MTA Tests 2nd Ave Subway Line at Lexington Avenue–63rd Street

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The 2nd Ave Subway is finally running — sort of. A transit enthusiast by the name of Dj Hammers uploaded a video to YouTube which shows the MTA running tests on its new line this weekend.

"I came across some test trains passing Lexington Avenue - 63rd St to test the third rail, signals, and track on the newly-built 2nd Ave Subway," Hammers said in the video's description. "Luckily, I could see these trains from the public area of the Lexington Ave - 63rd St station from the staircases between the two levels of the station. Very interesting operation!"

Behold, the 2nd Ave Subway:

In the video Hammers said he was able to spot the test run while walking between the upper and lower levels of the existing Lexington Avenue–63rd Street F train line.

When complete, the 2nd Ave Subway project will construct new Q train stops at 96th, 86th and 72nd street stations along 2nd Avenue and connect the Q to the existing Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station. The additions made to the Q line along 2nd Avenue are expected to support a ridership of 200,000 people.

The MTA has said it expects revenue service to be running on the new line by Dec. 31, but a recent quarterly report cast doubt on whether the line will be ready in time. The quarterly report, issued Monday Sept. 26, identified three contracts that could stall the project.

Finishes at the proposed 72nd Street Station, specifically testing on the station's escalators and elevators, have been identified as concerns. According to the report, the MTA has set a target date of Nov. 30 for testing, which means all necessary tests would need to be completed in under a month.

In addition to delayed testing at the 72nd Street Station, the report also identifies fire alarm testing at various stations as a potential roadblock for a December launch.

"Conduit installation delayed Fire Alarm installation at all stations," reads the report.

As of Sept. 26, contractors are still working to install the conduit necessary to test fire alarm systems, according to the report. As a result, testing will not begin until at least mid-November at the 63rd Street, 72nd Street, 86th Street and 96th Street stations, according to the report.

Photo: Screengrab of video posted by YouTube user Dj Hammers