Grand Central in New York: what makes the largest train station in the world unique

Grand Central in New York is the largest train station in the world. More than 750 thousand people pass through it every day. Do they realize how many secrets this place hides? Do they know who once saved this station from destruction? Or why are all the clocks at the station in a hurry for exactly one minute? The author of the Yowayz / Multi travels channel on the site helped us to figure this out. Yandex Zen.

History of the Central Station

Grand Central Station (unofficially also Grand Central Station) is the oldest and most famous train station in New York. It is located in Manhattan, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Park Avenue. By the number of platforms (44) and tracks (67) it surpasses any other station in the world.

Once on the site where the Grand Central is today, there was the Grand Central Dipo train station, built in 1871. The building was reconstructed in 1898 and renamed the Grand Central Station.

The Grand Central Terminal (from the English Grand Central Terminal) was built in 1913. At the time of completion, the Grand Central Station was the most expensive in the world - its construction cost $ 43 million.

Rescue Grand Central

In the 1970s, there was a decline in passenger rail transport throughout the country, accompanied by the closure of train stations in many cities. The Grand Central survived only thanks to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the first lady of the United States.

Passenger traffic

More than 750 thousand people pass through the terminal every day. On holidays, this figure exceeds 1 million. “On average, 7500 people pass through 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue every hour, making it one of the busiest intersections in all of New York City. In addition to all passengers, 21,6 million tourists from other cities visit the Central Station every year, ”the author writes.

Watch Grand Central

Grand Central Terminal is the world's largest railway station in terms of the number of platforms and the area occupied (25 hectares). The world's largest glass Tiffany clock is also located here. They are located outside the building overlooking 42nd Street.

Inside the Main Hall there are four more opal dials. Sotheby's and Christie's estimate they are worth over $ 10 million. “All the hours (and therefore the departure schedule) in Grand Central are in a rush for exactly one minute, giving all passengers 60 extra seconds to get to their train,” the author noted.

Scenic ceiling

The ceiling of the Main Hall is decorated with a picturesque painting depicting a constellation of 2500 stars. If you look closely, you will notice that the paintings are upside down, they depict the sky differently from how we, ordinary people, see it. But connoisseurs assure that this was intended - the picture is depicted from a divine point of view. “This oversight could have been caused by confused sketches, it was discovered shortly after the terminal opened, but the mural was never corrected,” the author noted.

Most successful lost property office in the USA

Since a huge number of people pass through the Grand Central every day, something is often lost here. Such finds are collected and cataloged by the New York City Transit Lost and Found Office. Over the year, there are more than 50 thousand items, of which about 60% of finds are returned to their owners. These results make the bureau the most successful of its kind in all of America. Lost items range from wallets and phones to more unusual items such as leg prostheses, a car bumper and even a live rabbit.

Passenger entertainment

Those who have to wait a long time for their flight can have a good time. The Grand Central Terminal has tennis club Vanderbilt, which is located on the fourth floor and is open to all comers. An hour of play in it costs from $ 90 to $ 260, depending on the time of day and day of the week.

On the subject: 15 non-tourist spots worth visiting in New York

On the way to the lower hall of the Grand Central Station, just behind the oyster bar and Oyster Bar & Restaurant, one of the mysteries of New York lurks - whispering arch... There are always a lot of people here, frozen in strange positions. The fact is that if you stand facing the corner of the arch and ask a friend or a bystander to stand on the opposite side of the arch, then even speaking in a whisper, you can clearly hear each other.

Largest basement

Grand Central owns the largest basement of any building in New York. It occupies 25 hectares from 42nd to 97th streets. The entire building of the city hall could easily fit inside this basement, and even there would be a reserve of space.

Historical Monuments

There are iron eagles in the corners of the building. They are remnants of the Grand Central Station, the L-shaped predecessor of the Grand Central Terminal. “They are imposing and massive, with a wingspan of 4 meters. At least ten of these eagles adorned the transport hub before it was destroyed, in order to make way for a new one in 1902, and almost all of them disappeared after its destruction, the author writes. - Nine were installed in New York State, many were sold at auction to private estates and institutions. Some are found in courtyards or lawn decorations; others are at train stations that were once the central line of New York. One eagle was found on a cliff overlooking the Hudson River. "

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