Elevators Coming To LIRR Station At Murray Hill

MURRAY HILL, QUEENS -- Those with trouble getting on and off the Long Island Rail Road's Murray Hill platforms can soon expect an easier commute. The Queens station is slated to gain its first set of elevators by next spring.

The Long Island Rail Road announced on Wednesday that it will add two new elevators at its Murray Hill station in an $8.6 million construction project slated to begin in March. The elevators, designed to meet Americas with Disabilities requirements, are a first for the LIRR station in Murray Hill, an MTA spokesperson confirmed.

Construction crews will furnish and instill one hydraulic elevator at each end of the two Murray Hill platforms - at 150th Street and 41st Avenue - which will take riders from street level to the station. The elevators are part of a makeover to the station that includes platform improvements, new security cameras, LED lighting, signage and a fresh coat of paint for existing walls, according to the MTA.

An MTA spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on whether the construction would cause any delays at the station.

In the MTA-funded project, workers will cut back and reinstall parts of the station's retaining walls to create space for the new elevator shaft, and paint a new yellow warning strip near the platforms' edges. New fire alarm systems and security cameras will also be installed throughout the station for safety.

Smaller renovations will include electrical upgrades to support the new elevators, along with elevator signage and new LED lighting at the platforms' west and eastbound entrances near the elevators. The revamp will finish off with a fresh coat of paint for all of the station's retaining walls.

The project, slated to finish by Spring 2019, is the latest in renovations to make LIRR stations throughout Queens more accessible. It comes as ADA-compliant elevators are being installed in the railroad's Flushing-Main Street Station. The LIRR's Queens Village Station also received ADA elevators in 2013.

Lead image via Patch.