (It starts again on 10th Avenue to the west.) Close to 7th Avenue, you can find on one or the other sides of this one-way street, signs for the M4 bus. Do not use any other bus whatsover!!! This bus turns, either it is alreay facing east on the right side of the street, or it will load on the left side and go to 31st Street to go east (pardon my forgetting which way the one-way street goes). It will turn north on Madison Avenue and drop you off right at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, and at the corner, on the north-0east side, you will see an entrance to the most imposing Grand Central Terminal. I recommed this during rush hours, since you will likely get a seat, not have to change vehicles, and see something of the city.
I should of course point out that this short bus trip can possibly take up to 30 minutes in rush hour traffic, for a commercial speed of about seven miles and hour at worst, and that exact fare is needed ($2,00 now?) but the fare boxes do take dollar bills. But sit back and enjoy the city and the people! Generally, a high caliber of people ride the M4.
NY is a walking city...so if it ain't rainin' and ya got the half hour, the walk is great: no further north than 42nd St and no further east than Park Ave....in an "L" or zig zag, however you want, but going east on 34th St or or higher is best.
NY is a subway city! Take the 1,2, or 3 trains (red) to 42nd St., (one stop, not enough time to sit down!), then follow the signs to the Shuttle and ride the shuttle to GCT. Alternate: 7 train (purple) from 42nd St. east to GCT....but don't miss the fun of the shuttle!
NY is a bus town! Sit in traffic, jerk stops and starts, smell the diesel fuel.
Walk is cheap and good for you; subway is now $2.50 but transfers are free on this one.
Where are you going from GCT? To Connecticuit? Maybe take Amtrak to Stamford (expensive but easy). Up the Hudson? Maybe take Amtrak to Yonkers or Harmon or Poughkeepsie (expensive but easy). If riding into NYP by Amtrak, just extend your ticket beforehand and it is cheaper than the rate from NYP.
But really, railfan? NYC? You can't go wrong via subway...and, hey, if you miss your stop, you'll have a great railroad ride experience.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
Don't knock NYC (Manhattan) buses. They are well maintained and one does not smell diesel fuel. Of course if there is railfan interest in the subway per se, then by all means use it. But the transfer is all underground on both one-station legs, and one misses seeing anything of the city.
But if the whole trip is a railfan experience trip, and you have the time, here is an even better idea. When you get off the 1, 2, or 3 at Times Square, don't walk to the north end and take the shuttle. Do go to the center of the platform and use the stairs going downstairs to the NO. 7 train. Do spend the 70 minutes to the end of this line at Flushing Main Street. Most of the line is above ground and will give you a very good picture of typical residential areas in New York City. Actually the borough of Queens. You will also get two passes at views of the vast Sunnyside Yards. On the way back, just get off two stops earlier, at Grand Central, and follow the signs upstairs to the Terminal, and there are escalators. I think you can still ride the front car on this line and look out the front window next to the motorman's (engineer's) position. On the way back you will be treated to a fine view of the Manhattan skyline. Cost? The same as doing the direct transfer either via subway or bus. Just stay on the platform or on the train at Main Street Flushing. ( The 7 line has an intermediate stop at 5th Avenue between Times Sq. and Grand Central, but the shuttle does not.) The 7 is one of the most interesting NYC subway lines for a railfan to ride.
f the subway fare is now $2.50, so is the M4 bus.
Definitely, Dave, the 7 train is a railfan's ride to Flushing and back. Second would be the J train over the Williamsburg Bridge along Broadway in Brooklyn then Jamaica Ave ducking underground just short of the LIRR station in Jamaica...it includes several junctions and intersecting lines, goes over LIRR's LIC or Lower Montauk line and the now abandoned Rockaway Branch ROW then skims the northside of Morris Park facilities. Many fans don't understand or appreciate how much railroading there is in this subway system itself...then when you get to Brooklyn, all the sites and sights to see!
For more information about the Subway than you ever dreamed of:
http://www.nycsubway.org/
Those incredible directions for exiting Penn Station rang a bell with me. When I was 10 or so (1950) I got separated from my mother while trying to make it from the Pennsy to the E subway train. We were going to visit some friends of my aunt in Jamaica near the Sutphin Blvd IND station. It was at the evening rush hour and the LIRR was in full motion. I have rarely been so terrified, but we found each other eventually.
Then, after college, I lived in Queens for several years, worked and played in Manhattan, and married a NYC native. She had worked for a while at the American Airlines office in Times Square so we both knew all these connections. I once worked in an importing house on the Brooklyn waterfront, so I knew how to get there too.
I was last in NYC in a tourist role with my wife and grandson. We took the Southwest Chief and the Three Rivers Express to Philly and rented a car for a big family reunion in PA. Then drove to NY. When we left we had to get from a Times Square area hotel to Penn Station with a lot of luggage. We took a cab. The driver didn't help us with the bags and he didn't know how to get from a east-bound one-way street to Penn Station! I, a tourist from CA, had to tell a NYC cabbie how to drive between two of the biggest landmarks in the city!
He didn't help us with the bags at Penn Station either, but we boarded the Lakeshore Limited OK and got to Chicago with plenty of time to catch the Chief back home.
Jack
I agree with you about the J line. There have been many expensive proposals to bring trains directly from Kennedy to Manhattan. All are expensive and involve additional East River tunnels. But there is additional track capacity on the existing Williamsburg Bridge and on the Broadway-Brooklyn-Jamaica Avenue elevated. A Kennedy train every 20 minutes would not affect existing rush hour J. Z, and M services. And the vast Nassau Loop Center Street Chambers Street Station is very underused, with only two of the four tracks required for existing service and space to add two additional tracks. Plenty of space for the Authority to earn cash by renting space of airline ticket offices and shops and such.
The idea is to build as short, modern, quiet elevate structure linking the J and A lines, from Crescent Street and E. Fulton St. to Liberty and Grant Avenues, and flyover tracks to link the Rockaway A line to the Kennedy train north of Howard Beach-JFK Station. In addition to the Chambers Street terminal, with sidewalk space above sufficient for cab and tour bus unloading, and lots of subway and bus lines nearby, and walking distance to WTC and the financial district, a special station would be constructed at the southern side of the East New York yard, with pedestrian passeges to the several subway lines and the LIRR there for Brooklyn and Queens connections. I also have some very practical ideas on compatible car design, but that will have to wait for now. Visitors to NY will get a pleasant introduction to the city this way.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.