The subway station 42 St-Times Square opened a new entrance that becomes the only one that opens directly into the heart of Times Square, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced Monday.
The new 5,000-square-foot mezzanine is part of the larger 42nd Street Connection project, which encompasses a series of major improvements to the busy cross-town corridor in Midtown Manhattan.
The celebration of this new entrance coincides with the revival of the Times Square district, as the peak spring and summer travel season approaches.
The entrance allows customers to enter and exit directly from Broadway Plaza, the hub of the Times Square district that is visited by millions of commuters each week. New subway entrance features include:
- New accessible elevator: a new elevator, the sixth in the station in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The elevator’s sleek, black-accented design provides a modern feel, complete with a new two-way communication system installed in the elevator car for the hearing and speech-impaired, providing information to customers in the event of an emergency. It will connect the Times Square station with Broadway Plaza between 42nd and 43rd streets.
- New input and output options: the entrance includes a completely new and modernized canopy over the stairs, replicating the sparkling Waterford crystals that encompass the world-famous New Year’s Eve crystal ball. The canopy displays a total of 238 triangular glass frames, which can be seen by looking up while using the stairs. The new subway entrance features a 15-foot-wide stairway and provides an additional 450 square feet of space and additional circulation for the new station. Ceiling panels in the new entrance on the mezzanine level encompass historic plaster molding from when the station was originally built. A new historical panel was also installed at the bottom of the stairs, depicting notable events throughout the station’s history.
- New Modern Turnstile/Mezzanine Level: new Times Square station entrance features energy-efficient LED lighting; four new digital information screens to keep customers informed of train arrivals and notifications; 10 new turnstiles; two emergency doors and 10 glass barrier panels located between the turnstiles and the emergency exit doors. Eighteen CCTV cameras were also installed in the mezzanine and two cameras in the elevator, helping to increase surveillance in the busy station.
- Two new mosaics of art and design from the MTA– Commissioned by the MTA’s award-winning public arts program, two new mosaics by artist Nick Cave, individually named “Each One” and “Equal to All,” are located near the new subway entrance and have been reconstructed. The opening marks the completion of the extensive permanent artwork “Every One, Each One, Equal All.” The third section is installed at the 42 St Connector.
“Today’s event highlights two of the MTA’s top priorities: dramatically increasing accessibility on the subway system and supporting the revival of New York’s entertainment and office districts,” said MTA President and CEO Janno. lieber. “We’re adding ADA elevators faster than ever, and we’re determined to achieve full accessibility — for disabled passengers, seniors, people with strollers and packages, everyone.”
The new subway entrance at the station 42 St-Times Square is part of the MTA’s investment in the 42nd Street underground corridor that included upgrades to Grand Central, Bryant Park and Times Square stations, and focused on redesigning walkways and platforms, adding new elevators, widening stairwells and transforming the 42nd Street Train into a fully accessible service.
The opening of the entrance marks the completion of the three-year revitalization project that was completed on time and under budget.
Approximately 640,000 riders use the Times Square subway station each weekday and it is used, more than any of the 472 stations within the subway system.
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