‘Grand’ new LIRR service

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched the biggest schedule shake-up in 50 years at the Long Island Rail Road on Monday, with dozens of trains serving its new Grand Central Madison terminal, necessitating a slash in service between the suburbs and Brooklyn.

Crowds spilled across the platforms at the LIRR’s sprawling Jamaica hub as riders navigated the changes, which also forced the railroad to shorten its trains so it could free cars for service to the gleaming new hub.

“BK customers really left in the dust,” texted one rider who asked their name not be used but sent along a photo of a packed platform at Jamaica. “It was more chaotic than usual. Much more crowding. Not a faster commute.”

Some riders making their first trip into the $11 billion LIRR hall beneath Grand Central complained that poor signage made it difficult to navigate and that it takes so long to get down to the platforms that much of the time savings from getting dropped off in Midtown was eaten up.

“It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get down here. I could’ve walked to Penn Station in the same time,” said commuter Prudence, who declined to give her last name.

Others were more positive.

“This makes my commute about an hour less,” said Nick Jablonski, 21. “Comparing the 20-minute time to get here versus the 45minute time to Penn Station, it can actually be different if I do this a lot.”

Officials said that roughly 30% of Monday-morning commuters to Manhattan opted to head to Grand Central Madison.

All told, the MTA expected to run nearly 1,000 trains on the LIRR on Monday. Almost 300 were bound or departing from Grand Central Madison.

The MTA did not respond to a request for comment.