What to Know
- The MTA says a crosstown subway on 125th Street in Harlem is now on the table -- if they can find the funds.
- On Wednesday, transit officials talked about plans to extend the Second Avenue subway not just north -- but west across 125th Street.
- Officials are looking into the plan that was on the book for years -- extending the Q train from 96th Street north into East Harlem and 125th Street, and then continuing to tunnel west.
It's a pipe dream no more!
The MTA says a crosstown subway on 125th Street in Harlem is now on the table -- if they can find the funds.
On Wednesday, transit officials talked about plans to extend the Second Avenue subway not just north -- but west across 125th Street.
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“I think it’s a great idea. Make it more accessible for riders and people. That would be great," commuter Tia Hart said.
It’s an idea that is now getting attention from top MTA executives, with MTA Capital Construction President Jamie Torres-Springer describing the possible project as a "the potential expansion of Second Avenue subway not to the south but west along 125th Street.“
Officials are looking into the plan that was on the book for years -- extending the Q train from 96th Street north into East Harlem and 125th Street, and then continuing to tunnel west.
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This would mark a major turn for a famously stagnant subway system.
“For 100 years the system has barely grown," MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said.
However, the idea has some pretty big obstacles. First, the MTA has some expensive and higher priorities -- like flood prevention, a problem freshly highlighted in last week’s rainstorm.
Then there’s congestion pricing -- the contentious tolling plan with billions of dollars in promised funding to keep the trains running and signals in good repair (this won’t even start until next year).
“We are getting this on the table so discussion can begin about how much can we fund in light of the needs," Leiber said.
The initial price tag for a 125th Street extension would be $7.5 billion dollars.
The MTA is also moving forward with what’s called the interborough express-- a $5 billion activation of existing tracks between Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, Queens.
Leiber said that the MTA should know in the next 15 months if the plan to extend this train west is a go.
