2nd Avenue Subway to Officially Launch Jan. 1, Governor Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A definitive launch date has been set for the first phase of the 2nd Avenue Subway — a three-stop extension of the Q train from East 63rd Street to East 96th Street nearly 100 years in the making. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the new subway line will be open to the public on Jan. 1, 2017, a date he announced Monday morning while speaking at the Museum of Modern Art.

"We’re going to open on January 1 because deadlines matter," Cuomo said. "Not only are we going to open on January 1 but it’s going to be an accomplishment, and a proud accomplishment, of every New Yorker."

Cuomo teased the opening date in a Monday morning tweet and through multiple "exclusive" station tours with New York media outlets.

It seems as if the cautious optimism, echoed by numerous state officials last week, has been upgraded to just plain optimism.

"Governor Cuomo visits the Second Avenue subway several times a week and holds weekly meetings with the MTA and its contractors. Today was another one of those visits. The Governor believes the progress is encouraging and he's cautiously optimistic about hitting the January 1 deadline," Cuomo's Chief of Staff Melissa DeRosa said on Friday, Dec. 9.

During a meeting of the MTA's Capital Programs Oversight Committee (CPOC) last week it was revealed that most major systems tests will be finished up by Dec. 24. Systems testing — to be completed on station elevators, escalators and fire alarm systems — was long a concern of independent engineer Kent Haggas. Haggas said last week that he is impressed by the current rate of testing and believes the systems will be ready by the end of the month.

The MTA's initial goal was to complete all systems tests by the end of September, according to the materials from last week's meeting.

The $4.5 billion project will re-route the Q train up 2nd Avenue, making new stops at East 63rd Street, East 72nd Street, East 86th Street and East 96th Street. The additions made to the Q line along 2nd Avenue are expected to support a ridership of 200,000 people. The MTA and the Governor have not announced updates on Phase 2 or 3 of the project, which will extend subway service on 2nd Avenue from the Lower East Side to Harlem.

Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority via Flickr/Creative Commons