Named after Grand Central Terminal, named by and for the New York Central Railroad.
Cornelius Vanderbilt began building Grand Central Depot on 42nd Street in 1869, because city rules required trains to be pulled by horses below 42nd Street. The present terminal, opened in 1913, replaced two similarly named stations; 21st-century sources say it is a ‘terminal’ because trains start and end there. Many still call it Grand Central Station, the name of its predecessor.