A city law, the New York City Human Rights Law, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Since 1990, elevators have been built in newly constructed stations to comply with the ADA, with most grade-level stations requiring little modification to meet ADA standards. The MTA identified 100 "key stations", high-traffic and/or geographically important stations on the subway system, which have been or are being renovated to comply with the ADA.[1][a] One of the key tenets of the 2018 Fast Forward Plan to rescue the subway system is to drastically increase the number of ADA-accessible subway stations, adding accessible facilities to 70 stations by 2024. In 2022, the MTA agreed in a settlement to make 95 percent of subway and Staten Island Railway stations accessible by 2055.[2]
Background
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been gradually adding disabled access to its key stations since the 1980s, though large portions of the MTA's transit system are still inaccessible. According to the MTA:
In improving services to individuals with disabilities, the MTA identified stations and facilities where compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would benefit the most people, analyzing such factors as high ridership, transfer points, and service to major areas of activity. These stations were given priority in our station-renovation program. We are continuing to expand accessibility features to more and more locations.[3]
According to the MTA, fully accessible stations have:
platform gap modifications or bridge plates to reduce or eliminate the gap between trains and platforms where it is greater than 2 inches (5.1 cm) vertically or 4 inches (10 cm) horizontally[3][5]: F.3 [6]
telephones at an accessible height with volume control, and text telephones (TTYs)[3][5]: F.3
accessible restrooms at stations with restrooms, if a 24-hour public toilet is in operation[3][5]: F.3
Note: not all station buildings have restrooms.[3]
Major bus stops are also required to have bus stop announcements under the ADA. The MTA is required to maintain these components under the ADA law; for instance, buses with malfunctioning lifts will be taken out of service.[4]: 254
In 1973, the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed into law. One provision of it, Section 504, was initially interpreted to require all public transit systems to become equally accessible to disabled people or risk losing Federal funding. The MTA resisted this interpretation, arguing that making the required improvements would cost more than $1.5 billion. MTA Chairman Harold Fisher argued in favor of a separate transportation system for disabled people since it would be too expensive to make the regular system accessible.[7] In 1980, the MTA Board voted to ignore the rule in spite of threats from the federal government that the agency would forfeit Federal funding.[8]
In September 1979, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court that sought to block subway modernization projects from proceeding unless elevators were installed in stations, as per a state law that required that access for disabled riders be provided. This was the first lawsuit in New York challenging a state agency for not being in compliance with the Public Buildings Law, and the first lawsuit to argue state laws required public transit systems to add wheelchair lifts on buses and elevators in train and subway stations. The lawsuit also charged that the MTA was in defiance of New York's Human Rights Law, which outlaws discrimination, for denying people with disabilities from using public transit facilities. The EPVA decided to go ahead with the lawsuit despite the existence of the Federal regulations because it feared a lawsuit by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which sought to overturn the rules as being financially burdensome, might be successful.[7]
In 1981, the Reagan administration reinterpreted Section 504, requiring that transit agencies demonstrate that they were making their best efforts to provide adequate transportation for people in wheelchairs. As a result, the MTA agreed to purchase more than 2,000 buses with wheelchair lifts, which would make 50% of its bus fleet accessible.[8] In 1983, less than a third of the system's 3,600 buses were equipped with these lifts.[9]
In December 1982, the New York State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the EPVA, and on January 4, 1983, the Court judge officially signed an order that barred 10 station renovation projects in the MTA's first Capital Program from proceeding until an agreement was reached regarding accessibility in the New York City transit system, which the MTA appealed. The judge based the ruling on a state law that required wheelchair access to projects that were renovated using state funds. The MTA had argued that it had already provide a transportation option for people with disabilities by ordering buses with wheelchair lifts, and that the state law in question, the public buildings law, did not apply to subway stations, and that the planned projects were repairs, not renovations.[8]
Work at ten station renovation projects underway were placed on hold, and work at 78 others were shelved by the MTA, which feared that work would again be halted by the courts. Following the decision, the MTA asked the New York State Legislature to exempt the agency from the law requiring transportation be accessible to people with disabilities. MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch said that "the costs of station accessibility are enormous and the benefits illusory", arguing that few people would use the elevators, and noting that it would cost $1 million to make each station accessible, and the high cost of maintenance and security requirements. The MTA had offered the EPVA to set up an on-request paratransit service, which the group rejected, while the EPVA offered to make 27 key stations accessible, including Fordham Road, Forest Hills–71st Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Times Square–42nd Street, and 125th Street, which was rejected by the MTA.[10]
In December 1983, State Senate Minority Leader Manfred Ohrenstein proposed legislation that would make 27 key stations accessible and provide funding for a paratransit service, allowing renovations at the 88 stations to commence. Following the announcement, the MTA entertained installing elevators at a limited number of stations being renovated for the first time. Senator Ohrenstein estimated that it would cost $25 to 35 million to make the 27 stations accessible, and cost $55 million per year for the paratransit service. $30 million of the cost for paratransit service would be borne by Transit Authority revenues, $7 million would come from fares, and the remainder would come from third party payments like Medicare and Medicaid. The proposed legislation listed ten stations in Manhattan, four in The Bronx, seven in Brooklyn, and six in Queens. The bill also would have required half of buses to be equipped with wheelchair lifts, and created a 15-member Handicapped Transportation Board to oversee the paratransit system.[11]
In March 1984, the MTA, the office of Governor Mario Cuomo, and advocates for disabled people began working on an agreement to permit the agency to begin work on it subway station modernization program. On June 21, 1984, Mayor Ed Koch blocked an agreement that had been reached in principle to resolve the impasse.[12] The agreement would have required the MTA to spend $5 million a year over eight years to make about 40 stations accessible and equipped every bus on the system with wheelchair lifts within fifteen years. He opposed making stations accessible, writing, "I have concluded that it is simply wrong to spend $50 million in the next eight years—and ultimately more—in putting elevators in the subways."[13]
In June 1984, Governor Cuomo and the leaders of the State Assembly and State Senate reached a settlement agreement in spite of Mayor Koch's objections. The agreement amended the New York State Transportation and Building Laws to require the MTA to install elevators in 54 stations, of which 38 were designated in the legislation, while eight were to be chosen by the MTA, with the remaining eight to be chosen by a new 11-member New York City Transportation Disabled Committee. The MTA would be required to spend $5 million a year over eight years to make station accessible and to equip 65 percent of buses wheelchair lifts. At least eight stations had to become accessible within five years of when the legislation took effect. The New York City Transportation Disabled Committee would develop a plan for a pilot paratransit service within 210 days. The service would have a $5 million annual budget.[14][15]: 1–2 The legislation was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on July 23, 1984, and the MTA Board approved a resolution in agreement with the legislation on July 25, 1984. A settlement agreement was approved on September 24, 1984, allowing the MTA to start work renovating 88 subway stations.[16]
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was signed into law, requiring all transit systems to making their services and facilities fully accessible to people with disabilities. A provision of the legislation required all transit agencies to submit a key station plan to the FTA by July 26, 1992. As part of the plan, agencies were required to include the methodology they used to select key stations and a timeline for the completion of the accessibility improvements. Though stations were required to be made accessible by July 1993, transit agencies were granted permission to extend the deadline by as many as thirty years. As part of New York City Transit's key station plan, 54 stations were to be made ADA-accessible by 2010.[15]: 2
Between 1986 and 1991, the number of disabled people using buses in New York City increased from 11,000 rides a year to 120,000. In 1991, ninety percent of buses were equipped with wheelchair lifts and ten of the 54 key stations were made wheelchair-accessible; at the time, 20 of 469 subway stations had ramps or elevators.[9] The New York City Transit Authority had also made efforts to improve training for its employees and bus operators to on how to assist people with disabilities and on how to operate wheelchair lifts. At least one train car in each subway train had to be accessible by 1993, and major subway stations were supposed to be retrofitted with elevators or ramps by 1995.[9]
The MTA created the New York City Transit ADA Compliance Coordination Committee (CCC) in June 1992. The committee works to coordinate the MTA's accessibility plan, as well as reaches out to disabled MTA riders.[4]: 253 The MTA also provides training to disabled riders, the families of disabled riders, and mobility specialists. Between 1995 and 2019, it has trained 775 passengers.[4]: 308
In 1994, amendments were made to the New York State Transportation and Public Building Laws, increasing the key station obligation from 54 stations to a list of 100 stations to be completed by 2020. Of the 100 new stations, 91 were specified immediately, including 37 additional stations that were chosen in accordance with FTA and MTA criteria and discussions at five public forums. The remaining nine stations were to be selected following discussions with the Transportation Disabled Committee and public advocates.[15]: 2 However, this revision also stipulated that the subway and Staten Island Railway were exempt from making accessibility modifications that were, by law, required for other public buildings.[4]: 261
In February 1994, the MTA Board approved the submission of the bill to the Governor to expand the key station obligation from the 54 stations in the plan at the time and 37 additional stations to be completed through 2020. In May 1994, the Board approved the addition of contracts to make seven of the 37 stations accessible during station renovation projects between 1994 and 1996 to the 1992–1996 Capital Program. These stations were 14th Street, Eighth Avenue, 207th Street, Church Avenue, 72nd Street, Lexington Avenue and 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center. The first two were set to be awarded in 1994, the next two in 1995, and the final three in 1996. The contracts were added on the assumption that the bill would be signed so as to not delay the projects and to avoid having to return to the stations after their renovation projects were completed to add elevators. These projects required $60.9 million.[5]: F.1–F.10
The MTA started posting a list of out of service elevators and escalators on its website in August 2007. In December 2007, the MTA Board voted on a $1.3 million contract to connect the system's elevators and escalators to a computerized monitoring system so breakdowns could be dealt with more quickly.[18]
2010s
In October 2010, the United Spinal Association filed a class action lawsuit against the MTA for not making the Dyckman Street station accessible as part of a station renovation project, arguing that the agency violated the ADA by not allocating twenty percent of the project budget to improving access to disabled people.[19] The MTA had not planned to make the station accessible due to a lack of funds, and as it was not identified by the agency as a key station.[20] In July 2010, the United Spinal Association announced that it had reached a settlement with the MTA to install an elevator to the southbound platform of the station by 2014. An elevator was not installed to the northbound platform as the MTA argued that doing so was not feasible due to the layout of the landmarked station.[21]
As part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program, $300 million was allocated to enhance station access and provide ADA-accessibility at fifteen stations chosen by the city. Four stations were chosen in January 2018: 170th Street (4 train), Broadway Junction (A and C trains' platforms), Livonia Avenue (L train), and Queensboro Plaza (7, <7>, N and W trains). Four more stations are being evaluated. These stations are the J and Z trains' platforms at Broadway Junction, as well as Union Street (R train), Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue (7 and <7> trains), and East Broadway (F and <F> trains).[22][23] In April 2018, the MTA added an ADA-accessibility project at Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue (6 and <6> trains) as part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program.[24]
The MTA hired Stantec in February 2018 to determine the feasibility and cost of making all subway stations ADA-accessible. The study Stantec completed was used to determine which stations would be made accessible the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program. It found that it would be impossible to make the southbound platform at the 14th Street–Union Square station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line accessible due to the station's curvature. In addition, making the Court Street station was not found to be feasible due to the significant amount of conduits that would have to be rerouted.[25]
In 2018, as part of the MTA's Fast Forward program to improve subway and bus service, an Executive Accessibility Advisor was hired at New York City Transit Authority chief Andy Byford's request, reporting directly to Byford.[26] However, the MTA's efforts were still seen as inadequate. After a woman died in January 2019 from falling down a staircase at Seventh Avenue, a station with no elevators, officials criticized the MTA for not adding enough elevators, and one advocacy group released an unofficial map of stations that should receive accessibility upgrades.[27][28][29]
In April 2019, the Suffolk Independent Living Organization filed a class action lawsuit against the MTA for not making the Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst stations on the Long Island Rail Road accessible after the agency spent $5 million renovating escalators at the stations from 2015 to 2016. The MTA reached a settlement with the Suffolk Independent Living Organization on July 10, 2020, agreeing to make the three stations fully compliant with the ADA, including the installation of elevators. Work on these projects was to be completed by June 2023, with funding to come out of the MTA's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[30] The elevators at these stations were finished in 2024.[31][32]
2020s to present
As of January 2022[update], ADA-accessibility projects are expected to be started or completed at 51 stations as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Program.[33][34] This would allow one of every two to four stations on every line to be accessible, so that all non-accessible stops would be a maximum of two stops from an accessible station.[35]: 37 In June 2018, it was announced that the Sixth Avenue station on the L train would receive elevators following the 14th Street Tunnel shutdown in 2019–2020.[36] As part of the plan to add fifty ADA-accessible stations, the MTA surveyed the 345 non-accessible stations for possible ADA-accessibility.[37]: 93–94 After the accessibility report was released in February 2019, the MTA indicated that it might possibly only retrofit 36 of 50 stations because of a lack of funding.[38] However, in the draft 2020–2024 Capital Program released in September 2019, it was indicated that 66 stations might receive ADA improvements.[39] Plans for ADA access at another 20 stations were announced that December.[40][41] The news outlet The City did an analysis of the 2020–2024 Capital Program, and found that the cost of replacing nineteen elevators in the system in had doubled from $69 million to $134 million.[42]
In December 2020, the MTA Board voted to approve a $149 million contract to install seventeen elevators to make seven subway stations and one Staten Island Railway station accessible, and a fifteen-year $8 million contract for elevator maintenance. The MTA used Federal grant money for the Penn Station Access project that would have otherwise expired. The initial cost to make these eight stations accessible was $581 million. The cost of the project was reduced by planning to make the stations accessible without constructing machine rooms, which require additional excavation and underground utility relocation.[43] In January 2022, the MTA added a project to make Massapequa Park station on the LIRR ADA-accessible to the 2020–2024 Capital Program.[33]
In early 2021, the MTA announced it was proposing a zoning law, Zoning for Accessibility (ZFA), which would increase the number of subway elevators by placing many of them on private property. Under the proposed legislation, developers of lots adjacent to subway stations would meet with the MTA to determine whether an elevator entrance could be constructed. If such an entrance was included in a building, the developers could receive "density bonuses" that would allow them to add more space in their buildings.[44][45][46] The New York City Council approved ZFA in October 2021,[47] and the first project under the ZFA program was announced two months later.[48] In June 2022, as part of a settlement for two class-action lawsuits, the MTA proposed making 95 percent of subway and Staten Island Railway stations accessible by 2055.[2][49][50] This would require installing elevators and ramps at 81 stations before 2025; at another 85 stations between 2025 and 2035; and at 90 additional stations in each of the next two decades. Due to technical limitations, about five percent of stations could not accommodate either elevators or ramps.[2]
Also in 2021, the MTA announced it would install wide-aisle fare gates at five subway stations.[51] After partnering with Cubic to design the fare gates, the MTA would replace existing equipment at select locations in order to make station access easier for wheelchair users and passengers with other wheeled devices such as walkers, strollers, and suitcases.[52] Two years later, as part of a plan to improve bike access in the subway, the agency announced the five stations planned to receive the new fare gates: Astoria Boulevard and Sutphin Boulevard/JFK Airport in Queens, Bowling Green and 34th Street-Penn Station in Manhattan, and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn.[53] The implementation of these fare gates was delayed; the MTA's chief accessibility officer indicated in February 2023 that the new fare gates would be installed at the Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport and Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center stations shortly afterward.[54][55] As part of this primarily cyclist-focused initiative, the MTA also agreed to consider providing larger elevator cab sizes and elevator redundancy at stations.[53] In November 2022, the MTA announced that it would award a $965 million contract for the installation of 21 elevators across eight stations,[56][57] and the contract was awarded the next month.[58] The same month, MTA also announced that it would award a $146 million contract for the installation of eight elevators across four stations.[58] Further contracts for accessibility upgrades at 13 rapid transit stations were awarded in late 2023.[59]
The MTA planned to fund several accessibility projects with revenue from congestion pricing in New York City,[60][61] but after the congestion toll was paused in mid-2024, there was uncertainty over whether some of these projects would be funded.[62][63] In August 2024, a state judge indicated that the city government might have to pay for platform modifications at several stations, to reduce gaps between the train and platform.[64] As part of the MTA's 2025–2029 Capital Program, the agency indicated that it would make 60 additional subway stations and 6 commuter rail stations ADA-accessible,[65][66] which would cost $7.1 billion in total.[67] According to Curbed, the high costs of these upgrades were attributed in part to tangentially related projects such as equipment upgrades, since the elevators themselves only cost $5 million apiece on average.[68]
Criticism
The MTA has been criticized for its inaccessibility, particularly in the New York City Subway.[69][70] As of September 2021, just 28% of the city's 472 subway stations were accessible, among the lowest percentages of any major transit system in the world.[71][72] There are some lines where two accessible stations are separated by ten or more non-accessible stops.[29] A report from the New York City Comptroller published in July 2018 found that, out of the 189 neighborhoods officially recognized by the city, 122 had at least one subway station, but only 62 of these neighborhoods had accessible stations.[73] Even at some stations that are ADA-accessible (such as 59th Street–Columbus Circle and Times Square–42nd Street), the gaps between the trains and platforms exceed the maximum gap allowed by the ADA.[6][64]
Some places such as Woodlawn, South Brooklyn, and Stapleton, as well as neighborhoods with large elderly or young populations, do not have any accessible stations.[72][73] The Comptroller's report found that approximately 640,000 young, elderly, or disabled residents in the city did not have access to any nearby accessible stations, while another 760,000 residents did have such access. As a result, the unemployment rate tends to be higher among disabled residents of New York City. Additionally, the 25% labor force participation rate among disabled residents is one-third that of non-disabled residents' labor force participation rate of 75%.[73]
By comparison, all but one of Boston's MBTA subway stations are accessible, the Chicago "L" plans all stations to be accessible in the 2030s,[74] the Toronto subway will be fully accessible by 2025,[75] and Montreal Metro plans all stations to be accessible by 2038.[76] Both the Boston and Chicago systems are as old or older than the New York City Subway, though all of these systems have fewer stations than the New York City Subway.[77][78] Newer systems like the Washington Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit have been fully accessible from their opening in the 1970s.[79]
Inaccessibility of corridors and major stations
Many transfer stations, such as Broadway Junction on the A, C, J, L, and Z trains and Delancey Street/Essex Street on the F, <F>, J, M, and Z trains are not wheelchair-accessible, making it harder to travel between different parts of the city. The Rockaway Park Shuttle, which typically runs from Broad Channel to Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street, has only one accessible station. Several stations also only contain elevators leading from street level to their respective mezzanines.[g] Additionally, some stations on the LIRR are not accessible.
As per the ADA, if a station is significantly modified, at least 20% of the renovation's cost must be spent on ADA improvements, but this is not always the case in the New York City Subway system.[70] For example, the Smith–Ninth Streets station was renovated for two years and reopened in 2013 without any elevators.[86] None of the stations being renovated under the Enhanced Station Initiative, which began in 2017, are proposed to include elevators, except for the stations already equipped with them (e.g. Hunts Point Avenue).[70] The lack of elevators at one station renovated through the ESI, the Cathedral Parkway–110th Street station at Frederick Douglass Boulevard, drew protests by a member of the City Council, a State Senator, and disability rights activists.[87]
There have been several lawsuits over this issue. What is believed to have likely been the first such suit was based on state law and was filed in 1979 by the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association.[88] In 2011, the MTA added a single elevator at the Dyckman Street station (1 train) after a lawsuit by the United Spinal Association midway during the station's renovation.[89] In 2016, the MTA was sued by another disability rights group for not installing an elevator at the Middletown Road station during a 2014 renovation.[90] Similarly, in 2017, disability rights groups filed a class-action suit against the MTA because the subway in general was inaccessible, which violated both state and federal laws.[91][69]
The federal government sued the MTA in March 2018 over a lack of elevators at Middletown Road and the Enhanced Station Initiative stops.[92] In March 2019, federal district judge Edgardo Ramos ruled that all subway station renovations that "affect the station's usability" must include upgrades to make the station fully accessible unless it is deemed unfeasible to do so.[93][94] In February 2021, the state-court case reached class-action status with over 500,000 plaintiffs;[95] the class-action lawsuit was resolved as part of the June 2022 settlement with the MTA.[2][49][50]
As of December 2024[update], out of 472 total stations in the New York City Subway system, 148 (or 31%) are accessible to some extent;[107][j] many of them have AutoGate access.[108][97] If station complexes are counted as one, then 120 out of the system's 423 stations are accessible to some extent (or 28%). There are 21 more non-ADA-accessible stations with cross-platform interchanges, as well as other same-platform transfers, designed to handle wheelchair transfers.[97]
The MTA sought to make 100 "key stations" accessible by 2020 to comply with the ADA,[a][109][69] of which 97 were accessible, 2 under construction, and one (68th Street–Hunter College station) under design by that year.[4]: 250 It has retrofitted dozens of "non-key stations" as well.[69][110]
Because of how they were designed, many existing subway stations were built with narrow platforms, as such making it difficult to install wheelchairs in such stations.[111] Seven station complexes in the system have a mix of accessible platforms and non-accessible platforms.[b]
As of December 2024[update], there are 65 ADA-compliant stations in Manhattan out of 153 (42%),[k] or 47 (39%) if stations in complexes are counted as one.[97][l] Stations built after 1990 are marked with an asterisk (*).
Elevator for northbound service at northeast corner of Canal Street and Lafayette Street.
Elevator for southbound service at northwest corner of Canal Street and Lafayette Street. Note: N, Q, R, W, J and Z platforms are not ADA-compliant.
Elevators inside station house at southwest corner of Hillside Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue/Ft. George Hill (accessible via wheelchair ramp at street level).
Elevator to mezzanine inside main entrance, immediately to the right of Grand Central Terminal entrance (East 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues).
Elevator at northwest corner of East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.
Elevators at southeast corner of 7th Avenue and West 42nd Street and northwest corner of Broadway and West 42nd Street.
Notes:
The passageway ramp used to transfer between 1, 2, 3, 7, <7>, N, Q, R, W, and S and A, C, and E trains is not ADA-compliant.
The passageway ramp used to transfer between 1, 2, 3, 7, <7>, N, Q, R, W, and S and B, D, F, <F>, and M trains is not ADA-compliant. (The B, D, F, <F>, and M trains' platforms at 42nd Street–Bryant Park are also not ADA-compliant.)
As of February 2024[update], there are 18 ADA-compliant stations in the Bronx out of 70 (26%), or 17 (25%) if stations in complexes are counted as one.[97][l]
As of April 2024[update], there are 42 ADA-compliant stations in Brooklyn out of 169 (25%), or 34 (22%) if stations in complexes are counted as one.[97][l]
Wheelchair ramps inside station house accessible from the northeast corner of Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue and southeast corner of Mermaid Avenue and Stillwell Avenue. Southernmost accessible station in the system.
Notes:
Wheelchair ramps inside fare control each stretch out from the mezzanine to the F and <F>, N and Q platforms.
The ramp from the D platform to the mezzanine is not accessible; that platform is instead accessed first via two elevators, one each from the D and N platforms to an overpass and then via a ramp from the latter's platform.
As of December 2024[update], there are 25 ADA-compliant stations in Queens out of 83 (30%), or 22 (28%) if stations in complexes are counted as one. This count excludes Mets–Willets Point, where the sole ADA-accessible platform is open only during certain events.[97][l]
Elevator next to south staircase down to Resorts World Casino Parking Lot. Alternate wheelchair access via the Sky Bridge entrance to Resorts World New York City.
Ramp to overpass on south side of Roosevelt Avenue. Note: Only the northbound side-platform is accessible; service at this platform is available only to Main Street-Flushing on Mets baseball game, USTA game, or special events.
As of September 2023[update], there are six ADA-accessible stations on the Staten Island Railway out of 21 (29%). Stations built after 1990 are marked with an asterisk (*).[97]
As of September 2018[update], 185 out of the 248 stations (75%) in the entire MTA commuter rail system are accessible by wheelchair. Many of them are ground or grade-level stations, thus requiring little modification to accessibility. A few stations, including the entire Babylon Branch, are elevated or on embankments, but some have been renovated or retrofitted with elevators to meet ADA standards. 57% of the accessible stations in the MTA's railroad system are Long Island Rail Road stations.[97]
During the late 1990s, the LIRR began converting much of its low-floor, at-grade stations into high-floor platforms. Rather than renovate to meet ADA standards, ten low-floor stations, including the surviving five on the Lower Montauk Branch were closed in March 1998, due to low patronage, and incompatibility with then-new C3 bi-level coach cars that can only use high platforms.[118] Five of the LIRR's branches are entirely accessible from east of Jamaica: the Long Beach Branch, Montauk Branch, Oyster Bay Branch, Port Jefferson Branch, and Ronkonkoma Branch. The West Hempstead Branch has only one non-accessible station along its line, St. Albans.[97]
In January 2020, as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Plan, the MTA announced the three additional Metro-North stations to receive elevators.[119]Forest Hills on the LIRR will also receive elevators as part of the 2020–2024 Capital Plan, as the ramps installed at the station in 1997 are not ADA-compliant.[120]
As of November 2024[update], 110 of the 124 LIRR stations (89%) are accessible by wheelchair ramp and/or elevator. Stations that meet full ADA requirements are marked with an asterisk (*). (Other stations are wheelchair accessible but may be missing some ADA features).[97] Stations built after 1990 are marked with a double asterisk (**).
Elevator at the Ardsley-on-Hudson stationWheelchair accessibility platform at Campbell Hall station
As of January 2018[update], 79 of the 124 Metro-North stations (64%) are accessible by wheelchair ramp and/or elevator. Stations that meet full ADA requirements are marked with an asterisk (*). (Other stations are wheelchair accessible but may be missing some ADA features).[97] Stations built after 1990 are marked with a double asterisk (**).
All MTA buses and routes are wheelchair accessible, since all current fleet were built and entered service in the 2000s or later, after the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[4]: 247 As of May 2019[update], all of the local-bus fleet consists of semi-low floors with wheelchair ramps,[122] while all express buses have high floors and contain lifts.[123][124]
Many retired fleet are high-level buses, and many of the fleet built before 1990 do not comply with ADA standards. The federal government started requiring that half of all MTA buses be accessible in 1981. However, the wheelchair lifts on the earliest wheelchair-accessible buses were unreliable.[125] By 1983, less than a third of the 3,600-vehicle MTA fleet were accessible, and it was impossible to tell which routes had accessible buses because they were dispatched randomly. Drivers sometimes refused to pick up disabled passengers, or they did not carry keys for lift-equipped buses, or the lifts were operated improperly.[126] As part of a disability-lawsuit agreement in June 1984, Governor Mario Cuomo agreed to equip 65% of MTA buses with wheelchair lifts.[14]
The number of disabled riders on MTA buses rose eleven-fold between 1986 and 1991. By 1991, a year after the ADA law was passed, the bus system saw 120,000 disabled passengers per year. Ninety percent of the fleet was wheelchair-accessible, compared to other cities' transit systems, which had much lower percentages of accessible buses in their fleets.[9] The last non-accessible vehicle in the MTA New York City Bus fleet, excluding routes that later became part of the MTA Bus Company, was retired in 1993.[126][127] In 1997, the first low-floor bus in the city was tested; these buses have ramps rather than a wheelchair lift, with a significantly lower step to the curb.[128][129] Low-floor buses have made up most of the new non-express buses ordered since the early 2000s, with the last non-express high-floor bus withdrawn in 2019.[124]
In the calendar year of 2019, the MTA recorded over 1.5 million bus customers who used wheelchair ramps or lifts.[4]: 253 All MTA Bus operators are required to have ADA training. The newest buses have hands-free intercom systems for drivers.[4]: 254
The New York City Transit Authority also operates paratransit services branded as Access-A-Ride (AAR) for disabled customers who cannot use regular bus or subway service in New York City, and nearby areas in Nassau and Westchester counties, within MTA's three-quarter mile service area. AAR is available at all times.[130] In addition, AAR has dedicated pickup locations around the city.[131] Passengers are charged the same $2.90 fare on AAR as on regular transit.[132]
The paratransit system began as a $5 million pilot program following the passage of the ADA law.[9] The services are contracted to private companies.[133] In 1993, because many disabled riders were being refused service in violation of the ADA, the MTA announced an expansion of the program. The service was carrying 300,000 yearly riders back then.[134] In 1998, in response to a discrimination lawsuit, the Access-A-Ride program underwent another expansion. At the time, despite having 1 million annual customers the program only had 300 vehicles and Access-A-Ride journeys often took several hours, while only twenty-six subway stations were ADA-accessible.[133]
Several private contractors operate the Access-A-Ride vehicles for the MTA.[135] The paratransit system has come under scrutiny by the media for being unwieldy: rides must be booked 24 to 48 hours in advance; it is costly to operate;[136] and vehicles often show up late or fail to show up at all.[137] AAR vehicles were defined as being "on time" when they arrived within 30 minutes of the scheduled time, and in 2017, two pilot programs were implemented to speed up AAR service.[138] Multiple customers can share AAR vehicles, although shared AAR trips were suspended from March 2020[139][140] to July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[141] The program's operating cost was $461 million per year as of 2015, which is relatively high considering that only 150,000 people use it every year.[136]
Howard Roberts, a former high-ranking MTA official, was quoted as saying that "it probably has turned out to be … a hundred times more expensive to go with buses and paratransit than it would have been to bite the bullet and simply rehabilitate the stations and put elevators in."[142] The Access-A-Ride service competes with options such as accessible taxis, although accessible taxis only make up a small percentage of the city's entire taxi fleet.[143] As part of the 2018 MTA Action Plan, the MTA would improve the Access-A-Ride interface to make the ride-hailing, vehicle scheduling, and traveling processes easier.[35]: 42 During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in the reports of AAR trips that were canceled, in part because of traffic congestion and a shortage of drivers.[144] AAR bought its first electric vans in 2024;[145][146] at the time, the AAR fleet had 1,100 vehicles.[147] As of 2024[update], AAR averages 30,000 daily customers on weekdays.[146]
Pilot programs
In October 2019, the MTA unveiled an accessible station lab at the Jay Street–MetroTech subway station, which included Braille signs, tactile pads, wayfinding apps, diagrams of accessible routes, and floor stickers to guide passengers to subway routes.[148] The MTA also added a hearing induction loop to the Bowling Green station, the first such installation in the subway system, during a pilot program in early 2020.[149]
The MTA released the NaviLens and NaviLens Go apps as part of another pilot program in late 2020. The apps could scan QR codes at bus stops and read out signs and bus-arrival times.[150][151] To assist visually-impaired riders and those with limited English proficiency, the MTA began adding colorful QR codes outside selected subway stations in early 2024. These codes could be scanned using the NaviLens and NaviLens Go apps, which display train-arrival times and translate signs into 34 languages.[152][153] Initially, the NaviLens codes were present only at M66 bus stops and selected subway stations on the 1, 2, and 3 routes,[153][154] as well as at some M23 bus stops.[154][155] In 2023, the MTA received a federal grant to expand the program to the 6 subway route and the Bx12 bus route.[154]
In September 2022, designated stroller-parking spaces were added to 100 MTA buses as part of a pilot program, allowing parents and guardians to keep their strollers open on the bus; previously, passengers had to fold all strollers before boarding the bus.[156][157] Despite concerns from accessibility advocates, who feared that the strollers would pose a hazard,[158] the program was expanded in 2023 to over 1,000 buses.[159][160]
There were several "station groupings" that were proposed by the MTA in February 2019. At least one station in each grouping is slated to receive ADA improvements. In total, 24 groupings were proposed: three each in Queens and Staten Island, four each in the Bronx and Manhattan, and 10 in Brooklyn.[161][162] An internal MTA list in July 2019 narrowed down these choices.[163] These stations were included in the list of 48 stations that were confirmed as being under consideration for ADA-accessibility in an announcement in September 2019.[164]
As of July 2021[update], numerous stations across the MTA system are slated to receive ADA renovations. Those projects are in various stages of planning, design, or construction. The following listing excludes stations that are already accessible but will receive ADA renovations anyway, including Forest Hills on the LIRR Main Line in Queens.[165][166]: 201 [167]
^ abThe 100 key stations include 97 subway stations and three Staten Island Railway stations. They also count several station complexes as separate stations: for example, Times Square–42nd Street and 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal are collectively counted five times.[4]: 248–250
^ abThe seven station complexes, along with their inaccessible services, are:[97]
^ abThe 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue station already has elevators between ground and mezzanine, but none to any of the platforms.[195]
^The 57th Street–Seventh Avenue already had an elevator between the ground and mezzanine.[80] This elevator is not part of the current accessible entrance.[81][37]: 90
^ abThe Briarwood station already has an elevator between ground and mezzanine, but none to either of the platforms.[194]
^ abThe Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station already has an elevator between ground and mezzanine, but none to any of the platforms.[199]
^A list of all station complexes is given at List of New York City Subway transfer stations. The MTA denotes each station with a station ID, and if the station is part of a complex, also denotes a separate complex ID.[96]
^When conforming to international standards, there are six commuter rail stations that have a direct connection to subway services (i.e., a connection could be made without exiting the structure, or traveling along the street). This count was conducted by condensing all subway and rail stations with direct connecting infrastructure as one complex. This excludes stations that are close in proximity, but have no share mezzanine or connecting passageway (E.g. The subway and rail stations along Main Street in Flushing, Queens requires a walk on street level, and has no connecting infrastructure or passageway between the separate stations, and thus does not count as a connecting complex).
The six rail stations that currently share connecting infrastructure with seven subway stations are as follows:
Mets–Willets Point, with a connection to the 7 and <7> trains at Mets–Willets Point: connection is via pedestrian bridge. This consists of one LIRR station and one subway station.[104]
Woodside, with a connection to the 7 and <7> trains at 61st Street–Woodside: connection is via connecting mezzanine. This consists of one LIRR station and one subway station.[106]
With the exception of Mets–Willets Point, these rail stations and their corresponding subway stations are all fully or mostly ADA-accessible.[97]
^This includes station complexes but excludes some non-accessible platforms at such complexes.
^Canal Street (Broadway) and Chambers Street–World Trade Center both contain separate local and express platforms and are both part of a larger station complex. However, both are counted by the MTA as one station within their respective complex.[96]
^ abcdSeveral station complexes are counted as one station by both MTA and international standards.[98]
Renovation in progress: Station is currently undergoing renovations to put it in compliance with ADA standards
Under construction: Station is currently being built; all new stations must be compliant with ADA standards
Contract awarded: Station will undergo renovations, and has contract for renovations awarded
Construction pending (ZFA): Station will undergo renovations, funded by a private developer, as part of the Zoning for Accessibility program
Proposed station: New station proposed to be built on existing lines
Contract award pending: Station will undergo renovations to put it in compliance with ADA standards once a contract for these renovations has been awarded
In design: Station is currently being planned to receive ADA improvements, and a design process for an elevator or ramp installation is underway
In planning (funded): Station is currently being planned to receive ADA improvements, but a design process for an elevator or ramp installation is not yet underway. However, funding is available for the design and potential construction of such improvements in the next five-year capital program (as of 2019[update], this would be the 2020–2024 program).
In planning: Station is currently being planned to receive ADA improvements, but a design process for an elevator or ramp installation is not yet underway
In pre-planning: Station has tentatively been identified as a candidate to receive ADA improvements, but a design process for an elevator or ramp installation is not yet underway
^The 168th Street station already has elevators between a lower and upper mezzanine, but none to either of the IRT platforms.[82] There is also an elevator between ground level and the upper mezzanine, serving the IND platforms, which are fully accessible.[97]
^The 190th Street station already has elevators between a lower and upper mezzanine, but no ground level or platform access.[82]
^"EPVA MTA Settlement Agreement"(PDF). adalawproject.org. United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. September 24, 1984. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
^"Accelerate Accessibility". Fast Forward. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
^"All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP)". CTA. Retrieved July 27, 2023. In July 2018, we reached an important milestone in our commitment towards making the rail system accessible to everyone by releasing the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Strategic Plan – our blueprint for making the remaining 42 rail stations fully accessible over the next two decades.
^incompetentia (March 26, 2015). "The MTA's Accessibility Gap". SupraStructure. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
^ ab"Station Complexes"(csv). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
"Fast Forward Station Groupings List". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2019 – via The Wall Street Journal.
"Fast Forward Station Groupings List". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2019 – via The Wall Street Journal.
^ abc"MTA Capital Program 2020–2024"(PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 20, 2019. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
^ ab"Board Update: Stations". MTA Construction and Development. October 2020. p. 4. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
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