More Harlem Train Stations To Be Equipped With OMNY System: MTA

HARLEM, NY — The MTA's new tap-to-pay turnstile system designed to one day replace the MetroCard will be installed at additional Harlem subway stations in March, MTA officials announced.

Stations along the 2 and 3 lines in Harlem will be equipped with OMNY card readers this month, transit officials said. These stations include: Central Park North (110th Street), 116th Street, 125th Street, 135th Street and 145th Street along Lenox Avenue as well as 148th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

"The OMNY rollout remains on time and we aren’t resting on our laurels. We continue to move full speed ahead, having just exceeded 10 million taps and expecting to rapidly surpass that pace in the weeks and months to come," Al Putre, OMNY program executive, said in a statement.

Downtown Brooklyn stations on the 2 and 3 lines will also be outfitted with OMNY card readers this month as part of the expansion along the two lines, transit officials said.

Turnstyles outfitted with the OMNY system, which stands for "One Metro New York," feature electronic scanners where riders tap either a smartphone or credit card to pay their subway fare. MetroCards can be used at OMNY-equipped turnstiles to ensure a smooth transition. The MTA plans to eventually roll out an OMNY contacless card in 2021 in both virtual and physical forms. The new system will not prevent riders from loading up their cards using cash.