Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Photos, Video: Inside The Beautiful New Second Avenue Subway
By
Scott Heins
Published Jan 2, 2017
Modified Jan 2, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Heins/Gothamist
View all 24
By
Scott Heins
Published Jan 2, 2017
Modified Jan 2, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
One hundred years of planning, funding squabbles, and construction finally came to fruition Sunday as the Second Avenue Subway opened for service along four new stations on the Upper East Side. Excited riders rushed down into the sparkling new stations at noon and crowded onto waiting Q trains bound for Coney Island.
Among the thousands were Governor Andrew Cuomo, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast, hundreds of journalists, and thousands of New Yorkers, who displayed emotions ranging from tearful joy to (of course) wry cynicism.
Less than 10 minutes after the new subway line was opened, service disruptions brought trains to a halt. One packed train at 86th Street was stopped for nearly 15 minutes. On board, Greenpoint resident Jeremy Lewitt smirked at the delay. “The first of many," Lewitt joked. "I had somewhere to be hours ago!"
Upper East Side resident Jeff Auerbach squeezed in close with his family for a group selfie on the first train bound out of the 86th Street station Sunday. "I've heard about this project for twenty-plus years, and it's unbelievable that it's finally come to be," he said. Like many, Auerbach hopes the new Second Avenue line will open up breathing room on the Lexington Avenue 4/5/6, New York's most crowded subway line. Auerbach was also dismissive of criticism that the new subway line has taken too long, proven too costly, and, with its scaled-back "phases" of completion, left riders near Harlem's 125th Street station high and dry for the time being.
"I think, with any project, as massive as this undertaking was, there are going to be cutbacks that need to be made," Auerbach said. "But the fact that they got it running, finally, after 100 years—that's great. The stations are beautiful, they did a tremendous job of putting it together. The architectural design of it and artworks are fabulous."
Those underground works of art include portraits from Chuck Close and mosaic figures by Vik Muniz, along with expansive new pieces from Jean Shin & Sarah Sze. On Sunday, the art proved to be sensation, with hundreds of riders stopping to snap photos of the large-scale works in their new, underground homes.
With its three-station route drastically scaled back from the borough-spanning "T" line that was first intended to run from 125th Street to Lower Manhattan, the span of new subway track still required $4.4 billion in funding and almost ten years of work (the MTA has stated publicly it plans to "fast track" the next Second Avenue phase, which would reach 125th Street). Originally slated to start running in 2013, the subway line was technically opened on Saturday night when Cuomo hosted a glitzy (and private) party for a few hundred lucky New Year's Eve revelers.
"I did not actually think it was going to happen," Upper West Side resident Melanie Jolson said Sunday. "They've been saying this thing would open for decades, so I wanted to see it with my own two eyes."
If you'd like to see it for yourself, note that there is only partial service on the extended line from January 2nd through January 8th: starting at 6 a.m. and running until 10 p.m. Twenty four-hour service is expected to launch on January 9th.
Tagged
andrew cuomo
MTA
second avenue subway
subway
transit
original
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Need help with mental health or addiction services? NYC has a new tool.
In surveys, many who say they want want help state they don't know where to start.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
News
NYC sues personal injury law firm accused of bogus trip-and-fall claims
City attorneys allege the firm said its clients were injured by defective city streets or sidewalks when in reality they were hit by cars or banged up in fights.
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
By
Catalina Gonella
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .