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A dozen more subway stations are getting a much-needed accessibility glow-up—and not a moment too soon.
The MTA announced this week that 12 additional stations across all five boroughs will receive ADA upgrades under its $68 billion 2025–2029 capital plan. Expect elevators, ramps and other features designed to make the system friendlier to seniors, parents with strollers and the more than 1 million New Yorkers living with disabilities.
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Among the stations getting the lift (literally): 53rd Street (R) in Brooklyn, 190th Street (A) in Manhattan and Fordham Road (B/D) in the Bronx. In Queens, both Grand Avenue-Newtown and 63rd Drive-Rego Park (M/R) made the list. Even the diminutive but mighty Botanic Garden station on the S shuttle is in line for upgrades.
The MTA says it used “legislatively mandated” criteria to decide where to build next, factors like ridership, transfer points and geographic equity. For the first time, public input helped shape the plan via an online tool that drew more than 2,000 responses.
“When it comes to accessibility, the MTA is delivering much more than ever before—both in terms of dollars and number of ADA stations,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “And thanks to our fully funded Capital Plan, we are going to keep moving forward at the same pace—five times faster than ever before—until we achieve full accessibility.”
The 12 new stations add to 43 others already slated for accessibility work under the same capital plan. And while those upgrades are full speed ahead, there’s still a long track ahead: A 2022 legal settlement requires the MTA to make 95-percent of all subway stations accessible by 2055. (The current progress is just over a quarter.)
Since 2020, the MTA has delivered 36 newly accessible stations—double what it managed in the previous six years. It has also launched a revamped Elevator and Escalator Status tool with improved search features and customizable alerts.
If subway accessibility has ever felt like a pipe dream, this latest batch of upgrades is a tangible step forward. Whether you roll, walk or stroller your way through NYC, the system is slowly becoming one everyone can ride.