Authority Leadership Hold Ceremony at Grand Central Terminal, One of Eight MTA Locations Offering COVID Vaccinations
Customers Getting Vaccinated at MTA Sites Will Receive a Free 7-Day MetroCard or Round Trip LIRR or Metro-North Ticket
View Video of Today’s Launch
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MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Grand Central Terminal today to launch the MTA’s public vaccination program. Announced earlier by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the program will have the capacity to serve up to 300 people per day across eight MTA sites on a walk-in, no-appointment basis.
The sites will administer the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and will be open today through Sunday, May 16. Individuals planning on being vaccinated are encouraged to allow for additional time in their commute to accommodate the vaccination process.
“The process could not be any easier,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye. “Anyone passing through any one of these stations, New Yorker or not, can walk up, register, get their shot, sit down for the standard 15-minute waiting period afterwards and then be on their way. Driving up the vaccination rate is key to reopening strong and rebuilding back better. I'm bullish on New York and I know we can rise to the challenge if we all pull together.”
“I am so excited to see that Metro-North and the iconic Grand Central Terminal have been at the forefront of the MTA’s safety initiatives – first with testing, then with vaccines for employees, and now with vaccinations for all,” said Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi. “Given its central location in Midtown, Grand Central is perfectly positioned for this mission.”
The subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad stations, terminals and hubs where vaccines will be available are:
- Grand Central Terminal - Vanderbilt Hall: open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Penn Station - 34th Street Corridor: open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- E 180 St Station (Bronx): open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 179 St Station (Queens): open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Coney Island Station (Brooklyn): open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Broadway Junction (Brooklyn): open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Hempstead (LIRR): open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Ossining (Metro-North): open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Digital messaging will run on more than 12,000 screens at MTA stations, onboard train cars, and buses to promote the site locations and hours of operation. Promotional content will be pushed to more than 3 million followers across MTA social media platforms. Audio announcements will also run at more than 500 stations. Wayfinding signage will be produced and posted at station pop-up locations to help ensure proper traffic flow. Information will also be available on the MTA website.
Incentives to get vaccinated at MTA stations include a free seven-day MetroCard or free round-trip Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North ticket. The MTA is partnering with SOMOS Community Care, Northwell Health and Westchester Medical Center on the sites. MTA employees are also eligible to get vaccinated at these sites.
The opening of these sites comes as the MTA announced pandemic ridership records on the New York City Subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, with 2,239,500 trips on the New York City Subway (including 3,823 on the Staten Island Railway), 101,600 LIRR, and 83,100 Metro-North trips recorded on Friday, May 7. New York City Buses reached a pandemic high one day earlier, on Thursday, May 6, of 1,245,629.