East Side Access Update 10/28 (PHOTOS)

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In this photo we see what is likely one of the crossover caverns.  A pair of crossover switches would be placed in this opening here before the tracks continued off in their independent tunnels.  Drilling two smaller tunnels instead of one larger one is easier since you can have one smaller tunnel-boring machine make the cutouts for both tunnels.  Crews can go back and excavate this crossover cavern or other connecting passageways afterwards.

This image is at a tough angle, but it looks like this shot was taken from inside one of the tunnels to Queens (where Queens would be behind the photographer) and where the tracks 1 and 2 split into two levels.  You can see one of the tubes descends lower than the other one if you look ahead at the split.  This opening would house the switches that would send trains to either the upper level or the lower level platforms in the main caverns.

This photo looks like it was taken inside one of the Manhattan-side Queens tunnels.  One side of this tunnel would connect the the 63rd Street tunnel under the river while the other side would lead into the openings seen above which house the crossover and upper/lower level split switches.  In this photo we can see the LIRR already has the insulation and construction of other initial structures underway here.

This is a photo of the huge station cavern that was excavated under Grand Central.  Eventually two platforms and four tracks will be built inside this cavern.  Here, you can see workers finishing out the walls as excavation often doesn't leave the smoothest final product.  Note the workers climbing up the ramp in the bottom of the photo for scale.

View from the top of the caverns looking down at some workers.

Here's a broader view of one of the station caverns.  Eventually two platforms and four tracks will fit in here.  This cavern appears more finished than the photo above which might be a photo of the second cavern which is to the right of this (there are two huge station cavers like this, each will house two platforms on top of each other and four tracks).

Here's another view inside the huge station cavern.

This appears to be our first look inside what will eventually become the lower LIRR concourse.  The new station will consist of two main passenger concourses, one on Grand Central's current lower level where the former Madison Avenue Yard sat and one at the very bottom of the escalators that sits in between the station caverns.  Picture two of the huge station caverns above to either side of this concourse.  The opening straight ahead in the picture likely leads around the bend to one of the large escalator banks up to the upper LIRR concourse.