3 LIC Subway Stations To Get Spruced Up During Closures, MTA Says

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Weekend subway station closures are a routine annoyance in Western Queens — but the MTA plans to soften the blow by cleaning up several neighborhood stations while they're out of commission.

Three stations in Long Island City are among 12 stops citywide that will be given a deep-clean during their weekend outages in the first quarter of 2023, the MTA said Tuesday.

Those stations are: Court Square and Vernon Boulevard on the 7 line, and the 21st Street–Van Alst G train stop.

Dubbed "Station ReNEWvation," the work will entail cosmetic upgrades like power-washing; repainting columns; removing gum from floors, benches, staircases and columns; and retiling platforms and walls.

"We want customers to feel proud of their home station, and this program aims to do just that," New York City Transit President Richard Davey said in a statement. "When we spoke to customers on areas NYC Transit could improve, enhancing the station environment was a popular answer."

The two 7 train stations have been out of commission in recent weeks, along with all other stops between Queensboro Plaza and 34th Street-Hudson Yards, due track maintenance.

The agency did not say what work would cause the 21st Street G stop to close during weekends next year.

The MTA tested out the cleaning-closure combination this summer on B and D train stations in the Bronx, and is now expanding it across the city.

Other stations set to be cleaned next year are:

• DeKalb Avenue (L)
• Morgan Avenue (L)
• Delancey/Essex Streets.(J)
• Canal Street (J)
• Avenue N (F)
• Canal Street (R/W)
• 104th Street (J)
• 8th Avenue (L)
• West 8th Street/New York Aquarium (F)