Second Avenue Subway Line to Launch First Phase On January 1st
After approximately hundreds of years of waiting and lots of construction, there will finally be a direct line from the hot dog-filled, boardwalk haven of Coney Island, through the metropolitan venue of the Barclays Center, through midtown, and all the way up to 96th street on the Upper East Side, as Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that the first phase of the Second Avenue subway line—which will bring Q train stops to 72nd, 86th, and 96th Streets, with a new, open-design station (said to be similar to the Hudson Yards station on Manhattan’s west side) opening on 96th—will open to the public on New Year’s Day, 2017.
Cuomo had previously expressed cautious optimism about the line opening on-time, and it seems, for now, that he, and the city, and the state, are on track to meet those deadlines. Maps of the extension to the Q line began popping up over the weekend at various MTA stops around the city, leading some to wonder whether the long-awaited plans could finally be nearing an opening-date. And, alas, now a confirmation. The stations are still undergoing testing, but all is expected to be in order in time for a ceremonial first ride on New Year’s Eve, before the service officially opens to all on the following day.
2017: the year in which it won’t be insane to have lunch at Nathan’s on the boardwalk in Coney Island, and then hear a lecture from a screenwriter at the 92nd Street Y not long after. Unless, of course, the train breaks down—but that would never happen, right?
Photo Courtesy of Governor Cuomo’s Office