The Long Island Rail Road is entering a new era as full service to Grand Central Madison begins Monday.

Construction on Grand Central Madison began in 2008 and now the wait is just about over.

Full service to Grand Central Madison comes with nearly 300 trains running per day.

"The railroad said they'll have a train hitting Manhattan, either Penn Station or Grand Central Madison, every 3 to 6 minutes during the peak period, and that's phenomenal,” said LIRR Commuter Council Chairman Gerard Bringmann.

Trains on every branch will run to the extension of Grand Central Terminal. Weekday rush hour service to Manhattan will increase on many branches, but there will be fewer trains to Penn Station.

The MTA said Grand Central Madison is a better option anyway since nearly half of its riders travel to Manhattan's East Side.

On Sunday at the Hicksville Long Island Rail Road station, the opening of Grand Central Madison had many commuters feeling excited as they were checking some of the new train schedules.

"They've been talking about it and it's finally here," said David Ferisch, of Plainview.

East Meadow resident Joanna Green said the opening of Grand Central Madison will save her more than 10 minutes commuting on the subway from Penn Station to her office on the East Side.

"I'm glad they finally got to opening day because it was delayed and delayed, so it's good to see it actually happening," she enthused.

"The day has finally arrived," said Gov. Kathy Hochul, as she and other leaders were at the new terminal in Manhattan Sunday. They previewed the service which was part of the $11 billion East Side Access Project.

The MTA said Grand Central Madison plus other improvements like the third track project will add 271 more trains to its schedule, including peak reverse commuter trains.

"This project is a game changer for Long Island: Shorter commutes, more service, more options to get where you are headed," said MTA CEO Janno Lieber.

Some commuters had voiced concerns over the new schedules, with some lines seeing big changes. The MTA, however, said it will make adjustments if needed.

Commuters can find their branches' new train times on the MTA website.

Green had already checked out the new terminal, which spans six blocks and is 150 feet below ground. She went on the first day of shuttle service last month.

"I wanted to know where I needed to go, so I got it all scoped out," she explained.

Being of tremendous size and deep underground, Grand Central Madison's size may really surprise some commuters. That is why the MTA said, depending on where commuters go, it could take as long as 10 minutes to get to the street, so they advised commuters to factor that into their commutes.