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MTA Announces Official Hours For Inaugural Second Avenue Subway Trips
By
Emma Whitford
Published Dec 31, 2016
Modified Dec 31, 2016
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Governor Cuomo's office
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By
Emma Whitford
Published Dec 31, 2016
Modified Dec 31, 2016
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Hours after the New York Times published a tantalizing preview of Governor Cuomo's New Years Eve Second Avenue Subway Celebration That None Of Us Are Invited To, the MTA has released instructions for plebeians hoping to ride the rails on New Year's Day.
Will you have "a choice of over 20 different locally made libations, including beer from Rochester, whiskey from the Finger Lakes, gin from Buffalo and hard cider from the Hamptons"? A live jazz band serenade at 72nd street? Nope, that's the other party.
Nonetheless! The new stations at 72nd Street, 86th Street and 96th Street will open at 11:45 a.m. on January 1st, fifteen minutes ahead of inaugural noon Q train trips, departing from 63rd, 72nd, 86th and 96th.
From January 2nd through January 8th, service will be partial: starting at 6 a.m. and running until 10 p.m. Twenty four-hour service will launch on January 9th.
"New Year's Day marks a great New York moment and a significant milestone with the debut of the Second Avenue Subway," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "What was once thought to be the impossible, the on-time completion of this transformative project will increase the capacity of the nation’s busiest subway system and positively impact the lives of millions of New Yorkers now and for years to come."
The release doesn't mention the near-century of fits and starts that predate Sunday's debut, nor the hundreds of millions of dollars in budget overruns, nor the lack of solid funding for the next three phases of the project. We'll suspend griping just long enough for a photo op.
The MTA did not immediately respond to our inquiry about how much Cuomo's New Year's Eve celebration will cost, but we'll update if we hear back. In addition to Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray, the party will draw guests from construction unions and arts organizations. The Governor's Office says a few lucky neighbors and business owners have invitations, too.
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