New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will begin revenue service on the new Second Avenue Subway at noon on January 1. The inaugural ride will take place on December 31.
"New Yorkers have waited nearly a century to see the promise of the Second Avenue Subway realized, and after unrelenting dedication from thousands of hardworking men and women, the wait is over and the subway will open on December 31," said Governor Cuomo. "The on-time completion of this major, transformative project reaffirms confidence in government competence, increasing capacity on the nation’s busiest subway system, and delivering a new, vital transportation artery to millions of New Yorkers."
Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway has been completed and will provide service from 96th Street to 63rd Street. The project will be built in four phases. Phase I will provide daily service for more than 200,000 people.
Trains will run every six minutes during peak hours starting January 1 and will run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the rest of the first week. Overnight service will begin on Monday, January 9.
“The Second Avenue Subway is the most significant addition to our system in 50 years and will significantly reduce crowding on the Lexington Avenue line which currently serves more riders than the Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston transit systems combined,” stated MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “Opening the line on time could not (have) happened without the support of Governor Cuomo and the round-the-clock hard work and dedication of the thousands of men and women on this project who made this opening possible.”