January 25, 2023
Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to this historic day at Grand Central Madison. We got the job done. We are here. We just took the train in from Jamaica Station and it was extraordinary. Smooth, easy, bright, and then you come up the stairs, come up with the escalator over 100 feet, and you realize this has been a phenomenal, phenomenal accomplishment to get this project done. And so, I am so proud to be here on this extraordinary day.
I want to first thank Janno Lieber, the Chair and CEO of MTA. He has lived and breathed this project. He was brought on to break open the log jam that made this project talked about for decades, literally, since 1963. Sixty years ago, people envisioned a project like this and there were so many roadblocks and challenges and detours along the way, but Janno Lieber persevered. He brought in the team that would not take no or failure for an answer, and I want to commend him for all he has done. So, let’s give a round of applause to the man who made it happen, MTA’s own, Janno Lieber.
Catherine Rinaldi, taking on the responsibility of being the President of not just Metro-North, but the Long Island Rail Road. And Cathy, under your leadership, the on-time trains, the pleasant experience, the positive acknowledgements we’re getting from all your customers is amazing. So, I want to thank you for putting a whole different face on the experience for our commuters from the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. So, thank you. Let’s give a round of applause to Cathy.
Stephen Goodman, our Regional Administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, we don’t get this done without a lot of help from the federal government. I want to thank Stephen for his stewardship of this project as well.
And speaking of Washington, couldn’t be here today, but I want to thank our Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, for his perseverance in helping get this project over the finish line as well. So, to Senator Schumer, we thank you in your absence.
So, it was quite a journey to get here. I’m not talking about the 22-minute ride from Jamaica Station. I’m literally talking about something that started under eight of my predecessor governors. It’s been nine governors who’ve worked to try and get this accomplished. People lived and died never seeing this come to fruition until now, until this very moment. And why? Because this is New York. There’s nothing you cannot imagine, there’s nothing you can’t do right here in the State of New York. So, I want to thank everyone involved in this project and I love the fact that this is a brand new terminal. It’s extraordinary. We have a world-class artist who lent their talents to us. Even in her 90s, Kusama designed something that’s her gift to her beloved City of New York.
But for our commuters, the people we represent, the ones we care the most about, we are giving them something that’s precious. We’re giving them time back in their lives. As a mom, I know an extra 30, 40 minutes to back with your kids, helping them pack the lunches, do the homework at the end of the day, maybe even taking care of yourself a little bit. This is all a gift. Think about the people from Long Island and also in Queens, Southeastern Queens, vibrant communities, where people have to take a bus to his subway. We’re hearing from people saying, “You literally gave me 30, 40 minutes back that I never had before.” That is extraordinary. That is what this engineering feat, this extraordinary accomplishment has done for everyday New Yorkers, and that is why I’m most proud. So, as we created this space, we talked about what the needs are, what people want to see, they want to see something bright, uplifting, lift up your spirit. When you head off to your jobs, but also for people who’ve had to go all the way over to Penn to do a backtrack and come back to the East Side, those days are over.
And for the businesses that are trying, struggling after the pandemic, trying to get workers back, they have one more reason to say, “Come on back.” You can have a beautiful ride, get time back in your life and not have to crisscross back across this beautiful borough. We did all of that here today. And I say to all of you, it’s a beautiful station, the modern blended with the old, and people have a chance to go up and see the iconic, globally known place known as Grand Central. It is beautiful here. And again, this took a long, long time. It’s been nearly 110 years to the day since a new terminal, the last major rail terminal opening in our state. The first extension of the Long Island Rail Road in 112 years. First major American train station in 67 years. So, those of you say, “What’s the significance of this project?” We have shattered records, we’ve made history, and for the lives of our commuters, we’ve made a difference.
That’s why I’m proud to be here today and very proud to introduce the person who broke open the log jams, who got the trains running, the one and only, Janno Lieber. Thank you, Janno.
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