MTA To Modernize 42nd Street Shuttle Line, Agency Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The MTA will begin work this month to renovate and modernize one of the subway systems few crosstown routes in Manhattan, transit officials announced.

The 42nd Street Shuttle line, which carries about 100,000 people between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal each day, will be made fully accessible, easier to board and less crowded when a 3-year renovation is completed, MTA officials said this month. Construction is expected to begin August 16 and end sometime in 2022.

Shuttle service will still run between the city's busiest subway stations while construction is ongoing, the MTA said. A multi-phase construction schedule will allow the line to operate with only "minor" service reductions. Transit officials said that shuttle riders should expect to add a few minutes to their commutes or consider using the 7 train as a replacement during construction.

The main improvements to the shuttle line include:

• A new, fully ADA-accessible shuttle platform at Times Square;
• Centralized shuttle platforms that reduce the number of tracks and add new staircases at both stations;
• Replacing the lines signals, which were installed in the 1930s;
• Expanding trains from four to six cars, which should reduce congestion.

"Making our system accessible and easier to use for all New Yorkers is essential to modernizing the MTA, and this 42 St Shuttle transformation project is another example of our progress. Instead of simply fixing the most urgent conditions, we’re taking this opportunity to truly transform the 42 St Shuttle," MTA Managing Director Veronique Hakim.

The 42nd Street Shuttle is one of just a few subway lines in Manhattan to offer crosstown service. The line dates back to the original 1904 subway system and services about 100,000 riders per day, with 10,000 of those rides occurring at peak hours. The line is a direct link between Times Square and Grand Cenral subway stations, which are the city's two busiest stations with more than 1 million combined daily passengers.