PHOTOS: MTA Rings in Record Year for Elevator Replacements with Openings at Three Manhattan Stations

Accessibility Upgrades Provide Safer and More Reliable Elevator Service

MTA Replaced a Record 39 Elevators in 2025

See Photos of the Elevators

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the opening of modernized elevators at the Times Sq-42 St station, 14 St station, and 34 St-Penn Station station as part of larger accessibility and safety upgrades. Regular replacements are crucial to keep the system running effectively and efficiently resulting in fewer repairs and fewer disruptions needed later. The MTA has completed a record 39 elevator replacements in 2025 - more than double the previous record of 16 set in 2021.

The newly replaced elevator at Times Sq-42 St provides access from the platforms serving the lines to the mezzanine, where customers can transfer to the lines and Shuttle. The elevator maintainer is Mid-American.

The modernized elevator at 14 St provide access from the uptown platform to the mezzanine. The station, which serves nearly 30,000 weekday riders, provides connections to the 8 Av train stop. The elevator maintainer is Mid-American.

At 34 St-Penn Station, the street level elevator at the corner of 34th and 8 Av provides access to the mezzanine and the northbound local platform. The second elevator replaced at 34 St-Penn Station connects riders between the northbound platform to all northbound and southbound local and express tracks. The station, which serves approximately 51,000 riders every weekday, also provides connections to the lines, the Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and Amtrak. The elevator installer and maintainer is Otis.

"We're upgrading our elevators better, faster, and cheaper and this record-setting year is just the start," said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. "Thanks to bundling and strong project management, we've sped up the average replacement timeline by more than two months and more than doubled the prior record for replacements in the year."

"New, modernized elevators are key to ensuring an accessible transit system for caregivers with strollers, older adults, people with disabilities, and anyone who needs an elevator," said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. "Proactively removing elevators from service for replacement helps avoid unplanned outages and keeps riders moving."

In 2025, the MTA replaced 39 elevators, including nine in Brooklyn, five in the Bronx, 20 in Manhattan and five in Queens. The MTA currently has 29 elevator replacement projects in active construction in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Details can be found here.

Work involved in the elevator replacement included:

• Full replacement of elevator cab and associated equipment within the cab, shaft, and pit, along with two new elevator head houses at street level.
• Modifications to the shaft and pit needed to accommodate new equipment. Equipment updates ensure the elevator ride is smoother and the elevator is more reliable in the future.
• Replacement and modernization of all elevator machine room, electrical, and mechanical equipment for better and more reliable service.
• Upgrades to the remote monitoring equipment, intercom system, and cameras to enhance security and allow crews to respond more quickly and precisely if an elevator goes out of service.