Second Avenue Subway Safety Tests Are Still Not Finished: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Despite launching the Second Avenue Subway in January, the MTA has not finished important safety tests for the city's newest subway line, according to a New York Times report.

More than 17,000 defects found during fire alarms testing at the new Second Avenue stations were still unfixed when the subway line became operational, according to MTA oversight reports for the federal government that were acquired by the New York Times. One of the reports stated that “quality was compromised for schedule acceleration," the Times reported.

The subway line is still operating under a "temporary safety certificate," the Times reported, which has forced the MTA to station workers along the line to watch for fires. The line may not receive a final certificate until November, according to the report.

An MTA spokesman did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

The Second Avenue Subway was launched to much fanfare during a New Year's Eve party thrown by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The governor, who controls the MTA, hailed the subway line's launch as an example of the state's ability to complete big infrastructure projects in an efficient manner.

On January 1 the Second Avenue Subway opened to an eager public, who quickly mobbed the stations to catch a glimpse of the project that was billions of dollars and decades in the making. The new stations for the Q are at 96th Street, 86th Street and 72nd Street on Second Avenue. Since the launch, the Q line also stops at East 63rd Street.

Read the full New York Times report here.

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