On Thursday night, Grand Central Terminal faced a brief blackout, causing MTA workers to become stuck in elevators and leaving thousands navigating the dimly lit hall with the light from their phones.
The power outage affected various areas of the iconic terminal until about 8:28 PM, as noted by the MTA. Service was reportedly uninterrupted, though.
Interestingly, the Grand Central Madison extension—spanning 700,000 feet—did not lose power at that time.
“We experienced a drop in voltage to the feeder network, which resulted in some lights being turned off,” explained Tim Minton, director of MTA Communications. “But thankfully, train operations continued as usual.”
Minton later stated that power levels were restored by 8:53 PM, with no injuries reported by 9:17 PM.
Five Metro North Railway employees found themselves trapped in an elevator during the outage, requiring assistance from the FDNY, which must have been a bit overwhelming for them.
Witnesses described a momentary panic at the expansive 33,000-square-foot terminal as darkness engulfed the space.
“It hit out of nowhere… everyone was just screaming. It looked like a bunch of ants scattering,” shared 18-year-old Stacy Olea, who works at Tartinery.
She added, “There were police directing people to get off the track and to head upstairs,” referring to the MetroNorth platform.
Meanwhile, Kenny Peterson, a 23-year-old staff member at Luke’s Lobster, mentioned how the restaurant’s equipment ceased functioning, adding to the chaos: “It was dark and scary, everything just shut down.”
“Honestly, it was a mess. Just scary. My coworkers were really concerned because they had no idea what was going on,” Peterson said.
Amid the confusion, diners at Tony Restaurant continued their meals but expressed a desire to witness what only New Yorkers could offer.
“It was a sudden shock. The lights went out, such a quintessential New York moment,” remarked Terry Hoffler, a retired theater instructor dining at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. “Nobody knew how to react.”
Her husband, Marvin Ander, noted, “People just stayed put. The restaurant had lights, and folks were still finishing their meals.”
A social media post captured commuters navigating through the almost pitch-black terminal, illuminated only by their phones.
A solo traveler observed that the terminal became “completely dark,” except for MTA workers racing around with flashlights.
Grand Central Station sees over 750,000 people daily, which adds a layer of urgency to the situation.
The MTA is currently collaborating with Con Edison to uncover the cause of the outage.
