MTA announces 48 stations that will get accessibility upgrades

Four days after unveiling its 2020-2024 capital plan, the MTA announced the specific stations that will get accessibility upgrades—something that advocates have long fought for.

The MTA said that as part of the capital plan, 70 stations will be made ADA-compliant, 48 of which have already been chosen. Factors taken into account to select those stations include ridership, demographics, and whether or not they were major transfer stations or complexes.

“These 48 stations are a terrific first step and help get us closer than ever to achieving systemwide accessibility that all New Yorkers deserve,” New York City Transit president Andy Byford said in a statement.

The remaining 22 will be chosen based on which stops can be modified efficiently on the shortest timeline, with minimal service disruption, and with feedback form the public. Those are expected to be announced before the MTA Capital Program Review Board votes on the new plan.

Four stations—Sixth Avenue (L); 14th Street (F, M); 14th Street (1, 2, 3); and Tremont Avenue (B, D)—will be fast-tracked into the 2015-2019 capital plan to begin construction soon. The additional stations that will become accessible under the new capital plan include nine in Manhattan, 21 in Brooklyn, five in the Bronx, six in Queens, and three in the Staten Island Railway.

Some stations of note include Broadway Junction (J, Z, and L), Hoyt Schermerhorn Streets (A, C, G), Woodhaven Boulevard (M, R), and 42nd Street Bryant Park (B, D, F, M, 7). Visit the MTA website to see the full list.

Advocates celebrated the announcement but emphasized on the need to make every station accessible by 2034.

“Accessibility investments at these stations will provide greater access to work, recreation, and education for hundreds of thousands of people,” Colin Wright, a spokesperson for TransitCenter, told Curbed in a statement. “Though 70 stations is a strong step toward a fully accessible subway, riders need the MTA to stick with its commitment to make every station accessible by 2034 and to improve the performance of elevators and escalators that exist today.”

If the 2020-2024 capital plan is approved, the MTA would invest $51.5 billion—the largest amount in the agency’s history—to improve New York’s transportation system with a focus on the city’s subway.