Three railroad workers suspended for building ‘man cave’ under Grand Central Station

Grand Central Terminal in New York City

Credit: UPI / Alamy Live News 

Three railroad employees have been suspended after converting a room underneath Grand Central Station in New York into a ‘man cave’.

The room, decked out with a wall mounted TV, couch, refrigerator and microwave, was used by the employees to “hang out and get drunk and party”, according to a report by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

"Many a New Yorker has fantasized about kicking back with a cold beer in a prime piece of Manhattan real estate— especially one this close to good transportation," MTA Inspector Carolyn Pokorny said in an online statement.

"But few would have the chutzpah to commandeer a secret room beneath Grand Central Terminal & make it their very own man-cave sustained with MTA resources, and maintained at our riders’ expense."

According to the MTA, the ‘man cave’ was first brought to their attention in February 2019 by an anonymous complaint. A second complaint was made in June 2019, but the room remained uninvestigated until recently.

The subsequent MTA report said that Grand Central Station management were unaware the room even existed, let alone that it was being used for parties.

It added that the three employees, a wireman, a carpenter foreman and an electrical foreman, had been suspended without pay until their disciplinary hearings. It is unclear whether the employees used the room during their working hours.

"The behavior described in the IG’s report is outrageously inappropriate and is not consistent with Metro-North’s values and the commitment that we have to providing safe, reliable and cost-efficient service to our customers," Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi told CNN.