NYC Transit opens first new subway station in decades

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) on Sunday opened the 34 St.-Hudson Yards 7 Station, marking the agency's first new subway station in more than 20 years.

The station is part of the 1.5-mile extension of the 7 subway line, which now provides service to the far West Side of midtown Manhattan, MTA officials said in a press release.

New York City funded the $2.42 billion project, which included $2.1 billion for the station itself and $266 million for other non-subway related infrastructure work. MTA provided $53 million toward the project as well.

The new 34 St.-Hudson Yards 7 Station has the longest escalators inside any of NYCT's subway stations.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin

"This station is the centerpiece of an ambitious plan to make the far West Side of Manhattan a top-tier destination for residents and visitors alike while meeting the daily needs of millions of subway riders," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The three-floor station is the first to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act with two inclined elevators between the upper and lower mezzanines. Traveling at a speed of 100 feet per minute, the elevators can accommodate five wheelchairs or 15 standing customers.

Additionally, the subway includes NYCT's longest column-free station platform and the longest escalators inside any station, MTA officials said.

The extension’s construction began in December 2007, after the New York City Council approved a rezoning plan for the far West Side of Manhattan. The rezoning allows for more than 40 million square feet of mixed-use development, including 24 million square feet of office development and 13,500 new apartments, MTA officials said.

The city created Hudson Yard Infrastructure Corp. to finance the 7 extension, new parks and other infrastructure.