MTA Announces Accessibility Upgrades at Multiple Subway and LIRR Stations

MTA

NEW YORK, N.Y. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a sweeping package of accessibility upgrades that will make nine more New York City Subway stations accessible, replace and upgrade elevators at another five subway stations, and make seven Long Island Rail Road stations in Queens and Nassau and Suffolk Counties fully accessible for the first time while replacing elevators at two additional LIRR stations.

The elevator upgrades will bring to 116 the number of the LIRR’s 125 stations that are accessible to all, or 93%.

“MTA Construction and Development is always innovating as we advance systemwide accessibility better, faster, and cheaper,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “This latest package of subway station ADA upgrades includes the MTA’s first Public-Private Partnership. This new method of contracting allows us to get the best value for money, as our delivery partner will finance the work and maintain the elevators and then receive payments only if they meet our high standards. And it’s not just the subways–we are replicating these cost-saving lessons at LIRR stations by bundling stations together to help us get the most for each dollar.”

“The MTA is fully committed to make the entire system accessible, not just subways but the LIRR and Metro-North too,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “With these new elevators spread throughout the subway system and across Long Island, a large number of riders with disabilities, customers with children in strollers and visitors with luggage will benefit from an easier way to access mass transit.”

New York City Subway

The MTA Board approved two contracts to advance ADA upgrades in the NYC Transit system.

This includes a bundle of stations to be delivered under a Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery model that will add 21 elevators to make eight stations newly accessible and replace of 14 existing elevators at five others.

Long Island Rail Road

Within the current Capital Program, MTA Construction & Development is moving forward with ADA upgrades at nine Long Island Rail Road stations. 

New elevators and upgrades are scheduled to be installed at Amityville, Copiague, Laurelton, Lindenhurst, Locust Manor, Massapequa Park and St. Albans.

The existing accessibility components at Auburndale and Valley Stream stations will also be upgraded. 

These upgrades will provide new elevators between the street and platform level, modification of canopies, new sidewalks and curb ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Building on the success of other recent awards for Long Island Rail Road stations, MTA Construction & Development is bundling all nine stations into a single design-build contract. With this package moving to award, construction is expected to begin next year.

Design has also been initiated to make 4 more stations fully accessible: Forest Hills, Hollis, Douglaston, and Cold Spring Harbor.

Accessibility Task Forces

The MTA continues its long-standing commitment to accessibility across all parts of the system by utilizing Accessibility Task Forces that provide a forum for the exchange of information about services as they relate to persons with disabilities and their transportation needs. 

The Task Forces also assist the MTA in identifying opportunities for enhancing accessibility & soliciting feedback on upcoming capital projects and policy issues.

Task Force members include:

• Representatives from each County within the Long Island Rail Road service areas
• Service partners and stakeholders such as the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, Connecticut Office of Rail and NJTRANSIT.
• MTA and Long Island Rail Road Staff, Board and Committee members, and advocates; PCAC, and the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Councils.

Editor’s Note: For those needing local information, please see the entire press release. DCL

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